Lincoln High School Class of 1970 - Portland, OR

Check out the new LHSAA Page - learn about current events for Lincoln Alum of all vintages!

Hey, Lincoln High alums - Registration open for Shotgun Scramble Tournament & BBQ on July 21, 2023! ~ All alumni friends and family are welcome ~

LHSAA News & Reunions

Hey, Cards! What a great tour of the”New Lincoln” with current Principal, Peyton Chapman yesterday! See many of you tonight for the Reunion Party at The StockPot 🙌

A boy, the librarian and the storyteller: Tom Hallman at large
Posted May 09, 2021

Here is an excellent story about Lincoln by a superb writer Tom Hallman. Thank You Tom!

Lincoln High School's building and football field is seen from the air.

Lincoln High School, as seen from the air in 2012. In the 1970s, the school library was a welcome retreat for at least one bashful student.

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By Tom Hallman Jr. | The Oregonian/OregonLive
I carried the mail into my house and found, tucked in among the bills, the alumni magazine for Portland’s Lincoln High School. It made no sense to me. I attended Lincoln for only two years before my parents transferred me to Jackson High School, where I graduated in 1973.

As a kid, I went to many schools because my parents thought I wasn’t “motivated” enough. Perhaps they were correct. I was, after all, the student who received a “C” in English, a “D” in band and brought home notes from teachers informing my parents I did only the minimal amount of work to get by.

Between first grade and my senior year in high school, I went to five schools. That meant I was the “new kid.” I had red hair and a tendency to blush. I wasn’t on the A-list when it came to being popular. The easiest way to explain this is to tell you that when I was a sophomore at Lincoln, my photo ran in the freshman section of the yearbook.

And here I receive an alumni magazine from Lincoln High School.

I flipped through the pages to see if, by chance, I recognized any familiar names. On Page 16, I saw a photo of myself. I’d been selected for the Lincoln High School hall of honor, made up of alumni who’ve made noteworthy contributions to society.

I scanned the list of past winners, which included a governor, an astronaut and a vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

The magazine said I was selected because of my successful career as a writer. I’ve won many feature writing prizes in journalism, including the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. I’ve written four books and spent 40 years as a reporter at The Oregonian.

I closed the magazine, thinking about how far I’d come from those high school days.

And I thought back to an incident at Lincoln with a librarian that changed my life. It serves as a reminder that students don’t always learn the most valuable lessons in a classroom.

It was this woman — more than any high school teacher — who showed me the difference between knowledge and wisdom, and which of the two is more important.

Not being popular or athletic, I hung out in the Lincoln library, a socially safe place for misfits. My grades did not reflect it, but I was curious, and always learning through books. I constantly checked out books, reading about any topic that interested me — model rockets, architecture and history.

I also ran up library fines, which I failed to pay. Eventually, I was banned from checking out books, a problem as I was reading three books a week.

My solution was to sneak them out of the library. All was well until one day I was called from class and told to report to the vice principal’s office, where I found Lincoln’s head librarian. An assistant of hers somehow figured out I’d been taking books, and she’d reported me to the school official in charge of discipline.

I confessed.

The librarian and the vice principal took me to my locker and made me open it. Inside were at least 10 books. None of them had been checked out. Back we went to the office. The vice principal told me to take a seat. He wanted to call my parents, make an issue out of it and possibly suspend me.

And then. ...

The librarian stopped him. She told the vice principal I could come work with her in the library. She’d give me a job putting away books and stacking things. The vice principal was dubious. Rules were to be followed and consequences administered. No. He shook his head, picked up the phone and began dialing.

Wait, she said quietly. This will work. Trust me. He set the handset back in the phone’s cradle and gave her a look, telling her without words that I was now her responsibility.

I started the next day. Never a word about it was spoken between me and the librarian. My parents never learned the truth. I had worked off my fines by the end of the school year. I never returned to the library, never saw the librarian again, because my parents sent me to another high school in the fall.

Yearkbook
A time capsule from another era.

Now, at age 65, I know that librarian understood me in ways I did not. I was a regular in her world. She saw a floundering kid meandering the best he could on his journey through high school life. She offered me humanity, a simple act of kindness and understanding.

The photo of me as a sophomore in the Lincoln High School yearbook shows me, unaware that I was being watched, in the library, reading one of my beloved books and lost in thought.

After reading the alumni magazine tribute one last time I realized two things: I’d never thanked the librarian for what she did, and I’d forgotten her name.

I went to the basement and dug through boxes until I found my old yearbook. I turned the pages until I saw her photo.

Helen Keyser.

I know who really belongs in that high school hall of honor.

-- Tom Hallman Jr; [email protected]; 503-221-8224; Tom Hallman

Save the Date! Lincoln High School Class of 1970 Reunion Postponed to August 5 & 6, 2022

Lincoln High School Class of 1970 Classmates:

After careful consideration, your Class Reunion Committee has decided to reschedule our "50th Class Reunion" to August 5 & 6, 2022. As some have pointed out, most of the Class of 1970 will also be turning 70! This is a great opportunity to celebrate and reconnect.

