Whatever Happened to Lana Jean?

When I was in the second grade at Irving School in Joplin, Missouri, I was in love with a little blond named Lana. I had to compete with Larry Abernathy for her affections.

I thought her name was Lana Jean Raftler, but any internet name search shows there is no last name of Raftler. There are others that are close, like Rafler and Raffler, but no Raftler.

That was in 1952, and though 55 years have passed, I have always wondered what happened to Lana Jean. With the internet it is easier than ever to search for people using various databases. You generally have to pay a fee for the service and it doesn’t always work. Women get married and change their names; people die or move to another country. Needless to say, I haven’t been successful at tracking down Lana.

All I know is that when the third grade began at Irving School in the Fall of 1952, she didn’t show up. Jimmy Janess told me he heard she had moved away to California. I resolved to go to California and track her down. Well I’m here, but I still can’t find Lana.

Lana Jean, if you are out there somewhere, I’d love to say hello and see how your life turned out. I’m sure you married and had children and grandchildren. I’d really like to know, even if it was Larry Abernathy. The Rat.