We’re Going Home: A Reunion

When there is a high school class reunion after 54 years, one never knows if there will be another. In discussions with classmates, we debated whether we should make up for the 50th class reunion lost in the coronavirus pandemic at the 55-year mark. A majority said we should do it now. There was a sense that some classmates would not make it a 55th year.

There were 258 photos of seniors in our high school class yearbook. Of those, 41 we know have died. We found about 70 willing to attend a reunion. With significant others, our numbers at the golf course pavilion in Bettendorf were about 100. There was plenty of food and a cash bar. One classmate put together an audio-visual presentation that included a speech from the former class president, and an in memoriam slide show with photos of our deceased classmates where available.

The topics we discussed were non-controversial. Noticeable was a lack of discussion about health. The survivors who made it looked young to me, like they had a lot of living yet to do. A couple used canes, and one had a walker. Unlike at the 2010 reunion, no one looked to be on the edge of mortality.

I didn’t hear any discussion of politics. When word of former President Trump’s injury during a shooting reached us, people talked about it in whispers while not knowing if reports were accurate. This is a cohort who experienced John F. Kennedy’s assassination together, in real time. By 1981, when a shooter attempted to kill Ronald Reagan, we had gone our separate ways.

Interest in golf and pickle ball was scant. A group walked the new I-74 Bridge Bike and Pedestrian Path. About a dozen toured the high school. Attendance at the high school shrunk by about half since we graduated. Mainly we sought ways to do things outside the scheduled events. Those who don’t remain in the Quad Cities infrequently return. Each of us has different memories of high school. I took time while there to visit my parents and maternal grandmother’s graves.

It was impossible to talk to everyone. I retain good memory of my high school years. A couple of times, when I mentioned some specific interaction, the other person who was there did not recall it. In a way the reunion was a test in the limits of shared memory. I suppose people live in a moment forged by life’s experiences where other experiences besides high school are most important. I was not very social in high school, so it was surprising the two dates I had both recalled and mentioned them. One can’t make too much of that.

As the glow of the warm July evening fades, I’m already on to what is next. I am just thankful for some time together with people I’ve known for so long.