Some folks have asked about the high school reunion I attended last weekend. It's actually been only 49 years, but since six out of about 40 people have died already, we didn't want to wait.
It was lovely! From what I've heard, the biggest deals in class reunions are the 10th and the 50th. A 50th reunion is the best. The 10th reunion is too soon, and everyone is comparing jobs, spouses, and children. But by the 50th, we're all fully ripened and pretty much on the same playing field. We're all either retired or close to it, so more people could actually attend. It's great to meet spouses, but most who live far away just stayed at home because we are all old and have nothing to prove. We have let go of all the competitions, slights, and resentments of our school years and choose to recall the fun stuff. And the things we admired each other for. Everyone had a story, with both good and bad parts, and we were all interested to hear them. To be honest, there were a few who didn't attend because of trauma, grudges, or potential embarrassment, but we would have welcomed them.
It was a small school with a small class, and we spent 12 years growing up together (students who moved away during those years were also invited), so we were like a group of brothers and sisters as soon as we recognized each other.
My daughters have 10th reunions coming up, but they graduated from classes of nearly 300 students, and they went to a parochial elementary, so I can't imagine it being as good as my 50th. But I would encourage them and everyone else to make it to the 50th.
(Thanks for the image, WTM!)
It was lovely! From what I've heard, the biggest deals in class reunions are the 10th and the 50th. A 50th reunion is the best. The 10th reunion is too soon, and everyone is comparing jobs, spouses, and children. But by the 50th, we're all fully ripened and pretty much on the same playing field. We're all either retired or close to it, so more people could actually attend. It's great to meet spouses, but most who live far away just stayed at home because we are all old and have nothing to prove. We have let go of all the competitions, slights, and resentments of our school years and choose to recall the fun stuff. And the things we admired each other for. Everyone had a story, with both good and bad parts, and we were all interested to hear them. To be honest, there were a few who didn't attend because of trauma, grudges, or potential embarrassment, but we would have welcomed them.
It was a small school with a small class, and we spent 12 years growing up together (students who moved away during those years were also invited), so we were like a group of brothers and sisters as soon as we recognized each other.
My daughters have 10th reunions coming up, but they graduated from classes of nearly 300 students, and they went to a parochial elementary, so I can't imagine it being as good as my 50th. But I would encourage them and everyone else to make it to the 50th.
(Thanks for the image, WTM!)
6 comments:
Going to my 50th this weekend! Class had about 350. Only other I went to was the 25th. I live 6-hours away and have been out of touch with most. I'm sure I won't be the only one that is unrecognizable from the class photo.
My School (in the UK) was mixed when I went to it, but became an all girls one several years later.
I went to a lot of reunions before it changed, but never afterwards.
I'm not sexist, but I felt it was no longer my old School.
6 out of about 40 have died ?
Should we worry ?
I am of your age and every one of my classmates from 1974 is still alive (that was my last year at school as I had become a dad)
We're in New Zealand, so maybe JFK jun. is right, as we only had the polio vaccine until the corona killer bats thing happened.
I wish my school had been all girls.
I would have had a ball.
I made it to my fiftieth reunion back in 2022. Couldn't understand, though, who all those old people were and where they came from!
-"BB"-
I made it to my fiftieth reunion back in 2022. Couldn't understand, though, who all those old people hanging around there were or where they came from!
-"BB"-
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