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High School Reunion - Part 1
Nov. 27th, 2004 02:13 amI went to three high schools. I think everybody who reads this has probably heard a bit about that from time to time. Well, tonight was class reunion for my graduating class from Manchester High School Central - also just called Central.
I am a member of the class of 1974 - and this was our 30th anniversary. I did not attend the 10th or 20th or 25th - as much because I hadn't seen the invites, as complete disdain for the activity. But, for some reason, after we went to The Incredibles, my spouse and I drifted up to NH to where the party was.
The price was $40 per person - and given where they held it, they must have put caviar in the bread! We did not pay, and so were permitted only to wander around - but that was sufficient.
There were 2400 people in my school - 600 in my graduating class; far from the largest but not insubstantial. I was only in this school from late November of my junior year through graduation. There were plenty of folks I knew from elementary school and my neighborhood, but many more that I did not know, either going in or coming out. My mix of classes junior year was a little odd. I was in "Advanced Math" - basically pre-calc w/trig - which had very few juniors in it, while in the regular chemistry, rather than the upper level chem class. My schedule was cobbled together by intervention on the superintendent's part. He had known my family for many years, and had been the principal at my elementary school when I first got there. He was not going to let me sign up for all gut classes, nor let the school assign me to them, despite my poor entering grades.
Apparently, I was known by a good number of folks whom I did not, myself, know. "I remember you - you were one of the smart kids..." was an observation from a woman whose name I did not recognize.
Understand, please, that while my memory of the events of those years is mostly pretty vague where it exists at all, names I do a pretty decent job of. I knew which of the folks in my class I might wish to see, and of those which were the likeliest to attend. There were plenty of others whom I was not so much interested in seeing, personally, as not minding bumping into. And there were a few whom I knew I did not want to see under any circumstances! (No, while it is true that I believe in giving second chances to people, but even I have my limits.)
One of the organizers, Dan was another of the 'smart' kids, and he recognized me at the door. So too did David H., who was another of my classmates from Calculus and Physics in senior year. I think I recognized a total of one person, visually, among those I saw. Maybe two. Of those, one, Cindy (then) D., was my former next door neighbor for many years.
I talked with a woman, on whom I had had a crush for a bit in high school. Kathy C., when I commented on this to her, responded with, what to me seemed like a touch of bitterness, "Oh yes, didn't they all. The little red-headed girl." It didn't feel like the time or place, in the general crowd to explain to her that it was the kinds of comments she made in History, far more than the pretty face or long red hair, that caught my attention. Maybe another time, in an email or some such.
Kathy seemed genuinely shocked to learn where in the class I had graduated (352nd), because I was one of the real "brains." OTOH, she and a variety of other folks in the hour we were there observed that "you haven't changed' with particular regard to my 'gentle' sense of humor. I talked with a number of other vaguely and less vaguely familiar folks. Father Tom S. and Steve L. were more David C's friends than mine (David C was the across the street neighbor and the closest thing I had to a best friend growing up, after my sister passed him down to me.) Nice enough people. Father Tom observed "isn't it frightening that folks would turn over their troubled children to the likes of us?"
Two people stood out for me at this event. While waiting for a chance to sneak in a word with one of my reasons for showing up, I chatted with a pair of women whom, of course, I didn't recognize. One of them Christina, after I opened my mouth, knew my name instantly. *smiles* She had been voted most talkative girl among our classmates. I had been voted second most talkative guy, but #1 refused the honor and I did not, so our pic was taken together. She knew my voice.
The man for whom I was waiting was Tim S. Tim was not one of the folks whom others would have labeled a brain. They were wrong then and would be wrong now. Tim was the class clown, more than Bobby D., more than anybody else. Tim was a practical joker and a comic. He was also a genuinely nice and good person, probably one of the most actively nice folks to me, and I had hoped and sort of expected that he would be there. He had school spirit.
Tim is now an attorney living a third of the way across the country. He remembers me as "one of the most brilliant people he has ever known." *blush* He also remembered my sense of humor, which played very well with his at times. (He also seems to have told my wife, a bit later, that the beard works very well for me, and I should have tried it in high school. **bzzt* Nope. *grins* It wasn't going to happen.
I picked up a few email addresses, including Tim's. I will dutifully drop a few emails into the wind and see where they go.
I missed, but did not expect to see Kim G, Robert (Bobby) D, and John H. I hoped, but did not expect, to see Christie K, Daniel H, and Annmarie S. Paula P, I sort of expected to see there. David C? Well, I knew he was unlikely to be there. I would have very mixed feelings about seeing him. I was asked if I knew what had happened to him by Cindy. She was gratified, a bit, that I knew and could tell her how to find him.
There are others about whom I am curious enough to look up when the email comes with everybody whom they reached listed. I doubt the ones I am most curious about will be among the ones they tracked down.
Then again, I suspect I can do a better job tracking them down than the organizers did, because it is one of the things I do. Will I? I doubt it. Maybe Kim - but tracking her is hard! I already have talked with Paula (though not in a bit).
