My 50th Class Reunion

 Originally Published Dec. 2012

Hmmmm…. A little bit of Heaven.  A little bit of Heaven.  I rattled my brain for a long time trying to figure out what to write that would fit that topic.  I got nothing!  So, then I asked myself – “what does Heaven mean to me?”  Well….. being in a “happy place” is one answer.  And recently, I spent a very wonderful evening – in a very happy place.

The place?  Stella’s on 97 Event Center – a restaurant just a mile or so out of my hometown, Forest Lake, MN.  The event?  My 50^th high school class reunion.  Now many of you may not think that spending an entire evening with a roomful of former classmates would me fun.  But, to me…. it was more than fun.

There were 116 girls and boys in my class when we graduated so many, many years ago.  Unfortunately, we lost 23 – two to a car accident the summer of graduation and the others mostly to cancer.  One of those was one of my very best friends in grade school – Suzie Andersen.  I remember spending quite a bit of time reminiscing with Suzie during our 40^th reunion – and it was hard knowing that I wouldn’t have that opportunity at our 50^th.

But, in spite of missing Suzie and my other deceased classmates, I was still in my happy place.  You see, I was on the Reunion Committee that organized the event.  In fact, Carole, Diane, Kathy, and I have been the Reunion Committee since the very first one --  at ten years.  This Committee normally gets together four times a year to celebrate our birthdays and to catch up.  Last January, we decided that it was again time to get serious.  So, I sent out “save the date” cards in January and the real invitation and a survey in June.  Follow-up cards and phone calls helped us get almost 50 classmates registered.  With spouses and guests, we partied with around 80 people.

I have known most of my classmates since Kindergarten.  I was so happy to see everyone again.  But, it was smart of us to place our senior pictures on the name tags.  Believe me, we really needed them – many sure didn’t look like their pictures taken over 50 years ago!  Mostly, I think a lot of the girls looked just like their mothers! 

Norm did not come with me to the reunion.  First of all – he didn’t want to come.  Second of all, I really didn’t want him to come.  Why?  Because at the other reunions he attended, I spent most of the evening making sure Norm was not left alone.  This time – I was able to flit from table to table – person to person – and talk as long as I wanted to with my life-long friends…… and even those with whom I had crushes (Joe S. and Bill O.) – all those many years ago! 

We sent out a survey asking for our favorite or most embarrassing memories from grade school and high school and also the names of our favorite teachers – and why – from those twelve years.  We received a lot of wonderful replies and created a memory book for everyone who contributed – whether they attended the reunion or not.  Secret crushes were revealed and almost every male mentioned the Industrial Arts teacher as his favorite.  Most of us gals liked our first-grade teacher.  I think the best memory came from four guys who each had different versions of how a brass eagle from one of the downtown businesses ended up on the roof of the high school after graduation.

Group pictures were taken and we ended up with all singing the “Forest Lake Fight Song” – even after 50 years, we knew all the words.  Of course, everyone stated that “we should reunite again before our 60^th” and of course, all looked at Kathy, Carole, Diane, and me to take this on.   And, even though we are exhausted because it really was a lot of work, I know that we probably will do it again.  Maybe next year when all we’ll do is send out an email to everyone that says, “Come one, come all – the Class of 1962 is meeting on Thursday, September 12^th at Noon at The Cornerstone Restaurant.”  Sounds pretty easy to me.    

So, you can see why I was in my “happy place.”  I was able to reunite with the people I grew up with – to reminisce – and to re-connect.  That night was my version of a little bit of heaven.