One of my classmates owns the Baltimore Ravens. Hard to compete with that!

I haven't gone to any of the reunions, but as I am currently renting a room, with all my belongings in storage, my life is not where I thought it would be at this age. However, after several years of intermittent consulting positions, I just started a full time job on a four year contract.

Any HS reunion stories out there?

I know how you feel. I'm having my 20th next Summer, & I'm not going. I feel like th biggest loser who ever lived. I haven't accomplished 1 thing since I graduated.

I went to a large city high school, with a large transient student body, kids ether moving all the time or switching schools (you could do that in this school district). I didn't have real friends during my 4 years there. (I didn't have any friends at Mutual or Seminary either.) & I was severely bullied. If anyone remembers me, it's as that loser who was fat & ugly & was a cry baby.

Never even been invited. :(

My HS class '62 had a 50th reunion last year. I didn't attend, I was nobody 50 years ago and didn't expect to see anybody I wanted to talk with.

Friend sent me a roster. 214 in class, 50 known dead. More of those who were not located may also be dead.

My class had a 5 year reunion this year. I didn't care to go. Most everybody else didn't care either. I heard only 20 people went with a graduating class of around 400 students.

I just got back from my 20 year reunion. Never been to one and haven't seen 90% of the class since graduation. I was a very shy and anti-social kid. Never hung out with anyone and never participated in ANY school activities.

Regardless, I went and it wasn't that bad. Its seems most of the people grew up and aren't the obnoxious teenagers that I remembered them as. They were all surprisingly friendly and seemed interested in what I've been up to. They even seemed oblivious to the fact that I was a total anti-social weirdo.

Quite of few of them requested to friend me on FB.

Of course it helped that I got slightly tipsy before showing up. They asked about my job, etc. but most of the time we just talked about where we lived, kids, activities, that sort of thing. I didn't get the vibe that anyone really cared how "successful" you were. But maybe that was just my class.

Hey, if you are that insecure just BS it.

I went to my 40th HS reunion on the 5th of this month. I had not gone to any of the others. I was surprised I was the only one that had retired. I was treated fine. It was healing for me. That may sound strange but it was good.

I had never gone to any of my reunions, but a few years ago I grabbed my best buddy and we went to our 30th. I had the GREATEST time. I wasn't the most popular kid in high school, I thought I would be pretty insignificant at the reunion. I was so surprised by how many people came up to me, talked, shared stories, hung out, re-connected, etc.

One of the biggest problems I had was not being able to recognize anyone. My buddy couldn't either and we got a kick out of that. I went to high school in SoCal and went straight to BYU. There was a non-member friend in my class who also went to BYU on an athletic scholarship. We hung out at BYU off and on our freshman year. I hadn't seen him in 30 years and when my buddy brought him over to me I didn't recognize him. It was hilarious...and fun to catch up with him again. I ran into another gal who was in my ward growing up and the girlfriend of another another friend of mine. She knew me, but I had no clue who she was. When she told me, we hugged for a long time. I asked how she recognized me an she said, "Your eyes...they haven't changed a bit."

I had fun with a lot of connecting with the kids I grew up with though elementary school, middle school, and high school. The frustrating part of the evening was being in a conversation with someone, spotting someone else across the room, but not being able to get away to talk to them.

Again, I had a GREAT time and HIGHLY recommend going. Going in I felt that nobody would remember me or recognize me. I couldn't have been more wrong. If you have the opportunity to attend one of your reunions (especially one of 20+ years) don't pass it up. You will be pleasantly surprized.

If I had read this before, I might have gone to one of my class reunions...Maybe.

I never went mostly because the people I knew best had moved all over the U.S. and all over the world...there was hardly anyone, except for one person, that I knew well who stayed in our area--and he made it very clear that he NEVER went to class reunions.

So if I had gone, I would have been with a bunch of people I hardly knew even when I was going to school...let alone NOW!!!

It was 20 years ago that I went to my 20 year reunion. All the women looked like they did in HS. There were only a few of the guys that I recognized.

Just like in HS, all the cheerleaders hung together, and the football guys hung together. It was like they were still in HS.

I was fairly popular in HS. I had friends on both ends of spectrum. I was into art, science, drama, and writing. That put me into circles of a variety of people.

Interesting that only one other mormon showed up. We were in drama together, and wrote the majority of the school paper. We had a lot of great times in Hs. There were several mormon girls that I went to HS with. I'm pretty sure they didn't come because of how they looked. Most of them were over 300lbs. and had 6 or more kids. They also had lost their social skills. Kinda sad.

