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Do You Remember

One of the most important status symbols for the Saigon kids was the length of time one lived in Saigon. So back in 1963, the “Old Timers” used to ask “Do you remember….?

1. When there were dances every week-end?

2. When Heather Harris lost her costume during her presentation of the Indonesian candle dance?

3. When there were only 45 students at ACS?

4. When Burton Parker’s favorite expression was “barnacles, bilge, and boiler ash.”

5. If Burton wore socks everyone said the party was formal?

6. When Huckleberry Tom Lucid was the only person who went on the wild boar hunt?

7. The night the famous slogan was printed on the school’s water tower?

8. When the boys’ bathroom was a private lounge for “The Night-riders”?

9. John Lorenzen’s “Twist with Steenie” posters?

10. When Sherry Penney needed a bigger record player?

11. The fabulous “five course” dinner at the Junior Party?

12. The first edition of “The Foxy Chronicle”?

13. When nobody called Lynn Ahlgren “Moose”?

14. When R.E. spilled water on his eggs at the Senior Breakfast?

15. When everybody took Saturday swimming parties to Tu Duc?

16. The parties at Smith’s apartment – “Stevie, don’t hit Davie on the head with that pan, just pass the Pream.”

8 comments to Do You Remember

  • Randy Seely

    Got a kick out of this list, altho not too many of them are remembered. However, I DO remember Lynn (#13); she and I were going together for awhile…wonderful girl…but I never remember anyone referring to her as ‘Moose’ (and, today, that sounds pretty rude…). Nonetheless, I have fond memories of the time we were ‘going’ together(ah…the teen years…) and I missed her terribly after I left Saigon, as most teens do when they’re suddenly forced to leave for because THEIR parents are transferred…or their significant others’ parents are transferred. Yep…so it goes when we suffered the ‘burden of youth’! Interesting list…most of which I have no memories of…but some of which I do! Hello, Lynn…and…best wishes everyone! Randy

  • Alice Ahlgren Blackburn

    Hi Randy,

    For the record, that was a list Barbara Bush came up with. Yes, dear sister Lynn…can’t remember how we all started calling her Moose but I assure you it was not an insult – just one of those “endearing” teenage weird titles. Never did think of my same sex sibling as a “wonderful girl” – more like my “how come you pay more attention to her just because she’s older?” sister….anyway, she’s in Durango, Co now…if you want to say hi I’ll send you her e-mail address. Bet she’d love to hear from you.

  • Randy

    Hi, Alice! I understand what you mean about ‘endearing’ names given to siblings. I had names for all 3 of my brothers — none of them suitable for mentioning here 🙂 Yes, I’d love to say hi to Lynn…and will do if you can send me her email address! Mine’s listed in the SK directory. Thanks much! Randy

  • Burt Parker

    ‘barnacles, bilge, and boiler ash’ Dang! How I remember that expression now, having forgotten all about it over these too many years since…

    That was my swear expression at home since Dad didn’t allow swearing in the house, although I did hear him do so accassionally, like when brother ‘Bob’ and I go into a ‘tiff’ with some ‘gooks’ outside of the Cercle Sportife…

    Um, Bob, what do you say you start a thread about our classmates ‘neferious’ deeds while in ACS? I volunteer to start if off…

    Thanx, once again, for all the great stuff you are doing that brings us all together in ethereal space,

    Burt

  • Admin

    “ethereal space” and “neferious deeds” … NOW that is DIFFENTLY “CLOD” … BURT!!!!

    Diggin’ it … cool cat Burt! 🙂

  • Admin

    Alice … it is not ‘do’ I remember, it is more along the lines of ‘do I WANT’ to remember … lol … 🙂

    #1 … No I don’t remember when there were ONLY dances every weekend. BUT, I do remember when there were dances/parties 3 or 4 times a week.
    #3 … Yep, sure do remember when there were only 45 students at ACS. But, that was on a good day when everyone showed up for school … LOL … the morning after the night before sometimes interfered with early morning school attendance (see #1 above for possible reasons why … of course Frank and Roy’s insistence on hitting the bars after the party/dance to savor a couple, or so, ba muoi ba’s may have been a factor too).
    #7 … I plead the 5th to any knowledge of “The Water Tower” … I was swooning the lovely ladies at one of the places mentioned in #1 above … 🙂
    #8 … The “Night-rider’s” … who were they?! ACS only had 2 bathrooms. “The Clods” and “The Girls” … any guy that wasn’t a Clod, had to use the Girls bathroom … LOL. ACS was small then … all the guys were Clod. LOL … most of the time, anyway. But, then there was Frank, who’d claim he wasn’t Clod just so he could hang out around the Girls bathroom hitting on the girls … TRYING to get a date for … see #1 above … LOL
    #16 … Parties at Smith’s pad … well, there was always a party at the Smith pad. It was like a 24/7 animal house … LOL … Larry kept trying to tame things down a bit (so he said, anyway *wink*) … BUT, Cheryl was a WILD CHILD and kept inviting all the guys over … then her girl friends would stop over (looking for their guy, is my guess) … then Frank and the other guys that didn’t get ‘lucky’ hanging around the Girls bathroom at ACS would show up … well, one thing led to another and before you knew it every kid in Saigon was at the Smith pad. UNLESS of course they were at Haznam’s “Play Room” a couple blocks up the street. Ahhhhhh those were the days … everything seemed to evolve around #1 above … How sweet it was!! 🙂

    Bob

  • Burt Parker

    Good grief! Being the nerd (still am) that I was, I seemed to have missed out on all these great ‘fun’ times…

    Regards,

    Burt

  • Nerd?! I’ll thank you to learn the correct spelling of that word. Ann Fox and I know the correct spelling: it’s “cobnobanacious”

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