Today would have been Linda and Lauri Wilson's 50th birthday.

At least now their mom is with them. She passed away last month.

Don't we wish we could tell them Happy Birthday!
Because I work with lots of teens, and have a couple of my own, the story of the Wilson girls gets told now and then. I hope lots of parents know that one.

The story should never be forgotten but those who were living in 1977 can provide context. The world was a much different in 1977. There was the 18 year old drinking age which came out of the social upheavel of the 1960's. Its hard to imagine teachers smoking alongside students just outside the doors of high schools and chewing was very common. Half the time if someone was stopped by the Police for DWI, the Cops would just give the person a ride home.

Lest we forget, a Doctor's son from Billings was killed in a roll over somewhere around Roy. I think I may have gone to kindergarten with him. I do know the other person who was in the wreck. The weekend before Laurie Wilson and Dave Wegner were killed, there were several kids killed in car wrecks in the Billings area. There was a lot of carnage over the course of about 10 days.

There was great joy when the 1977 CCDHS Cowgirls won the Class A Track Championship in Billings and many images from the all class track meet are burned into my mind. Maybe even worse is the knowledge that Laurie declined to attend the Meet of Champions in Great Falls the weekend she was killed because Linda wasn't invited.

I still have the newspaper article that came out after Laurie Wilson and David Wagner were killed in the accident...and I still get sad when November 4th rolls around. My birthday is on the 11th and we, the Wilson twins & I were the babies of the class of 1978. I would like to honor my friends Laurie and Linda Wilson and Cindy Cameron White who won't be turning 50 this year but left an indelible on my life, albeit their short lives.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of David Wagner's Mother and sisters?

The part about the Great Falls Track meet is news to me and kind of freaks me out. Because we (fellow recent CCHS graduate and I) were in Great Falls when this happened. Our 18 yo horribly hung over (from the CMR Grad Kegger, an entire story in itself) butts were awoken to the news all over the state about the goings on back home in the cow town overnight. We had been basically hammered since our own grad keg the weekend before AND managed to get to GF in one piece. I actually remember a couple of things about this week of my life, do you?
Yeah, I use this story to marvel about how many of us survived the age of 18 at all. We could buy beer legally while skipping school and cruising in big block Chevelles.
I really appreciate how some modern technology helps me keep my teens safer than our parents could.

I dont recall when the Meet of Chmpions was dropped (in the 90's maybe). Same for the all-class championship track meet. Last year I went to the horse races in Billings. I was a little surprised at the poor condition of the grandstands. The running track is still there but in bad condition and no longer used. I think it was the first all weather track in Montana and a real asset in its day but was never maintained and allowed to fall into disrepair. Just seeing it brought back a lot of memories.

I always admired Linda Wilson's courage. After spending a month in the hospital with a broken neck (but for the grace of God she was not paralyzed) and a seperated shoulder and being in a halo she came back to play basketball in August.

In the spring of 1979 I was driving down 27th street in Billings when a real live radio newsman announced that Linda had qualified for regionals in Eugene Oregon while running for UM.