Our schedule of events for 2022 are:
- Friday, August 5: Welcome, a tour of the new high school, social hour at Hotel deLuxe, and dinner groups on your own
- Saturday, August 6: Reunion dinner outdoors at The Stockpot Broiler at RedTail Golf Center

We will keep you posted on further 2022 Reunion details. Plans for an August 2021 Zoom event are in the works, plus one or more small, informal, socially-distant outdoor gatherings for those in Portland this summer!

How to stay informed:
- Watch for LHS 1970 emails sent by Kenyon Eagon: [email protected]
- Look for updates and events on LHS Class of 1970 page: facebook.com/LHSClass1970
- Check for announcements in the LHS Alumni Newsletter: www.lincolnalum.org
- Volunteer to help at one of the events: [email protected]

Be safe! Go Cards!

Lincoln High School Class of 1970 Reunion Committee:
[email protected]
Ken Eagon (503) 936-3663 [email protected]
Greg Leo (503) 804-6391 [email protected]
Meg McGill (503) 245-4034 [email protected]
Leigh Mills Wilson (503) 880-8838 [email protected]

Lincoln High School Class of 1970 - Portland, OR Great Reunion! Stay in touch by putting up information on this site! If you want to be on the committ

Our 50th Year Virtual Reunion was a success! At the peak we had 50 participants zooming in from all over the country... this was a warm-up for what we hope will be our in-person 51st Reunion on August 7, 2021

LHS Class of 1970 moves 50th Reunion forward one year. Join us for 51st Reunion on August 6 & 7, 2021. Stay Safe, Cardinals!

LHS Class of 1970 Moves Their 50th Reunion Forward a Year

From July 31 & August 1, 2020 to August 6 & 7, 2021

As much as we would love to see our classmates for our 50th Class Reunion, health and safety are more important. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty of the spread and control of the virus, we have canceled this summer gathering on July 31 & August 1, 2020.


The Reunion Committee is moving the event to next summer on August 6 & 7, 2021. Our plan is to offer the same activities. Friday afternoon tour the old and new high schools, a panel on current and future school activities, and social hour to reminisce about our elementary and high school years. Saturday evening reunion reception and dinner.


Watch for reunion updates on the LHSAA website and on the LHS Class of 1970 page at facebook.com/LHSClass1970.

Contact committee members at:

[email protected]

Ken Eagon (503) 936-3663 [email protected]

Greg Leo (503) 804-6391 [email protected]

Meg McGill (503) 245-4034 [email protected]

Leigh Mills Wilson (503) 880-8838 [email protected]

Lincoln High School Class of 1970 - Portland, OR Great Reunion! Stay in touch by putting up information on this site! If you want to be on the committ

--Postponed - Join us for the 51st Reunion in 2021--

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LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1970
50th REUNION PLANS AND REGISTRATION

We are looking forward our LHS Class of 1970 Reunion this summer on July 31st and August 1st. Facilities are reserved, deposits are paid, and programs are organized. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend the reunion events.

It is a challenging time. We would love to see you, yet your safety and health are most important. Hopefully, the COVID-19 virus will be controlled enough to celebrate together as planned. We will make a "go or no go" decision on June 27th. Be assured, all registration payments will be refunded if the reunion is cancelled.

Stay in touch! Watch for e-registration and reunion updates:
* On the LHS Class of 1970 page at facebook.com/LHSClass1970,
* By email at [email protected]
* Or call a committee member: Ken Eagon (503) 936-3663 [email protected], Greg Leo (503) 804-6391, Meg McGill (503) 245-4034, Leigh Mills Wilson (503) 880-8836

Watch for your e-registration invitation soon!!!
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Lincoln High School Class of 1970
50th Class Reunion Events

Friday, July 31, 2:00 to 4:00 P.M.
Panel Presentation and Building Tour
Take a last look at the Lincoln we knew before the building is torn down.
Learn about current Lincoln programs and future plans,
then tour the old building, reminisce, and see progress on the new high school.
Lincoln High School, 1600 SW Salmon St. Portland

Friday, July 31, 4:00 to 6:00 P.M.
Class of ’70 Social
Catch up with your classmates, bring memorabilia from grade school & high school,
make dinner plans with friends. Light appetizers, no host beverages.
Hotel deLuxe, 729 SW 15th Avenue, Portland
(The old Mallory Hotel 3 blocks from Lincoln)

Saturday, August 1, 6:00 to 10:00 P.M.
Reunion Reception and Dinner
Enjoy seeing classmates, sharing memories, and catching up.
The emphasis will be on spending time with friends. Photos from our LHS years and a soundtrack from the 60’s and 70’s will be in the background.
Stockpot Broiler at Redtail Golf Course, 8200 SW Scholls Ferry Road, Beaverton
(Returning to the venue of our successful 40th reunion.)

Cost: $75 After July 1st: $95
We want you there! Financial assistance is available.
Email [email protected] for details.

We hope you can attend both days! Please let other classmates know about these reunion plans and have them connect with us through facebook, email, LHSAA webpage or by phone.

Watch for your e-registration invitation soon!!!
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We thought you would like to see the status of our “track and field” this month. Demolition and site preparation have begun for the new high school.

Track, field, grandstands, fences, and landscaping - gone!


The field area has been totally flattened for construction of the new school.


And there is an updated dress code for being on the field!

Lincoln High School Class of 1970 - Portland, OR Great Reunion! Stay in touch by putting up information on this site! If you want to be on the committ