Several of the guys I had dated had died some untimely deaths. At age 37 that was kind of a shock. When the reunion was over I was glad I went, but don't have to go to another one. I'm done with that part of my life, and don't really care about it anymore. I've moved on .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2013 03:17AM by madalice.

Why would anyone go to one of these things? Jesus, stop living in the past and making yourself feel sad and regretful.

The 10th reunion wasn't too much fun, but the 20th on were pretty good. Everyone is over the posturing about how successful they are and is just ready to enjoy seeing each other.

Some years ago I went to my 30 year reunion. And yeah, it was weird. Weird seeing people I had not seen in 30 yrs (I have rarely ever gone back to my hometown after enlisting in the service). I think that I still resemble my senior HS photo in the yearbook, but I am not kidding, I did not recognize a single person there when they approached me! The changes in peoples appearance really blew me away.
But after getting past that drama, I started to have a pretty good time with every one there. I even danced with a couple of the girls/ladies/women I had "dated" back in the day. And of course, I showed all the TBMs there what my current status was by drinking more than my fair share. ;)

Yeah, I have a good story. I had never been to one until my 30th reunion. And part of that was because I was married to someone who loved to humiliate me in public so I stayed away from those kinds of things.

By 30th reunion, I was an exmo, no embarrassing hubby, had gone back to college and I was not the chubby mormon girl from high school. I had bought a dress early in the summer that I absolutely loved and tanned and crash dieted over the summer to get to the 105 lbs I needed to be to fit into it (never saw that weight again).

So I told my friend who still lived in my hometown that I'd come over to her house to change before we left for the reunion because I didn't want my parents to see what I was wearing. It was NOT immodest, but it was sleeveless, form fitting and low cut. I had driven from Utah to Barstow and was staying at my parents' house.

So I was in the bathroom doing my hair and makeup and thought that I felt like a high school kid who was trying to sneak out of the house in a mini skirt. I thought, "Damn, I'm 48 years old. I'm a f**cking grandmother, forgodssake, and I'm afraid of my parents. I'm going to put that dress on before I leave."

So I got dressed, my parents were in the living room in their respective chairs and I decided to make a trial run so I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water (having to walk right past them). I made it back to the bathroom almost before I breathed. Neither of my parents said anything but I could almost see the steam coming out of my dad's ears. So I took a deep breath and said, "ok, this is it." I walked out into the living room and told them I'd be home late. My dad didn't say a word, which was actually amazing for him so it made me feel good.

But it was probably one of the most endearing things that ever happened with my mother. I think she just was at a loss for words but wanted to say something. Through my whole apostasy journey, my mom, unlike my dad, has tried, in her own way, to be accepting, no matter how much it has hurt her. So I guess she was trying to find something nice to say and she said, "Wow, I wish I'd had a figure like that when I was your age."

I smiled and when I got out the door, I started crying. It was probably the most touching moment I'd ever had with my mother. That was the first thing she could think of to say and wanted to say something nice. It is one of the most christlike things I've seen from a TBM.

Anyway, I had a blast at the reunion. Everyone was like, "NormaRae??????" By 30 years, there were no cliques, most of us had raised teenagers and survived, I had a lot of good wine and a great time. Our former Senior Class President was one of the organizers. He joined the mormon church after high school after knocking up a mormon girl, but has gone on to have 6 kids and be a bishop and is still a cool guy. Even though he was a little at a loss for words at how we had switched rolls (he being the radical in high school), I had a great visit with him and his wife.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2013 03:00PM by NormaRae.

Barstow! My brother graduated from Barstow while we were living there for 2 years- my dad was working at Goldstone.

Oh, Goldstone was a neat place back in the day. I miss the old space days when you would sit in front of your black and white TV waiting for the splashdown. And to think they were tracking it right there at Goldstone made us feel important. I lived in Barstow during all but my kindergarten school years. Telling my age, that means I left 40 years ago.

I'm of a similar age- we were there mid-60's when I was in 2nd and 3rd grade. Yes, I loved everything about the space program. Goldstone was a very cool place. Our class took a field trip out there and it was so cool because my dad met the bus and handed out Lunar Orbiter brochures to everyone. There was a real romance to it all then.

Do you remember going to the old church across from the high school or were you there when we built the stake center? Feel free to e-mail me (tennexmo@yahoo.com) if you are willing to spill names. No pressure however.

