Random fact: I grew up in the same suburban neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, as Roseanne's TV husband, John Goodman. Last night, a bunch of Affton high school alumni congregated in our old auditorium (risking PTSD in the process) for a mega reunion fundraiser because so few public school districts in this part of the country have scholarship endowments. In addition to John (class of 1963), there was Markus Golden (2010), currently a defensive linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals; Toni Cousins (1990), a North St Louis activist and champion of affordable public housing; and Bill Thompson (1963), a businessman who started the Affton Education Fund with a million dollar challenge grant 15 years ago. While it's unexpected (weird?) that such diverse group came from the same small, state-funded public school (there were 172 people in my graduating class in 2000), the reason why isn't random at all: All of us felt a compassion and respect from our community that propelled us to follow our dreams all over the world. Public education works when it s paired with a support system. Getting all of us back in high school on a Saturday night speaks volumes of the love we have for Affton, and especially Ms. R., who has been the head of the drama department for more than 50 years. (Obvz I was in the drama department.) Go, cougars!
