Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

GHS Prophecies

It was graduation eve, 1999, and I was trying to get some sleep. Perhaps I was too excited about the upcoming day; I don't know, but I couldn't quit tossing and turning. I just kept wondering what the future held for my classmates and me.

Finally I gave up on trying to sleep. As I climbed out of my bed, I located the remote to my television and flicked it on as I headed to the kitchen for a glass of warm milk.

When I returned it seemed as if someone or something had been reading my mind. There, on the television, was an advertisement for the psychic hotline. That's it! Now I could find out for sure just what was in store for my fellow classmates and me.

I grabbed my phone, settled myself comfortably back in my bed, took a big, calming gulp of warm milk, and carefully dialed the 800 number that would eventually put me in touch with Iris, psychic for the class of 1999 (weird how her name was the same as our class flower). This was going to be good.

"What exactly do you want to know about your classmates?" was all she asked me. It took only a moment before I replied, "What will my friends and I be doing in 20 years?" Iris began...

Blake Norris landed a career as an Abercrombie and Fitch model right out of high school. However, he was never allowed to take his shirt off, so he quit after trying to change their minds for 19 years and began his current career as an employee of the Fish Net Restaurant.

Your old buddies, Jeff Rhodes and Donnie Deaton, are still trying to "get rich quick." Their latest scheme involved the production and selling of "Learn to Dance Quick" videos (they were only 20 minutes long); too bad only Rolsbin Medina bought one, and he only bought it in an effort to be friendly. However, after viewing it he felt compelled to return it for a full refund there is, after all, only so much one can do in the name of friendship.

Mr. Most Popular, Josh Griffin, is today living large. He is a professional football player somewhere in the south. He and Eric Allen have maintained a close relationship over the last couple of decades. Eric became a sports medicine doctor, and he eventually became Josh's private physician. It seems Josh gets hurt a lot by overzealous female fans. They keep getting pictures of him from Teresa Griffin. If you would like copies, contact Josh or Teresa; they have the same phone number.

Courtney Floyd and Eric Edwards were married in Vegas in 2004. They decided to make Vegas their home and opened a Big Star there on the famous strip. All five of their kids work the check out counters in the family business today.

Your former friend, Alex King, always had abundant facial hair. He decided several years ago to grow a full beard and do something good for kids. As a result he has been hired by Macy's for the remainder of his life to portray Santa Claus.

Talk about miracles. Kristi Mauldin moved back to Mississippi, where she manages a Chevy dealership specializing in loaded GEO Prisms they all have air-conditioning.

Brandon Jennings, who was never quite good enough to start for the Go-Devils, played four years for the U.S. Navy before being honorably discharged and drafted by the NBA. He and David Robinson are now big buds.

Jonathon Jones also successfully completed his enlistment period in the Navy. Afterwards, he received quite a lot of attention when he appeared on Oprah in a segment called "America's Enlisted Men." It seems thousands of women wrote in after viewing the show wanting to know about the guy with those beautiful blue eyes. Today, your friend Jonathon is the spokesperson for Almay mascara.

Philip McQuirt, AKA Phil Gates, made a career out of the Navy and he owns all government contracts for computer software. However, he is currently undergoing intensive counseling for agressive-obsessive behavior. It seems he becomes violent anytime someone attempts to ask his daughter, Taylor, out on a date.

Do you remember your friend, Sharee Bird? She never really liked science when she was in school. Anyway, she went to college, earned a bachelor of science degree and returned to GHS where she is still teaching chemistry today. Her official title is head of the science department.

Eric Gonzales crossed the border and made his home in Mexico. He opened a chain of salons called "Hispanic Hair Club for Men." The salons are famous for their part in the return of the afro.

Katrina Lacy found her career at Ouachita Baptist University. You may remember that all through high school she was active in the Upward Bound program which was sponsored by OBU. Today Katrina heads that same program.

Two boys...Oh! Flint King and Andrew Bell...Do those names ring a bell? It seems as though they went fishing together during their school years. Oh well, not long after graduation they went on yet another little fishing excursion and they have never returned.

Now I see a Rolodex and the name Bethany Cooper. Your classmate Bethany finally threw away her Rolodex of boyfriends' names and numbers and settled down with Stone Cold Steve Austin. They were married March 16, 2005, and they are still together today.

Smilin' Keevin Beasley became a policeman who was a bodyguard for Bethany and Stone Cold. However, when he learned that Flint and Andrew were missing, he quit the bodyguard gig and began a missing persons search for his two old, fishing-fanatic friends.

Demond "Papa Joe" Beasley became a fireman and is doing quite well.

Daniel Benson and Alex King are co-owners of Caddo Valley Family Bowling Center. However, due to Alex's seasonal job in New York, Daniel has to shoulder the majority of the responsibility in the business.

James Guthrie, the quiet guy, took over for MacDaddy. He can be found in Gurdon anytime, cruising the big city streets. Yes, his favorite spot is still Gurdon City Park.

Chad Cox and Rachelle Reece chose careers as astrologers after falling in love with the beauty of the heavens as they spent warm spring days flying kites and shared peaceful, breezy evenings gazing at the star-filled skies. They briefly considered marriage, but decided against it as it would be a financial strain to insure ALL the drivers of their vehicles.

I don't suppose I have to tell you about Yvonne Penny. Oh, I do? I can't believe you haven't heard about her; she is rather famous. Yvonne qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, where she won the gold medal in all track-related events. Her picture has been on the Wheaties box for years!

Speaking of track events, Beverly Cunningham currently holds the women's world record in the 800-meter run. In an interview when asked if she had any advice for youngsters hoping to follow in her footsteps, Beverly replied, "Never eat a chili-cheese hot dog, an order of nachos with cheese, a hamburger, some candy and drink a pop before runnin