HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1961

Recently I have been spending time working on my high school reunion that is coming up in the middle of September.  You now know how old I am......I graduated 50 years ago in 1961.  I was 17.  Yup, I am now 67.  Some days I feel ancient, but other days I marvel that so much time has passed. Impossible that 50 years has gone by!  And I am beginning to get excited about our reunion.

A few words of explanation.  The college where I worked for 18 years is the same school where I attended high school and junior college.  The high school was discontinued 40 some years ago, and the junior college has become a full 4 year BA degree granting institution instead of the junior college that I attended.  So this place has been in my life for many, many years, and some of my friends from high school have also been in my life for many years. And it's a family place.   My dad taught there, my husband attended there and worked there for almost 25 years.  And his parents both worked there. Five of our children and two granddaughters attended there, as did my siblings and many of Ernie's siblings.

I volunteered to send out letters and a questionnaire to my classmates, and then to put the responses into a small booklet that will be available at our Saturday evening dinner.  I am having so much fun, reading the responses, remembering each person, wondering what they look like today, and hoping each and every one can make it.  After all we were a small class.  I don't remember the exact number, but it was about 25.  Yes, that's right.  25 in my high school graduating class!  And I am hoping everyone can make it, although I already have heard from a few that say they won't be able to come.  I am getting excited!

Have you changed since high school?  I had dark brown hair, now it's white.  I had eyebrows, now they are sparse and very light.  I've never been skinny, but I am less so now!  This is my high school graduation picture. 

Most of us wore a black sweater for our pictures.  Many of us wore a circle pin.  Many of us also wore our hair in a pageboy. The guys wore suits. Today everyone strives for a unique picture, the more different the better. Pictures are taken at the lake, in the car, on a tractor, in a uniform, on a horse, or on a railroad track.   Back in the day it was all about being the same.  And all pictures were head and shoulder shots with the eyes looking off to the side.  I like the variety of today's pictures much better!

We have two days of activities planned for our reunion weekend.  I hope we can have an appearance by two of our favorite teachers.  We have planned a get together on Friday evening for those who have arrived in town, and we will have a dinner on Saturday evening.  I plan to have my camera with me at all times!