Star-Spangled Banner

The Star-Spangled Banner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from “Defence of Fort M’Henry“,^[2] a poem written on September 14, 1814, by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large American flag, the Star-Spangled Banner, flying triumphantly above the fort during the American victory.

The poem was set to the tune of a popular British song written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreontic Society, a men’s social club in London. “To Anacreon in Heaven” (or “The Anacreontic Song”), with various lyrics, was already popular in the United States. Set to Key’s poem and renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner”, it soon became a well-known American patriotic song. With a range of one octave and one fifth (a semitone more than an octave and a half), it is known for being difficult to sing. Although the poem has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” was recognized for official use by the United States Navy in 1889, and by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931 (46 Stat. 1508, codified at 36 U.S.C. § 301), which was signed by President Herbert Hoover.

Before 1931, other songs served as the hymns of American officialdom. “Hail, Columbia” served this purpose at official functions for most of the 19th century. “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee“, whose melody is identical to “God Save the Queen“, the British national anthem,^[3] also served as a de facto anthem.^[4] Following the War of 1812 and subsequent American wars, other songs emerged to compete for popularity at public events, among them “The Star-Spangled Banner”, as well as “America the Beautiful“.

 

Happy Fourth of July!

Did you know we have 39 Historical flags in the United States?  Fascinating!  This is such a delightful oil painting depicting the large variety of historical U.S. Flags there have been since the beginning.
More information can be found here on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_States

I am working on a Flag Trivia questionnaire to use with curious guests at the Gorge Historical Museum in Bingen who want a challenge. 
(Darlisa Black, Greeter at the Museum)

 

2017 Reunion a Success

Well folks, It was a pleasure once again to see all of you, some new folks and old friends.  I have uploaded a few images just from my iPhone onto my Starlisa Black Photography website to start with, and will be adding the rest when I get a chance!
After that I plan to create a gallery from the previous two reunions there as well and share them here.  I move slow figuring things out sometimes!

Here is the link to the Gallery, just click on this photo of our newest class inducted into the Alumni Association.  I just had to share this one, the previous shot of the group were just too serious!  🙂

There are only a very few photos uploaded at this time, I will add more when I have faster internet!

Click this photo, and the photo gallery will open in a new tab on your browser. 

Plan to Attend Form 2017

White Salmon Columbia High School Alumni Association Reunion is less than a month away!  I have neglected updates due to lack of internet, my apologies!  Here is the Plan to Attend Form you can download and print if you need it.  Hope to see you there for all classes 1977 and previous years.  I will be the photographer again this year.

Darlisa Black

Here is a link to a downloadable PDF for printing,

PlanToAttendForm2017

 

Really? Old Timers?

not us, right?  You are only as old as you feel, so some days might be 104 yr old days and other days are 12 year old days.  But here we are coming up on the Alumni Reunion June 4, 2016, and all of us are at least 40 or more years out from graduation year.  Whether you actually graduated or not does not matter, you are still considered part of the Alumni group.

We are getting really close to Reunion time June 4, …  Can you all share this website with alumni friends?  I am still looking for another photo assistant to help write down names at the reunion as I take photos. I will be shooting pretty nonstop from 2:00 pm until at least 7 or 8 pm, so if I got several volunteers even for 1/2 – 2 hrs each, it would really help without maxing out anyone (except me LOL!) and we can offer dinner to sweeten the deal. This could even be a younger relative who wants to come with family, or a previous scholarship winner who wants to give back to the association as thank you. Or a high school student who needs some community service hours!

contact me via Facebook or email at darlisa.may@gmail.com if you are interested in helping.

Darlisa Black

class of 1976

News, and Help request

Hi Folks!~  Many of you have gotten your 2016 newsletter in the mail by now, and I hope you enjoyed it.  It was a great project to be part of helping create this year.  I have picked up the PDF’s of this years newsletter from Elaine Bakke, and will be getting those loaded up soon here on the website for your enjoyment.  That way you can share them on social media sites or in emails with family and friends.

There is also a search on for people who would like to get involved in the Reunion process.  The core team has been doing this huge effort for many years, and would like to be training replacements soon.  I am not sure if you are aware of this, but the annual reunion and newsletter is all part of a bigger picture to bring support to the C.A.S.P.E program supplying several annual scholarships to our Columbia High School Students.  This has been a valuable starting assistance for many many young people over the years.  It would be good to see some of those who have benefitted from these scholarships step forward to help this continue for years to come.

Another project I personally will need help with at this years reunion is a “photographer assistant” (or really about 3 of them) to follow me around in turns writing down names and badge numbers while i take photos.  I take photos for several hours, really,  candid shots and small family or friend groups during the social hours, and then the class photos.  Some of it goes by so fast I cannot keep track of the info all myself while at the same time shooting pics.  These assistants could even be younger people, someone who benefitted from a scholarship and wants to help give back for example.  It could be someone from a younger class who wants to see what this is all about, or someone there with an older family member.

Wishing you all the best, and there will be more soon!

Darlisa Black, class of 1976

Spring has Sprung, the Grass has Riz

I wonder where the Birdies is?

they are busy shaking the rain off and enjoying the sunshine!

I hope you are all doing the same thing… and arranging your schedules to be at the CHS Alumni Reunion June 4, 2016 at 2 pm for social hour, 5 pm for business meeting, and 6 pm for dinner for any CHS students and graduates from 40 -140 years ago or earlier.   Okay, yes I am being a little unrealistic on our oldest alumni ages, but hey, just covering all bases!  Class of 1976 will be welcomed to the reunion this year as they have reached their 40th year reunion.

Remind your classmates to come… looking forward to seeing you there.

Darlisa Black

website admin and reunion photographer.

Columbia Alumni Reunion

Welcome to White Salmon CHS Alumni

from the years of 1976 and Earlier.

This webpage represents the official Alumni Association named in the title.  This is a beginning work in process, to provide a place for announcements of ongoing events and updated Social Media sites.  Bear with us, this site will be going through changes in the spring of 2016 as it gets developed.  I am opening this up now as a connection place, a way to reach people.

The CHS Alumni Reunion is open to all classes that graduated 40 or more years ago.  In 2016, we will be welcoming  all past students and graduates from the classes of 1976 and earlier.
Reunions are held the 1st saturday in June each year, and again this year will be in the Henkle Middle School gymnasium. There will be a social visiting time from 2:00 – 5:00 PM social hours, 5:00 – 6:00 annual business meeting, 6:00 – 7:30 Dinner and Class Photos, socializing tell they turn out the lights. Any Alumni and guests of Alumni can pay $5.00 just to join in the visiting time period, or $26.00 each paid in advance will include dinner.

To begin with, for those on Facebook, we have a group just forming called

WHITE SALMON CHS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION REUNION on Facebook

which you can find by clicking on the linked name above  and it will take you there; you can also get there by typing the name in the search bar of Facebook when you are logged in.  This group will be a closed group, available only to those who are members.

Soon we will also have all the pages of the previous 2015 Columbia Alumni Newsletter digitalized and shared on this page and then on Facebook.  We will also share the “Plan to Attend” registration form which Alumni Members could then print and send in ASAP.  This will register you for the reunion on June 4, 2016.

Here is a Link to the Plan to Attend Form 2016

Thank you all for your support and your patience, and looking forward to joining you this year as my own class gets welcomed to the Association.

Darlisa Black

co-editor of the 2016 Columbia Alumni newsletter.

current photographer for the reunion