Thursday, May 24, 2012

50th class reunion ...

Well, it's over.  The much-awaited class reunion is history.  What a wonderful day!  Words can not describe!  Everything went well, everyone had a good time (I think), and now we've gone our separate ways for another 50 years.  I'll post some pictures here soonest.

Our pre-alumni banquet get together went well!  Judy and John were super; they came early and Judy helped do some last-minute fussing.  Judy is a very special person and this wouldn't have gone so well without her.  Dick and Diane came from Cadillac, Michigan and had spent a long, tiring day garage sale-ing along the way.  Dick still has the same great personality he did 50 years ago.  Carol, a recent widow, was in attendance and enjoyed catching up with all of us.  She is still the quiet, shy one.  Leanna and Larry were there from Portland; Leanna looks just like she did when we left school.  Honestly!  And she has the same great laugh and snappy personality.  Gene and Linda came early, too with LOTS of beverages!  (Thanks Linda!)  Gene is so outgoing and full of life, just like always.  Ann and Les were there and it was soooo good to see Ann again.  We reminisced about sharing a small room on our senior trip with Carol and Vesta; four of us in two double beds!  I think everyone enjoyed looking at old and new pictures, and they all seemed to appreciate the memory book I prepared.  But the most enjoyable thing was just talking and catching up.  Ray and Deb came to the banquet but for some reason didn't make it to the pre-party ... We missed Becky, Mick and Vesta.  No one knows where John is.  Martha and Barbara did not respond to our invitation.  And Glenn, Tom and Larry are deceased.  That's us, the Petroleum High School class of 1962.  All 17 of us.

The alumni banquet was more enjoyable than I had expected.  [I must add this thought -- I have always wondered why the Petroleum Alumni Banquet is  held at the Bluffton High School.  The Southern Wells High School (which our  school was consolidated into along with Jackson, Chester and Liberty) is a perfectly good location.  But they didn't ask my opinion.]  I hadn't been to a banquet since our 25th.  What made it enjoyable was not the food or the entertainment (which was fine) but getting up and walking around to visit with former school mates from different classes.  It was very disconcerting and sometimes embarrassing to be called by name by someone I had not the slightest clue as to who they were!  (Obviously I haven't changed as much as I thought.  Just those extra pounds -- wink wink ...)  But then they "introduced" themselves and it was off and running!  Just the best part of the evening for sure!  Talking, listening, talking!  Too many stories ...

Life is good.

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