By JANET HART LEONARD
From the Hart
We had joy. We had fun. We enjoyed so many seasons in the sun.
In the fall of 1967, Noblesville Junior High School at 16th Street and Field Drive was brand new. In early September, almost 200 seventh-grade students burst through its doors. They were a force to be reckoned with.
Those students broke sports records during the next six years and suffered their first broken hearts. They learned to drive cars and also drive their parents crazy.
And now the rest of the story.
We were the NHS Class of 1974 … the greatest forever more. Well, that is, in our minds.
If you saw us riding on the trailer in the Homecoming Parade on Friday, you probably realized we are still a force to be reckoned with. Don’t anyone dare remind us of our age. Someone called us classic, while another called us vintage.
Fifty years later, we still call ourselves friends.
As we gathered on bales of hay, riding on a trailer pulled by the truck of our leader, Jerry Millikan, the conversations sounded like they did some 50 years ago, except they included stories about kids and grandkids and even a few great-grandkids. Lots of “remember when?” A few Coach Belden stories were shared.
We paraded down the streets where we learned to ride our bikes, skinned some knees, and broke a few bones. Our parents would send us outside for the day and knew where to find us … where the bikes lay in some friend’s yard. We remembered the best of times.
We were the class to bring back Senior Cords. We cruised Jim Dandy. Mr. Ramsey took our Senior pictures. Principal LeCount’s squeaky shoes never allowed him to sneak up on us.
Our Senior Float for Homecoming was the Pinball Wizard, and we beat Lebanon 28-10. Girls wore new outfits from Mr. Ed’s or ones designed by our mothers. Our dates for the dance bought us huge yellow mums with a large black N on them. Repp Florist was the go-to place.
Steve Coverdale was our quarterback. He recently retired from Noblesville Schools, where he oversaw Environmental Services. He also coached many a Grinder Football player. You can take a die-hard football player out of the game, but he will find a way to get back on the field. His heart would always hug his players. That is after he chewed them out for missing a tackle.
Many of the Class of 1974 stayed in Noblesville or have returned. Our parents came here, seeing it as the Promised Land. The fields were fertile for the farmers, and the factories provided good-paying jobs.
Our parents had no idea that Noblesville would bring their children ‘til-death-do-us part friendships. That is what the Class of 1974 has found.
Most of us are retired, but if you look at our calendars, you will see we keep busy. But we were not too busy to gather for our 50-year Homecoming Reunion with the parade and the football game where Noblesville beat Zionsville 24-7 with Senior Jake Baker as quarterback. His proud grandma sat in the bleachers with her classmates.
The spirit in the stands of Miller Nation was off the charts. The crowd roared. Friday night, lights flashed. More records were broken. The thrill of victory was alive and well! I saw Steve Coverdale sitting on the front row of the bleachers, smiling and perhaps remembering. Fifty years later, after playing for the Millers, we cheered as the team and cheerleaders from 1974 were honored at halftime.
I wonder if those young men, playing for the Millers on Friday night, will be sitting in those bleachers in 50 years and think, “How did those years fly by so quickly?” 2024 seems like yesterday. 1974 did for us.
It’s been many seasons since 1973-74. We took a trip and a parade ride down memory lane on Friday.
You see … we still have joy, and we have fun as we are enjoying another season in the sun.
Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). Visit janethartleonard.com.