They came from across America, after having been scattered to the winds nearly 30 years ago. Their eyes were bright with happy tears and hugs, laughter and delight greeted everyone.

The occasion was the Good Hope reunion, held Saturday at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Norco. Months in the planning, the event drew home people who had been the children of Good Hope, a community forced to dismantle and sell out by the encroaching of the Good Hope Refinery, now Orion Refining Co.

People with silver and white hair now remembered their tow-headed playmates, childhood sweethearts and classmates. What artifacts of the old community of Good Hope were on display, especially old photographs.

The event was a happy one, and its organizers, including Clarice “Sis” Webb, Dickie Duhe and Cathy Vaughn Montz, are to be congratulated for successfully bringing off this happy event, where people genuinely hated to leave.

For many attendees, it was the first time they had seen old friends in a half-century. Though the eyes may have dimmed, memories were still sharp on what, for many, was the happiest time of their lives.

Isn’t it a shame for people to have lost an entire town and have to wait many years for something like this? Granted, we need industry to support us economically. We also need communities – as in the old Good Hope.

L’Observateur