High school reunion time!

A few weeks ago, I overheard fellow members at our monthly American Association of University Women meetings talking excitedly about their high school reunions from Rehoboth High School. Maybe you saw the pictures in the Friday, Sept. 28 Cape Gazette. I asked them to share their experiences.

Betsy from the class of ’67 writes, “Rehoboth was a very small school of about 40 people before consolidation with Lewes and Milton to form Cape. What made our reunion special is that we were among the last three graduating classes from Rehoboth High. The old school is going to be torn down to make room for a new elementary school. We had a ‘flashback’ tour of the school Saturday morning which was as much fun as the actual dinner party reunion.”

Mary, class of ’68 Rehoboth graduate, writes, “Clad in our school colors, we got out our reading glasses to read the words and sing the Alma Mater. I loved listening and dancing to our songs spun by a DJ, and the best high school dancers still had all the moves.”

My friend Sheri, class of ‘67, attended her 50th reunion from Phillipsburg High School in Phillipsburg, N.J. There were 320 students in her graduating class.

Sheri explains, “We called our school P’burg, which is located on the Delaware River about 50 miles north of Philadelphia. Ninety classmates attended the dinner held at a local golf club, and it was fun. My father, who is still alive, was the local dentist, with his office in our house. His former patients were happy to hear that he was well. When I shared that with my father, he remembered exactly what he had done to their teeth.”

New acquaintances Richard and Karen attended his 50th high school reunion in Ozark, Ala. Richard’s father was in the military, so the family spent several years living around the world.

Karen shared this: “Ozark had not changed much. The downtown was blighted and had not improved in many years. The Army base (Fort Rucker) was old and tired, and the residue from active military times was apparent. My husband was able to remember, fondly, areas where he had played baseball.

”Interacting with my husband’s former classmates made me realize that we have moved away, have had more sophisticated experiences, have experienced a more diverse life. Although taking place in the deep South, there were no people of color at the reunion. Segregation was still in place at the time my husband attended high school. We are true northerners now. We have changed.”

I doubt I will attend my reunion from Robert E. Peary High School in Rockville, Md., which boasted 630 graduates in 1972. That’s a lot of faces to recall. I don’t think I could find my locker, or even the correct hallway.

Of her reunion, Mary feels nostalgic. “When the wrecking ball comes, some of us want to witness. We will probably sing our fight song.”

All of these graduates paused in silence in remembrance of those who had passed. In all cases, they were shocked at the number of graduates who were deceased.

It’s a wonderful experience for many to take a trip down memory lane. It’s an even greater joy to be alive and to know we have gained a broader perspective at this stage in our lives.