You’d be a fool to ignore your 50th high-school reunion - June 24-26, 2016!!!!!!!!! Most of us, I’m confident, have some rather significant events in our lives that bring joy and excitement. It could be marriage, the birth of a child, perhaps a first grandchild, a new home, or retirement. Somewhere in all those events many of us will celebrate our 50th high-school reunion. The opportunity to reminisce, reacquaint, and revisit all those memorable days is being planned as you read this. This is the time for recalling fond memories of our high school days. The 1960s were comparatively innocent days, but we managed our share of mischief, much to the dismay of the adults who attempted to inculcate us with some strong moral values. Perhaps a verse from a Kenny Chesney song best describes those days accurately:
"Man, I don’t know where the time goes, but it sure goes fast, just like that. We were wanna-be rebels who didn’t have a clue, with our rock ‘n’ roll T-shirts and our typically bad attitudes, had no excuses for the things that we’d done. Given that it’s a 50th class reunion, people have settled into mellow lifestyles. Gone are the days of braggadocios, where people attempted to out-glamour everyone. If there is a former CEO present, or a prince of Siam, or a heart surgeon, or someone who might be living in a cardboard box, or a “motivational speaker living in a trailer down by the river”, no one will know or care. None of those things will be important or relevant. Heck, on this evening everyone will be an “it” person!! This is a time to just appreciate the friendships we made while in school and discover that the bond is even stronger after all these years. It is a time to share pictures of grandchildren, to recall the lab experiment that went bad and the resulting odor that prompted the evacuation of the school, or to chuckle about those of us who were sent home for wearing inappropriate clothing: peg pants or our favorite "cut" places and activities. It is a time to discuss growing up in a neighborhood where, as they say in Cheers, “Everyone knows your name,” a time to reminisce about sneaking that cigarette around the corner from the school or in the school bathroom or gathering in the local neighborhood ice cream store for a cherry coke. We are making a concerted effort to reach as many 66'rs as we can. Certainly some might have moved and left no forwarding address. Obviously there were some name changes. Maybe some do not want to be a part of the celebration, which in my mind would be unfortunate. Or maybe some were abducted by aliens and whisked off to a faraway planet. Could a few have been subject to the recent rapture? Who knows? But here’s my admonition, for whatever it is worth:
As we are approaching our 50th high-school reunion, we have one chance to reconnect with friends and classmates who in some fashion influenced our lives. You will be exhilarated by reliving your youth and spending time with people who helped you shape it. By all means, do not miss an opportunity to relive your past with a host of friends. Yes, you can go back home. And feel free to wear your peg pants. We're very much anxious to seeing you again! If you are unable to attend, please send a note (and photo if you like) to us to let us know how you've been, what's the latest and who you'd like to send a "shout out" to. (All notes will be posted at the reunion for our classmates to read.) Please contact:
Trish Carter ([email protected])
-or-
Gail Dener ([email protected])
