Class of 1986

On the way to my 25th Class Reunion

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

—Bilbo's speech at his birthday party

What the heck does this mean?  Tolkien was a genius to cipher this quote and I should have said it at my reunion just to trip some people out.  

25th Reunion of Class of 1986

My Old Digs

I have never been back for a reunion and seldomly visit Wisconsin due to all of my family's activities  and the gorgeous place in which I live here in Idaho.  Who'd vacation anywhere else?  However, I had a great time at my 25th Class Reunion in Columbus, Wisconsin this past week.  Of the twenty-eight that showed up, none were my close high school friends, but I soon discovered that my classmates were friends, indeed.  Reacquainting yourself with folks that knew you growing up during the horrors, trials and tribulations puberty is an experience meant for the meek and the proud.  Kids that were mean to me and I despised in my youth, and vice versa turned out downright friendly and a pleasure to be around.  And we were out until 4 am!  When growing up for 12 years with the same kids in your classes, at lunch, on the play ground, and in evening sports, I suppose they are like family members, as you spent almost as much time with them as your true family.   A real family will weather  the storms and bask in the sunlight - altruism at its finest!  

I was apprehensive to meet school mates for the first time since graduation in 1986 and feared recognizing and remembering names.  Maybe iphones should be equipped with face recognition aps?  Too bad I only carry a basic phone.  I should have consulted and studied my yearbook before attending, but I was delighted to know most of the ladies and many of the guys.  I found it more difficult to recognize the males, however.  Whether you were female or male, the smiles were exactly the same among all the increased mass and decreased hair and that sincerely tapped the nerve cells storing that information - I would blurt out the correct name (name tags were helpful too).

The Ladies

The Guys

Surprisingly, some classmates were still enjoying the same enterprises like hunting, trapping, drinking or even coaching the same sport they excelled in.  My chess passion was already known among facebookers and I was thrilled to notice enthusiasm in their tone.  I remember forming a chess club at our high school with a group of friends.  We only played a handful of games during the entire four years and used it mostly as an excuse for field trips to the Field Museum in Chicago and the Milwaukee Public Museum.

After renewing my old friendships and regaining some new ones, the reunion organizers and myself decided to embark on a class website.  So, I built it this week for my class mates and I hope that my friends were not so, just for the night, and contribute to our "family" history website.