Bottom line? I was smart and funny and nobody really knew me. Gee - that sure is news, huh?
I am a member of the class of 1974 - and this was our 30th anniversary. I did not attend the 10th or 20th or 25th - as much because I hadn't seen the invites, as complete disdain for the activity. But, for some reason, after we went to The Incredibles, my spouse and I drifted up to NH to where the party was.
The price was $40 per person - and given where they held it, they must have put caviar in the bread! We did not pay, and so were permitted only to wander around - but that was sufficient.
There were 2400 people in my school - 600 in my graduating class; far from the largest but not insubstantial. I was only in this school from late November of my junior year through graduation. There were plenty of folks I knew from elementary school and my neighborhood, but many more that I did not know, either going in or coming out. My mix of classes junior year was a little odd. I was in "Advanced Math" - basically pre-calc w/trig - which had very few juniors in it, while in the regular chemistry, rather than the upper level chem class. My schedule was cobbled together by intervention on the superintendent's part. He had known my family for many years, and had been the principal at my elementary school when I first got there. He was not going to let me sign up for all gut classes, nor let the school assign me to them, despite my poor entering grades.
Apparently, I was known by a good number of folks whom I did not, myself, know. "I remember you - you were one of the smart kids..." was an observation from a woman whose name I did not recognize.
Understand, please, that while my memory of the events of those years is mostly pretty vague where it exists at all, names I do a pretty decent job of. I knew which of the folks in my class I might wish to see, and of those which were the likeliest to attend. There were plenty of others whom I was not so much interested in seeing, personally, as not minding bumping into. And there were a few whom I knew I did not want to see under any circumstances! (No, while it is true that I believe in giving second chances to people, but even I have my limits.)
One of the organizers, Dan was another of the 'smart' kids, and he recognized me at the door. So too did David H., who was another of my classmates from Calculus and Physics in senior year. I think I recognized a total of one person, visually, among those I saw. Maybe two. Of those, one, Cindy (then) D., was my former next door neighbor for many years.
I talked with a woman, on whom I had had a crush for a bit in high school. Kathy C., when I commented on this to her, responded with, what to me seemed like a touch of bitterness, "Oh yes, didn't they all. The little red-headed girl." It didn't feel like the time or place, in the general crowd to explain to her that it was the kinds of comments she made in History, far more than the pretty face or long red hair, that caught my attention. Maybe another time, in an email or some such.
Kathy seemed genuinely shocked to learn where in the class I had graduated (352nd), because I was one of the real "brains." OTOH, she and a variety of other folks in the hour we were there observed that "you haven't changed' with particular regard to my 'gentle' sense of humor. I talked with a number of other vaguely and less vaguely familiar folks. Father Tom S. and Steve L. were more David C's friends than mine (David C was the across the street neighbor and the closest thing I had to a best friend growing up, after my sister passed him down to me.) Nice enough people. Father Tom observed "isn't it frightening that folks would turn over their troubled children to the likes of us?"
Two people stood out for me at this event. While waiting for a chance to sneak in a word with one of my reasons for showing up, I chatted with a pair of women whom, of course, I didn't recognize. One of them Christina, after I opened my mouth, knew my name instantly. *smiles* She had been voted most talkative girl among our classmates. I had been voted second most talkative guy, but #1 refused the honor and I did not, so our pic was taken together. She knew my voice.
The man for whom I was waiting was Tim S. Tim was not one of the folks whom others would have labeled a brain. They were wrong then and would be wrong now. Tim was the class clown, more than Bobby D., more than anybody else. Tim was a practical joker and a comic. He was also a genuinely nice and good person, probably one of the most actively nice folks to me, and I had hoped and sort of expected that he would be there. He had school spirit.
Tim is now an attorney living a third of the way across the country. He remembers me as "one of the most brilliant people he has ever known." *blush* He also remembered my sense of humor, which played very well with his at times. (He also seems to have told my wife, a bit later, that the beard works very well for me, and I should have tried it in high school. **bzzt* Nope. *grins* It wasn't going to happen.
I picked up a few email addresses, including Tim's. I will dutifully drop a few emails into the wind and see where they go.
I missed, but did not expect to see Kim G, Robert (Bobby) D, and John H. I hoped, but did not expect, to see Christie K, Daniel H, and Annmarie S. Paula P, I sort of expected to see there. David C? Well, I knew he was unlikely to be there. I would have very mixed feelings about seeing him. I was asked if I knew what had happened to him by Cindy. She was gratified, a bit, that I knew and could tell her how to find him.
There are others about whom I am curious enough to look up when the email comes with everybody whom they reached listed. I doubt the ones I am most curious about will be among the ones they tracked down.
Then again, I suspect I can do a better job tracking them down than the organizers did, because it is one of the things I do. Will I? I doubt it. Maybe Kim - but tracking her is hard! I already have talked with Paula (though not in a bit).
Bottom line? I was smart and funny and nobody really knew me. Gee - that sure is news, huh?
