It's interesting how many classmates have told us "I really didn't have many friends" or "I wasn't in the "in" crowd or "I don't remember very many people from high school". It makes you wonder if at 16 or 17 most of the "kids" that we went to school with felt that way. Is it part of being a teenager and a sort of "grass is always greener" thing? Did it look like everyone but you had more friends, more money, better car, cuter clothes, got better grades, etc.
A big part of attending reunions is the friends, there is no doubt. But there is something else. These are the people that also share the experiences of a generation. We grew up in the 60's. Most of us think that's pretty cool. We're baby boomers...the biggest and most influential generation...ever. When you attend a reunion like the one that is planned in June, you have an opportunity to not only get together with old friends but you have an opportunity to share experiences. Even if you don't recognize a single person..(not likely, although we've all aged) We all know the words to the same songs, we remember the dances, the politics, the clothes, the movies, the teachers. We went to the same "night spots" ( if you want to call Gage Bowl and Seabrook Tavern night spots, and some do). We remember when JFK was shot, Bobby Kennedy was shot and Martin Luther King was killed. We remember Viet Nam. We've all had dreams come true and some shattered. We raised kids through experiences that we could not have imagined. We are experiencing the loss of parents and friends. Many of us are experiencing the joys of being grandparents. There is not one of us that has not experienced the joys and sadness that comes with living to 57 or 58...yet we're here.
If you've been to previous reunions you know that they can be fun. If you have not been to a reunion, you should think about attending, you will be surprised how much you enjoy it. We have lost many classmates--two, the first week of March. There is no better reminder that life is short and we should not take a single minute for granted. Please try to attend both nights..you'll need the time to visit with everyone. If you can't attend, be sure to add your informtion. We want to know about you. With e-mail, cell phones, computers and frequent flyer miles you can stay in touch with friends from down the street or on the other side of the world. Don't miss this opportunity...it may not come again.
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13 comments:
Deb C, we're glad you're found, too! Still waiting for your bio. See ya in June!
Terry D. I loved your addition to the blog’s front page. All of that is SO true -- right on target, very thoughtfully spoken! I think it would do wonders for present day highschoolers to read it...seriously, give them something to look forward to in their future, even some 40 years into the future, or realize they can make changes now. When it comes down to it, your friends & family are #1. It doesn't have to be a friend you had while you were in high school, but even a high school classmate that you became friends with after 40 years, like us. From one who experienced it, felt it, & lived it & and realize all of it made me who I am today. I’m looking forward to the next 40 (is that pushing it?) Elaine N.
Thanks for the kind words Elaine..I think we can still pull a trailer at 98...may need someone to help us get the lug nuts loose if we have a flat..but otherwise we can do it..I may even learn to back it up by then!!
Hey Neffy, I agree with you about Terry D.'s addition to the blog. Terry, were you in the running for class valedictorian? If not, should have been. You have excellent writing skills. Great job! Jim C
Terry D.- you were so "right on" with your commentary at the beginning and everything your fellow classmates have said in your praises goes ditto for me too.
You inspired me to share a few memories of my own - something in common - from my experience of the 60's, as follows:
I wasn't what you would call a child of the 60’s. I never really participated in the political demonstrations, the zig-zag experiences, the rock concerts or any of the racial or women’s movements. Like Fern mentioned, I too, experienced this all “peripherally”. Yet, I feel honored and fortunate to have been a part of the generation which influenced and made history during that time in our society. Even today, I still have trouble comprehending the significance of 1968.
The summer after high school, Janet Zimmerman and I went on a bus trip with 26 other kids from our church community to the East Coast to visit other youth groups and compare notes. We slept on the floor of many church basements and during the day did a lot of sight seeing. We had the unbelievable opportunity to be in Wash DC at the same time Resurrection City was encamped on the Mall. We took off our shoes and walked barefoot through the deep mud and filthy conditions of this temporary community and mingled with the residents to hear and discuss their issues. I had no idea at the time the impact this group of people would make on the future.
A few days later, we were in NY City the day of Bobby Kennedy’s funeral. By coincidence, a morning walk to explore the city took us right past the doors of St. Patrick’s Cathedral where hundreds of police and mourners were gathering. I had never experienced anything on such a large scale. The vastness of the city, the immensity of the crowds and the iconic status of Bobby Kennedy lying in state behind the doors only yards from where I stood. It was overwhelming for a Topeka girl. And yet I was there, witnessing history as it was being made.
