(Editor’s note: Tilitha Waicekauskas, a member of the HHS class of 1955, penned this poem before a Sept. 26 60-year reunion at the Houston Senior Center].
Children of the Great Depression
We know how to do without,
And our way is not aggression
But we know what it’s about.
We were small but we remember
Peril coming from afar
On a Sunday in December
That made us who and what we are.
We grew up strong and patriotic
Though too young to join the fight.
With no time to be neurotic
We all worked to make things right.
It was hard times for our mothers
But they taught us how to pray
And to be kind to our brothers
And to live the Christian way.
It was hard times for the nation
While our country was at war,
But victory came with jubilation
And the peace we all were praying for.
The fifties came and we were teens
Back when drugs were not the norm.
We were happy wearing jeans
And we did not fear the storm.
We thought those years went by too slow
But finally graduation came
—   That was 60 years ago
When they called us each by name.
The years went by on waltzing wings,
And suddenly we’re growing old,
But we’ve accomplished many things
And our lives have been pure gold.
We look back upon those years
With satisfaction and with pride,
For blessings followed all our peers
Because the Lord has been our Guide.
God’s been good to the fifty-fivers
With the blessings He bestowed.
We fifty-fivers are survivors
As we travel down life’s road.