NO. Not what you are thinking. My class, the class of 1965, graduated from Bay City Central HS 45 years ago tonight. 6pm Central Stadium. 612 in the class I think. We started 4 years before with 1400. Back then you could quit school or be asked to leave at age 16. There wasn't a lot of mercy.The valdedictorian, Susan passed by her own hands during college at MSU. Her dad ran the local Sears store. She was smart and very very nice..reminds me of CJ Craig on West Wing. The salutatorian has also passed on and frankly now that we are all of AARP age, many of us have gone to a better place.
There is a reunion of our class next fall, at the fairgrounds, in the ice skating rink's warming shed..a near and dear place for most of us as this was a time before cell phones and endless activities planned by parents - but a time when you found your own way of sorts...stumbling a lot..made horrible choices that still cause primal scream moments when alone in the car. I do care a lot about many of them who were good friends then and after 45 years of "non-seeing" (I've been back to Bay City 1 time in 45 years!) and the only friend from then that I have purposefully seen - and that being in Florida - was a buddy who now has altzheimers and we spent the evening trying to find the fork.
I have a few on my email...people who I am mentally and spiritually very attached to - Stewart, his sister Liz, Barb in Vermont, Carol in Colorado, Laura in Florida, Kathy and Bill (cousins and Bill long a departed) Larry in Minnesota, Linda who plays in a german band in a town nearby..Janet, Mary and her brothers in and out of Michigan, Mary who is a biggie in the State Legislature, Fred, Ann, Nan, Anne and another Ann, Judy who went to another school, Sally, Char, Mike, the Twins, CWags,.well so many (don't get pissed if I leave you out) all extraordinarily fine people who have had their share, I'm sure, but will always endure in my mind, in a special place and in a special time.
Hail fellows. Well met. A visit to Wenona Beach is in order...remember?