Debbie, I enjoyed your comments. The trip must have been quite an experience for Kansas girls. It was an interesting time to grow up. JFK was killed on my birthday...that was such a day of firsts..first boy/girl party..first time we didn't eat at the table but on tv trays in the living room and the first time I ever saw my dad cry. It really didn't make any difference what you thought about the politics...it was still a dramatic time. I remember going to a funeral on a bitter cold day in Eskridge of a boy that I was friends with who was killed in Viet Nam. I got a letter from him a week later telling me how excited he was to be coming home and to see me and his friends...he was killed a week before he was supposed to leave. Maybe it has to do with being a teen or young adult and every generation feels the same-- but it seems like we had the best movies and movie stars, the best cars, the best clothes and for sure the best music...and they said Rock and Roll wouldn't last!!
I haven't thought about Resurection City in years. Deb has the best memory for all the details. I think that I have a picture of the Lincoln Memorial -- Abraham Linclon sitting in state in his marble armchair --- with the tents of the temorary city in the front and people representing the poor, disenfranchised and spiritually stout walking around the encampment. Several years ago I saw a two hour special on Martin Luther King. It isn't that things seemed better, more important or more critical then because we were young and had nothing to compare it to -----> earth shaking things really did happen during that time in history. I was moved by that recounting of our distant past in that TV special like it was happening all over again. It was a powerful time. When I saw that show it was crystal clear that by then we had lost our way and were wandering in the wilderness without direction or real leaders. Hopefully, we will get back on track as the "average guy" starts to take more interest in what's going on around him/her again. I remember November 15, 1969 when my friends and I at Trinity University in San Antonio Tx. rented a bus and went to the march on Washington to end the war in Viet Nam. There were a million young people on the Mall. We heard Dr. Spock (the pediatrician, you bozo, not the Vulcan!)say: "Hello, my children; and you ARE my children" as he began his speech. Can you imagine what a million teenagers roaring and cheering in unison sounds like? Coming from Texas, none of us had warm clothes. After growing up in Kansas I knew better and was one of the only "Texans" withn a jacket -- a very light jacket at that for 22 degree weather. We stayed all day and froze our buns off to be part of everything that happened that day. It's a good thing that teenagers are so resiliant (or maybe there was permanent damage that explains some of what's aflicting some of us today!). Anyway, I have to thank the spiritual teachers and leaders in my church and community and in our country during that time for setting the tone for the kind of values that we should aspire to. I guess I came by it honestly through my Mother who, as a member of the Topeka Peace and Justice Committee, several years later volunteered to be arrested for kneeling to pray on the railroad tracks in front of a train carrying nuclear warheads and preventing it from moving to its destination until she and her collegues were taken away by the police. I am so proud of her. She also used to demonstrate in front of the Capital building against the death penalty. You know Deb was just as radical as any of us. She was there and she gave a damn and that's what matters.
Janet, I remember your mom so well. She was ahead of her time..that's for sure....so different than my mom but both wonderful in their own way. When someone asked about "prom memories" I thought of one..but probably not what they had in mind. I remember Mom letting me miss school and taking me to go look for shoes(that was a big deal)..she had made my dress...then deciding after I got home the shoes were too tight..I came home from school the day before prom and she had them on with thick bobby socks and had been wearing them all day doing her housework to stretch them out for me!! My other favorite memory of her is when not all that many years ago our dog was hurt...she called to see what the vet said and when I told her I'd had her put down she said she'd be right out..that's 25 miles..I told her not to bother we'd get her buried later...1/2 hour later she showed up with beer, brownies and shovel and her gloves...it was 95 that day and the ground was hard as a rock..we drank beer, ate brownies, cried and dug the hole....I'm so blessed to still have her.....
9/18/2017
Is this thing still "alive"?
Hi Blog,
Yes you are!!
Something In Common ... How about music?
Here is a sampler of Billboard #1 hits from 1968
https://youtu.be/wyn6GT63pgM
Apparently, you just wrote on it, lol
Jim, it doesnt show up hilited to be able to click on a link.
I am copying it here too but dont think it will work, I was able to copy your link tho and paste it. Great video!!!
Number One Songs of 1968 - Billboard Hot 100 - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyn6GT63pgM&feature=youtu.be
Thanks, Elaine Just tried to click on your link and my link and NO go, darn it! On the original blog someone had a couple of YouTube music videos posted where you just clicked on the "play" triangle and it played. Do you remember who posted those back in 2008? Definitely someone way more computer savvy than I'll ever be, lol.
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