Deciding whether to attend 50th high school reunion (acquaintance, conversation, state)

[Ketabcha]

I've never attended a high school or college reunion. I just wasn't interested. I only attended my high school for 2 years before graduation. I keep in touch with 2 of the folks I graduated with over 45 years ago. I was in a military family and we were transferred around quite a bit.

My mother went all through school in a smallish east Texas town. She never attended any of the reunions until her 40th. We were in Kansas at the time and she and Dad drove down for it. She had so much fun and still talks about it from time to time. Dad even enjoyed it and he didn't know anyone there since he was from Brooklyn.

I don't know how to advise you on this but based on your remarks I think we feel the same way about attending. I would not go.

[catsy girl]

thanks for all the feedback. i'm almost certain i'm not going. most of the former classmates i have contact with/knowledge of are not going, some because of distance but generally because of lack of interest.

if the reunion would involve going back to my old high school, visiting former classrooms,even athletic fields, remembering good and bad times spent there, i think i might be more interested. but i don't have much interest in traveling 100 miles, getting together at a suburban hotel with people i haven't been interested in seeing for 50 years.

there are pros and cons i know, but at this point, i don't think so.


catsy

[Bette]

Catsy,
In fact, thanks for your comment about going back and seeing the school! In fact, that is one of the things we are doing. Our school was shut down in the 1980's, phased out and then reopened in the 1990's as a magnet school. A lot of it has been rebuilt and it should be interesting to see it.

I only went to this high school for 2 1/2 years but came from a smaller, private school where everyone got involved. So, I was kind of dumb and thought everyone got involved when they didn't but oh well....I did meet some nice people and had some good experiences!

[BabyBoomers2]

I was in the last graduating class from our high school in 1968, before a new high school was opened in 1969 and students started attending the new one. The old high school was part of a Consolidated school (Gradeschool and Junior High -1 thru 8 on one end of the building, while High School-9 thru 12 in the rest of the building......large hallways separating each. In 1969, the entire building became Gradeschool and Junior High. Even though I wasn't at my 42 yr Reunion last year, my class did take a tour of the old high school building that is now part of Gradeschool/Junior High. I was told that simply going into some rooms, brought back memories to many of my '68 classmates. A number of photos were taken at that 42 yr Class Reunion last year and are on Facebook. I was sent a video of the Reunion, but there is no sound to it. Apparently the transfer of the original video didnt' grab the sound, so I'll be getting another one. Also got a picture CD of the 20 yr Reunion in 1988 that also has some old photos from high school on it. Really cool! Even though I didn't do so good in high school (grade wise), I do miss some of my old classmates and am sure glad some of them are on Facebook now.

[flyonpa]

My 30th had to be re-schedule do to lack of responce to meet the contract for the hotel hall where it was behing held. They re-schdule it for 4? months later and it was in a room off the lobby, near the bar. (cash) with a year of proding about 50 of 300(totaly) students show up .

I just got a Facebook note that a combined one is being done for the 40 year from when the HS graduated its 1st class, that one started at a hotel, and has moved to the 'meeting' house in town. Because they could not get the 250 people needed for the hotel contract.

[Newdaawn]

Whether to attend or not attend a reunion is so different for different people. I can understand not being interested if you never stayed in touch with anyone from your class or it was a huge class and you live far away. I have always loved going back for any that I could. My class graduated 110 and about a third of those I attended school with right from first grade. At our 50th there was a great turnout of 68 class members many that brought significant others. I live about a 5 hour drive from my hometown so it was easy to get there. I had missed our 45th and was only able to drop in on the 40th for a short time because of an illness in the family. A few of my dear friends have passed on but it was so great to see a few I had been good friends with during HS for the first time since we graduated. The talk was rarely about kids and grand kids - mostly on that subject about how many of each - and where the class members are living now, where people have traveled to etc. I am glad I went and hope there will be another.

[Ol' Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Newdaawn

I can understand not being interested if you never stayed in touch with anyone from your class or it was a huge class and you live far away.

I also did not stay in touch even though there has always been a network of alumni held together for years through email by a few hard corers. When we lived in Europe and I had a heart attack, my wife found the email address of one of my friends, and sent out a short note to let him know. Within 48 hours, she received almost a hundred emails from half of the class expressing their concern and offering their help. That's when I knew that distance and absence sometimes do not cause friendship to fade away.

[SCBaker]

Originally Posted by LynnKK

I decided that those who spend their entire year planning this event should be respected by those who can go.

I would have much more respect & appreciation for the 11 former cheerleaders, jocks & intellectuals who have planned all of our reunions if they had been able to tear themselves away from each other at the event and spend some time welcoming the other attendees. As in high school, those of us who were not one of them were simply ignored.

I attended our 10th yr. reunion and was lucky enough to hook up with a couple of people who were not part of the in group. So, it was a nice evening. I have not attended any subsequent reunions but have gotten reports back that the environment had not changed at all. Pictures taken at the reunions were only of the happy giggling committee members.

I too recently received notice of our 50th yr. reunion being held this fall. The committee has put up a nice web site. They have posted recent pictures of themselves for all of us to enjoy. Part of the weekend will include a tour of the old school. I will not attend the reunion even though it would be nice to take the tour.

I visited the old school located on the east side of Detroit in 2003. We couldn't go inside because contractors were at work. It was being turned into a vocational school and extensive remodeling was in progress. The school was definitely "a jewel in the rough" standing alone in a vacated neighborhood surrounded by falling down decayed houses and boarded up crumbling businesses. In 1961 that neighborhood was vibrant & bustling. Now long gone, only the memories remain.

At our school we were called "The Jungaleers". No one knew where the name came from. Not too long ago while doing research on the internet, I learned that when the school was being built in 1915 the area about 8 miles from downtown Detroit resembled a jungle. So hence the name. It is my understanding that the city plans to buldoze that entire area and turn it back into prarie land much as it looked like in the early part of the 20th centruy. Once again, "Jungaleers" will be an appropriate name.
Sadly, no vibrant neighborhood will follow.

[IDASpaceman]

Why bother? I'd rather go to the Bahama's...or Sturgis.

[Clark Park]

Go! You might regret not going this one time.

My 40th reunion will be next year (graduated HS 1972) and I have never been to a class reunion ... and this time I'm going!