November 2000

Ms. Hughla Bliss, class of 1918, has lived in Neosho most of her life. When she didn't live here, she lived in California.
Ms. Bliss walked up the hill to Central Elementary and back home from school every day. She went to Intermediate High School. For every class they had an hour, and had few electives. For lunch she went home, and on snow days they had $0.25 lunches at a restaurant on the square. This consisted of a vegetable, meat and gravy. In her whole school career she never had to go to the principal's office. She was one of 34 people to be the first to graduate from Intermediate High School, which was in 1918. Her favorite high school memory was ofher teachers, because the students were good, and they respected the teachers. Everyone also loved the principal Ms. Palmer. Ms. Bliss wasn't able to go to any of her class reunions, because sbe wasn't in Missouri at the time.
After graduation, she traveled to San Francisco, California. Then she went to college, for the fIrSt year, to the The University of Arkansas then to SMSU,

Ms Bliss' reaction to the new millennium: "One day it was one the next day it was two."

for the second year. She got to college by train everyday while she lived in Neosho. Her major was English.
She quit college to marry Perry. They had gone out for a while, but could never kiss because her parents wouldn't allow her to kiss anyone until she was engaged. She had a wonderful marriage.
She had one daughter named Pat who lives in Little Rock, Arkansas now. She is an intellectual graduate from the University of Arkansas, where she majored in English. Ms. Bliss has one grandson who is in his thirties and is married.
Ms. Bliss never had a paying job, although she was active in church and other civic activities through business. She came back to Neosho for her husband to get a job at First National Bank. Ms. Bliss' husband Perry was a banker. The banker's policy was: "unless you had to go to work, you didn't."
Ms. Bliss' has led a wonderful, full life. We wish her the best of luck in whatever lies ahead of her.

A Welcome from the
Neosho High School Alumni
Association (NAA)
The NAA is officially off of the ground. We are adding members and beginning to have a presence at different events. This newsletter is scheduled to be produced quarterly by the Neosho High School Business Publications Class.
There will be a note from the President 6 each quarter, once we have a true executive team. For now I will have to do. As both an alumnus of NHS and teacher of the Business Publications class, I am excited about the potential of this organization.
What we need from you are items of interest for the newsletter. Here are some ideas we have been given by members (we need you to submit information):

1. Member updates (Joe Smith ('89) just got married, etc.). Could be job, personal, whatever.

2. Can you identify this alumnus? (submit a photo and we will use it in a contest type situation)
3. Focus On section (comparing principal styles 20s and 90s, or buildings 50s and OOs.
4. Alumnus or Teachers to interview (give us your thoughts on who we can focus on.
5. Obituaries
6. Announcements of Reunions, etc. (we have also been including this on the high school web page)
7. What happened 5 years ago, 15 years ago, etc.

I encourage your participation in making this a fun publication. We hope to ultimately get to a four-page, booklet format.
Please call or email with any recommendations or questions. Best wishes.
Jim Cummins ('84)

Current NAA Members

PAT (EASLEY) BRASIOLA
TOM BRASIOLA
EUGENE BRASIOLA
MIKE FRANKS
TAMMY FRANKS
JOAN (LEONARD) MOONEY
PEGGY MOORE
PHYLLIS (MORGAN) WOLFENBARGER
PAULA (McCRITE) GILLMORE
MARK DAUGHERTY
HALEY (BRYAN) REARDON
RENEE (BRYAN) CUMMINS
JIM CUMMINS
JEFF BARRATT
DRU (SIMS) BARRATT
CINDY(HICKMAN) BROWN
SHARON (WARDEN) EIDSON
JIM HARMON
EVELYN HARMON
CHERYL (VANDORN) HAWKINS
STEPHANIE (SPENCE) BROWN
KENNY CARUN
TANA (CUMMINS) WISE
PHIL WISE
JAMES RATEKIN

Visit Our Website: www.neoshoalumni.org

Many of you remember the school song, The Black and The Gold, but don't know the story behind it. As the high school and administration try to revive the school song at sporting events and school assemblies, we thought you might like to know the story behind the school song.
Recently we came across a story that was very interesting to us, and we think you will enjoy it. In a memo dated April 21, 1995, Dr. Roy Shaver, Superintendent, used a letter from the song's writer to inform teachers of the story behind the school song. The following is the letter Mr. Emory Prater (class of '29), writer of The Black and The Gold, sent to Neosho in 1995.
Just a big Hello to all you Neosho High School alumni and others. I wish it were possible for me to be there in person and I would be if it were not for a commitment I had already made and could not break.
How many of you here can remember things that happened 66 years ago? It's not easy--try it. Here are a few things I remember, and I'm sure all of you will agree that life can only be lived one day at a time. Let's live it to the very best ofour ability.

Now for a few memories, as you requested...
We moved to Neosho in September, 1927. Father was pastor of the South Methodist Church at the time. This began my junior year in Neosho High School. I was a member of the high school basketball team, coached by Walt Reynaud. I have sent a picture of that team to Hale for display. (Excellent picture...names of all players on back...something many of us fail to do).
I was a preacher's kid, and didn't always follow my father's teaching to the letter. So, occasionally, I would indulge in a practice commonly known as "playing hookey". There was a boy by the name of "Spud Hawler Hawley", who lived with his mother on Jefferson Street just across from the high school. His mother worked at the court house, and since no one was home during the day, that became one of our favorite places to play "hookey", and it was on one of these rare occasions that Dick Lillard and I decided that the old school needed a new song, so Dick and I combined our talents and wrote what was later known as the "school song", entitled The Black and The Gold. Dick Lillard wrote the music and I wrote the words. (Dick played a mean piano; Emory was a fine musician and vocal soloist.)
I don't know the exact date, but not too long after, it became the official school song of the Neosho Schools. I knew that it was being used

and sung regularly in 1950 as I had returned to Neosho to go into business in 1949, and two of my children had graduated in '51 and '52.
Once again, I don't know the year, but when Loren Williams was hired as the music director of the high school, he, without changing the melody or the words, arranged the song, put in sheet music form and had it copyrighted and published in 1947. I never had the pleasure of knowing or meeting Loren Williams, but he married one of my high school sweethearts, Ruth Eaton. So there we have it. It is quite remarkable that we had two students combine their talents and come up with the official Neosho school song and then have the finishing touches put on it by a talented music director. Loren Williams knew a good thing when he saw it! All this taking place some 66 years ago!
For those who may have forgotten, here are the words to the song:
Here's to the Black and the Gold
The colors we hold so dear
The loyal sons of Neosho High
Salute them from year to year
So here's to the Black and the Gold
From dawn til the dark of night
May the flag of dear old Neosho wave
The Black and the Gold so bright.