30 Years and Counting...

> A University New Student Orientation Administrator

> A Hair Colorist

> An Investment Banker and Entrepreneur

> A Legal Assistant

> An Insurance Broker

> A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

> The Commanding Officer of a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser

> The tallest woman to ever appear in Playboy

> An Investment Counselor

> An Oil and Gas Management Executive

> A retired Marine

> An Elementary School Teacher

> A CPA

> A Pilot

> The Chief of Staff for a U.S. Congressman

> A Medical Student

What do all these people have in common? They are just a few of my classmates from the Tulsa Memorial Senior High School graduating class of 1979. Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity to reconnect with many of them at the Reunion held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our graduation from high school.

Originally scheduled for the 10th and 11th of July, two unofficial events were added to the mix; a concert at a local club by one of our classmates on the evening of 9 July, and a corollary reunion of the Tulsa Memorial High School Masque & Gavel...our Drama Club...on 12 July.

I have to admit that I approached the Reunion with a certain amount of ambivalence. For one thing, I hadn't attended any of the other Reunions of my graduating class...partially because I never found out about them until after the fact, but also because I felt I hadn't lived up to my potential since graduation. But with the 30th coming up, I was determined to attend, in spite of my trepidations, and be satisfied with the paths I'd chosen.

As a side bar here, I'd like to say to anyone planning any sort of reunion for themselves, Facebook has been invaluable. I probably would not have heard about our 30th Reunion if it hadn't been for Facebook. If you are planning something...whether it be a class reunion, family reunion, fan convention, or whatever...get on Facebook and create a user group page for your event. Its a great way to scoop up people you might otherwise miss.

I think this will be all for now. When next I post, I'll talk about the difference between anticipating the reactions of people you haven't seen in 30 years, and their actual reactions to seeing you again.

Until next time, best regards...


© 2009 James P. Rice