50th Hamburg High School
Reunion
Salute to Hamburg, Iowa
September 12, 2015
Barbara Gude Moore
Many in our
graduating class of 1965 have lived in different places at one time or another,
whether during college days, military service, a change in marital status or
professions. But we’ve moved out from
Hamburg, Iowa with a solid foundation upon which to build our lives. The conception of our dreams began right
here. The formation of our characters
began right here.
From you,
our families, churches, schools and townspeople of Hamburg, we learned right
from wrong. Watching you, we learned to respect what is pure, good, decent and
honorable. We learned to value things
that matter, and to desire those qualities that enable us to reach higher,
accomplish greater feats, and to live more nobly. Virtues and qualities such as honesty,
self-reliance, perseverance, fairness, courage, hard work, sacrifice,
commitment and patriotism were instilled in all of us. I think that patriotism was in the very air
we breathed here in Hamburg, Iowa! Some
years ago when I was thinking back on these things I began to write about it and
what developed was published in the USA Today newspaper on Veteran’s Day,
November 11, 1998. I had the
satisfaction of knowing that all over the world people were reading about our
veterans and the very heartland and conscience of America. I’d like to share it
with you because it’s about all of you and the foundation that you built here.
Having grown up in the farmlands of
the Midwest, I remember seeing these men often, and to me they represented
America. They were called veterans.
I watched them solemnly marching in
the parades. They looked straight ahead,
and I knew they were seeing something or someone the rest of us could not see.
Was it the buddy who didn’t make it
back to march alongside them? Was it the
world that might have been, had they not answered their country’s call?
Whatever, it was bigger and more real
to them than anything I could know.
These were hard-working,
plain-talking, solid men of decent conduct and few words. When extending the firm handshake of
friendship, they’d look you straight in the eye. Their word was their bond. They didn’t whine, and they didn’t complain;
they did what they had to do without excuses. They did their duty to God and
country.
These men protected their wives and
provided for their families. They loved the good ol’ USA. They never started a fight, but they never
ran away from one. And they’d be there to
finish it.
A bully was a bully, whether it was
an individual or a nation. Our veterans
stood up to them. They stood between the
bullies of the world and us. They fought
with pride and valor. They endured the
living nightmare of war: Some never woke
up.
I thank God for these men some call
veterans.
I call them heroes.
Now, who in
the world wouldn’t want to return to a place where such good folks like you all
are grown? It’s such a treat for the
class of ’65 and other classes as well, to be back here and to see all of you
and “the old stomping grounds.”
One of the
pleasures of coming back home again is to see the sites we hold so dear, like our
beautiful public library, which, along with our schools, played such an
important role in our lives. From the
books there, our imaginations were stirred, our minds were sharpened, our hopes
were kindled, and we were prepared to go forth to meet the challenges that lay
ahead of us.
But Hamburg
and its’ people are always in our hearts, no matter what we’re doing or how far
away we are. When Hamburg was in the
newspaper headlines and on the national broadcasts because of the terrible
flood, those of us who live far away watched the horrifying destruction, and we
hurt, wept, and prayed. What happens in
our hometown matters to us. Our roots
are here and our roots run deep in the dark, rich Iowa soil that produces the
tallest and best corn on the planet-and the plants from the Hamburg Nursery
that were sent all over the world. And that
same good soil lies beneath the homes here - in the fragrant cellars where
produce is stored and where refuge and safety can be found from the storms.
So, too, this
community provided safety for us in our childhoods. Most of us remember not having to lock our
doors at night or any other time, and many of us didn’t even have locks on our
doors! Our community was safe and that gave
us a reassuring security to grow up without fear. Warnings from parents about not talking to
strangers were non-existent because there were no strangers in Hamburg!
What an
incredibly rich heritage that Hamburg, Iowa has given to all of us. The class of ’65 heard the call beckoning us
home to this place and to this gathering.
It’s a precious opportunity for our eyes to behold the faces of those we’ve
loved and hear the voices from our childhoods.
We’re exchanging memories, renewing old friendships and truly enjoying
this blast from the past!
Lastly, the class of ’65 wants to thank you for
all you have given to us. May God bless
you! Thank you.
