I am a Uniontown Red Raider

Well I received a letter in the mail last month addressed to Echo Uphold. Now I have been married for 8 years and it has been a long time since I have seen that name. Anyway it was a reminder that I graduated from high school 15 years ago. Could it really have been that long ago?

It is going to be November 22, 2008 in Uniontown, Pa at the Holiday Inn.
I am really excited about this. Doesn’t it sound like a lot of fun?

When I graduated high school I was madly in love with my boyfriend Brian Thomas. Hee Hee. We were so young and so stupid. We didn’t last but a few months after high school. He is doing really well now. He is getting married in November to a woman named Dawn. He seems happy. I have seen him on Myspace.

I didn’t go to college after High School. Oh well it just wasn’t in the cards for me.
I have had the same best friend since the 5th grade. Her name is Toni Clinton. We became friends when Laura, and Tabitha got the whole class to start bowing down to us and calling us princess’. Now I know that it sounds good but it wasn’t good at all. We were best friends forever after.

There are some kids that I started off in Kindergarten and stayed with until graduation. Some of them I was in classes with all through elementary, and middle school. I really took that for granted at the time.

I am going to take a walk down memory lane.

In kindergarten Rusty Leonard was my little boyfriend. He kissed me on the cheek. He also gave me some jewelry I think that he got from his sister. He got in trouble for this. Later in my life I was the DJ at his wedding. How life goes full circle. I talked to Rusty right after I got the letter in the mail. I hope he and his wife will be able to attend.

At some point Shannon Fisher was my boyfriend in elementary school. I have a picture of us as young as 4 with his arm around me with us both grinning from ear to ear. Hee Hee.
Years later I was the DJ at his wedding as well. He married a friend of Harmony’s. Her name was Dana Pritt. They are now divorced. I wish they were still married. I considered her a friend as well and I would love to see her. I will have to look her up.

Some other classmates from elementary that I would love to see are Stephanie Reckner, Jasper Monroe, Butchie Teets, Shawn Rishel, oh my how my mind is failing me right now. Some of the ones I would like to see from Jr. High is Karen Miller, Heather (darn it), Scott Lambie, Jason Rishel, Jennifer Freestone, oh I must get my yearbooks out. Some of the people I would like to see from High School are Stacey Trimmer, I swear it must be old age. There are so many people and I just can’t think.

After I got the letter I read over the missing person report and was surprised to see to boys on there that I knew very well and would love to see.

One was Donny Grothe, and the other was Justin Lawerance.

Just seeing those names made memories flood to my mind. So, I called Donny’s Stepfather and he gave me the information to get in touch with Donny.
It turns out that Donny is in the Navy and stationed in Hawaii. He is married to a woman he met in Virginia. They have some kids. He loves his career in the Navy. Have you ever seen the movie ‘Men of Honor’ with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert DeNiro? Well that is what he is doing. His title is what Cuba Gooding Jr. title was at the end of the movie. Thinking back on the conversation I asked him if he wanted to be Master Chief and I don’t think I really got an answer. Anyway he is doing great. We talked about all of stuff, old and new. I was friends with Donny for over 15 years before he went to the Navy. We exchanged info, and have emailed some.

Donny had the information I needed to get in touch with Justin. I called Justin. He is also married with children and he is in the Navy. He is more on the medical side of things. We talked for a long time. Justin and I were friends for 4 or 5 years before we lost contact. I was very interested to hear about everything that has been going on with him. He is in Pennsylvania. He said only a couple of hours from the home place. I hope he and his wife will be able to make it to the reunion.

Both of them had some really wonderful things to say about me. It felt really good. I know that I will keep in touch with them. I know that I will see them again and meet their families. Oh the stories I could tell of the two of them, but I will save it for another time.


My husband doesn’t really know that part of my life. It’s hard for me to explain it to him. After 8 years of marriage how do you explain it? Honey I had a life before you and these were all the people that were in it. Some of them I would like to keep in touch with. OK? Well I got a letter in the mail.