Anon.
I know this will come as a shock to all of you who know us as young, vibrant, adventurous people but we actually are 68 and getting ready to attend our 50th HS Reunion. In fact we’ve been looking forward to it for about a year. When I planned our journey around the western coast of the US, our ending spot was always Iowa in September. But I’ve only been planning this for a year. I have an AZ high school friend whom we’ve been visiting for the last few 5 years out there when we hit AZ. She told me that she spends some time each day looking up people in our graduating class. She has used all kinds of on-line resources: Google, Whowhere, Facebook, Linked-In and anything that might have anyone listed. She’s even called fathers, sisters, and other relatives trying to find people. At one time she called an ex-spouse and, though she did not get a response from that person, she did get a response from the daughter.
She has been working hard for years on this. Then - she roped her husband in to do the database so that they could send letters and e-mails announcing the reunion. Another Tom Sawyer she is - getting her husband in on this when he wasn’t even in the same class. I once asked if they were going to do this for his 50th reunion which is next year, and got a resounding ‘NO’, followed by an ‘absolutely not’ followed by a ‘are you kidding?’ Dense I may be but I got their point.
However, it’s time to head on up to Fort Dodge for the reunion. We originally booked a motel room but then decided that we might as well take our RV and get a site in the local county campground. Since it’s 4 nights, we’d be able to spend only $64 instead of a hotel and meals expenses. You know me, I’m nothing if not cheap. It’s September and all the kids are back in school so we didn’t think that the campground would be too full. However, it is the weekend and we decided to go up on Thursday so that we would have a better chance of getting a spot than if we went up on a Friday. But, we still didn’t think we had to rush up there and left Altoona later than we had planned, stopped to check on the flowers on Gary’s parents’ grave and then stopped to see my brother. Then, we headed over to the campground about 3:00.
Well, all of the full hook-up spots were taken (by some monthly campers, I think along with some highway construction workers) and most of the electric-only spots that we could fit were taken also. Unfortunately, even though it is a first-come first-served campground, there are some who put out mats or chairs several days in advance to hold their spots and spots for their friends for the weekend. Unfair? Sure, but it happens. We were lucky though and did find a one of the last electric spots available, backed in, hooked-up and began dinner since we had invited my brother over.
Reunions can be many things - they can be a chance for rekindling of old romances, a time for settling old grudges, a time for the dweebs to show how successful they have become But, that’s the early reunions. Usually by the 50th, grudges have been forgotten, old romances are just good friends and the dweebs have been so successful for so long that they no longer have to say ‘I told you so.’ We’ve all grown up, grown older and grown more mature. Who remembers all the petty grievances of high school? Who cares? But, for most, the 50th reunion is just a great time to see each other and see how others have done. Where do they live, how many kids do they have? Or, more appropriately, how many grand kids do they have? What are they doing now?
Probably, those who attend class reunions are happy with their lives and are happy reliving them through a reunion.
Then there’s the hugging - I got more hugs from people I hardly knew in high school. You see someone near you, you don’t recognize them at all but you check their name tag, recognize them, hug and then look into their faces more closely and see the old twinkle in the eyes, the smile on their lips and, though the face has gotten older and the hair whiter the old expressions remain. They still laugh the same way and have the same gestures. Yep, that’s Craig.
I saw a guy that was in my homeroom for 3 years. I’m not sure that we ever said one word to each other. All of a sudden I looked his way and had to say something. ‘Hi, Rob.’ (I always was good with small talk.) Funny, we spoke more that night than we ever have before. He’s also got an RV but is actually making his own now. He showed us a picture of his ‘baby’ and wowsa, wowsa, is it ever fancy. He’s making an RV with all the bells and whistles. As long as he’s got the time, he sees no reason why he shouldn’t make it the best. But, what an interesting story - I wish I had known him better in high school. Here’s a picture of Gary and I talking with some others from the class. Looks like there is no one else at the reunion but we must have been in a corner. Actually 110 signed up and many brought their spouses. We had a class of 351 though one died before graduation. About 35 have died since then.
Then, there’s that awkward moment when you’ve spoken with someone and are not sure what to say next. You’ve covered all the past jobs, the kids, the grand kids, the interesting experiences - now what? How can you elegantly go say hello to someone else that you’d like to see.? ‘Gee, it was nice speaking with you but I just saw Mary Ellen walk in. Could you please excuse me?’
I saw many people I wanted to see after all these years. However, MJ wasn’t there. I wanted to see the guy who went with me to the Senior Prom. He didn’t make it. Gary’s old flame lives in Minnesota and couldn’t come either. Shucks. Actually, when we lived in Minnesota many years ago, she and I used to have a monthly dinner with two others from our class who lived in Minneapolis so we’ve see each other since high school. Her line at the first dinner we had was ‘I can’t believe I broke up with the nicest guy in our class (Gary) to date X.’ And, I only said, ‘Thanks.’
But it was a fun time. The plan was for a tailgate dinner on Friday night and a formal dinner on Saturday night. We all broke up about 10:00 and headed back to our homes or hotels or RV’s. And, yes, there were others from the reunion who were also staying at the park in their RV’s. We were not the only ones.
Saturday, we had signed up for a tour of the school at 9:30 and had been invited to a brunch at 11:00 by one of Gary’s good high school friends. It was fun to see the old high school and all the changes. Strange, there were no hall monitors sitting in a desk on the corners asking for our passes to walk around. Remember them? Yeah, there they sat checking all those wandering through the halls asking for their passes. Now, I think it’s much freer and wandering is permitted more. There is even a place to sit and talk for those students who have all their homework done and are doing well in their classes. Those who aren’t still ‘get’ to go a monitored study hall. Amazing. And, there is a way for a teacher to go online to check each student’s progress to check to see if they really do have all their homework done. Ah, yes, big brother is still there. But, as a former teacher, I think that’s OK.
Brunch was super. These were actually some friends of Gary’s in high school and, though I knew them, I really hadn’t spent much time with them. Mike is next to me and Craig is next to Gary. Susan, Mike’s wife, is in the second picture. I was happy to get them all smiling, next time I’ll have to work on not having things in people’s faces.
The second night of the reunion was at the Country Club catered by the restaurant which is there. We arrived a bit late since we had stayed at brunch so long and almost didn’t find 2 seats together. But, we did and got to talk with some people we didn’t know well in high school. Our table was the last to go through the buffet line and we were just finishing up with the dinner as others were getting their coffee. When we asked for coffee, we were told that they were out of cups. Out of cups? Even foam ones? Sure enough, they were serving coffee in small soup bowls. I guess they hadn’t counted well enough.
Fun time at the reunion and at the Saturday brunch. We even have planned a stop in MO on our way south this fall to visit with Craig and meet his wife.
nice post, thanks
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