One of my favorite memories from Lakeside was going over to Briarlake Elementary during lunch four days a week to teach a 30 minute Spanish lesson to a third grade class. It definitely helped me to decide what I wanted to do with my life. Five years later I was a third grade teacher at Oakcliff Elementary in Doraville.

In October 1974, I was in the Senior Study Hall in the Cafeteria when one of the Valhalla staff members brought in Neal who was the staff photographer for the yearbook company. He wanted to take a photo of some of the Senior boys stuffing a phone booth at the corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont Road...across the street from Joe Smith Car Service. So...we ended up in our cars to the booth....some of us climbed on top...notably John Mangham, Ken Sessions, Pete Broadnax...and the rest of us inside. Because I was one of the smaller guys at that time...I was on the bottom along with Ralph Day....with Mike Tignor right above us....If any of them had slipped...or cut the |Royal Cheese"...we would have been history!!

One of my favorite memories of Lakeside High School is the day that the we graduated. We had a practice for our graduation that afternoon and Mr. Kicklighter spoke to us about being safe that night. He had a yellow 'flyer' that gave directions to the Keg Party that Dan Barkley and I were hosting later that night at the Oglethrope Apts. We had handed them out in the parking lot that morning and I thought it was funny that he ended up with one of them. That night at our graduation one of my classmates sang the Beatles "The Long and Winding Road" which I thought was very appropriate since we were all headed in many different directions. Two weeks later I was attending the University of GA and living on the 7th floor of Russell Hall. I ended up loving UGA and Athens GA. And both of my daughters went there also. So glad that y'all are still here and that we can do this 50 year reunion.

I found this photo at my Mom's house. It's me the day we graduated. June 3, 1975

i ended up going to loyola in neworleans .ate the crawfish and never left. my kids went to Marquett, lsu,lsu and youngest is a senior at tulane pre med. 4 grand kids so far

I still remember and can recite roll call from my 9th grade P.E. class with Miss Purcell. At least I still have a fairly good long-term memory!

Virginia Tonney Vacio

Gotta love the purple!