Fifty-five years have drifted by
Like desert winds across the sky,
Yet still our memories rise and glow—
The halls of Irvin where we’d go,
Young Rockets with a future wide,
Hope burning bright on every side.

We walked those halls with dreams untold,
Not knowing how our lives would unfold.
From Friday nights beneath the lights
To tests we crammed for late at night,
From laughter echoing down the hall
To friendships that outlasted all.

Thanksgiving now, I look back still—
On Sandstone scenes, that northeast hill,
On faces smiling, bold and bright,
That shaped my spirit, gave me light.
We were a family in those days,
A tangle of stories, a thousand ways
We learned, we stumbled, we stood up tall,
And carried Irvin in us all.

So here’s my thanks this season’s day
To classmates scattered far away,
To those still here, to those we miss,
Whose names we speak, whose lives we bless.
For every cheer, for every start,
Irvin ’70—you’re in my heart.

May God watch over every friend,
Till paths we’ve traveled meet again.
And may our memories, strong and true,
Remind us—Rockets always flew. - Harry Kirk