I also went to a 35 year this summer. My first reunion. It was healing! By this point of life everyone has had a humbling or two so we were all friends--no one trying to impress. I got to wear a fun dress, drink, dance, and laugh a lot. You don't recognize most people and we had lost a lot of class members--accidents, cancer, etc. Some of the brightest in our class. That was sobering for everyone in attendance. My husband insisted I go, even though it was a long distance and expensive--because he had had the exact same experience at his 35th--bonding and healing--we all do reach a point where we can recover from high school I think! For me it was a confidence booster and a sweet memory! (Had I been Mormon still-I probably would not have gone-being so much better than everyone else back then and all and still feeling like I needed to convert the world--including the class of '78!)

It's in Alabama and I'm in Arizona. But I passed on the 20th too, and I was right there at the time.

I don't have many fond memories of high school. When I got to college, I felt like I'd been released from prison. Many of my classmates were jerks in 1963, and they still are (I really wanted to use a much stronger word). And I probably wasn't the most shining role model myself.

The one friend I've sort of kept in touch with didn't go either, for similar reasons.

They had a big shindig at the Birmingham Country Club and put a lot of information and pictures online. Apparently everybody had a blast, and more power to them. But I wouldn't have enjoyed it--too many bad memories. I read about it online, but didn't register or put in any personal information.

Drew Cary told a one-liner about high school reunions: "You get the invitation and suddenly realize you've only got a few weeks to make something of yourself."

Class of '76

Went to my 20th (1996) near Disneyland.

We all recognized each other.

I started dating one of the hottest girls but she turned out to be a hypochondriac.

Still see some of my classmates around town.

Have no plans to attend another one...

I was done with High School the night I graduated. The 45th reunion was this summer and I have never been to a reunion EVER.
The people I would want see I'm already connected with and none of them go to reunions either.

I've been invited to 40th year reunions at all 3 of the high schools I attended. The first one I went to, since I was the "dump-on" by the entire class, I sent a note to the coordinator asking why I should want to reunite with people who treated me with disdain and psychological violence for 3 years. As to the second, I didn't go because to go for overnight would have cost close to $1000. As to the third, again, it would have cost way too much.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2013 02:40PM by michael.

An old poem I remember apparently put to music:

Simon and Garfunkel recorded a song, "Richard Corey" that had this theme (not sure who the lyrics were written by though):

They say that richard cory owns one half of this whole town,
With political connections to spread his wealth around.
Born into society, a bankers only child,
He had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style.

But I work in his factory
And I curse the life Im living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be
Richard cory.

The papers print his picture almost everywhere he goes:
Richard cory at the opera, richard cory at a show.
And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht!
Oh, he surely must be happy with everything hes got.

Chorus:

He freely gave to charity, he had the common touch,
And they were grateful for his patronage and thanked him very much,
So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read:
Richard cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head.

Chorus:

I was knd of a loner in school, didnt have quite the right clothes, didnt know what to do with my hair, never wore makeup, just awkward and a band geek.

I'd gone to school with a lot of those people since kindergarten, and the town was only about 4000 people. I knew every person in my class to varying degrees. I graduated and shed the loser/geek persona. My 10th reunion was tiresome and irritating. I was one of the first to leave! I was unmarried, living in NYC, but loked great, dressed in a to die for LBD, while some of the women were in the unfortunate 80s poofy littlegirl going to church dresses. Hahaha. Knocked their eyes out, I did, and didnt let a one of the bitches get to me. The worst ones have never showed up at any reunions... hmm, what could that mean??? But people were trying to impress each other with their jobs, comparing pregnant bellies and baby pictures, just trying like hell to impress each other, me included. Grrr, sigh, bye bye!

My 25th had none of that. Granted my school was unusual in the high number of Ivy League as well as regular college graduates, and theyve moved all over, but they still came back, and I had a blast, reconnecting and making new friendships that I still treasure, although were were not friends in high school. Perhaps this is not a usual experience.

No one needs to know about rocky job situations, dicey living and relational situations, or any of that. We all have our skeletons, but are none the less for them.

Theres no rule that anyone needs to attend reunions, but the past is part of the present and future. How one deals with all three is individual.

I had my 30th a few years back and they had a website for their event. Had lots of pictures of the two parties, one party for everyone and their partner and one party just for the students. As I looked through the pics I realized that I didn't want to connect with any of them.

I could recall most of them but there was one I could not place for the life of me. He appeared to be a bit taller than me, quite heavy, and totally bald. Turned out he was my locker partner one year and he had a goatee in high school, was quite athletic, a suprisingly good actor and singer back then.

These days I have four of them as friends on facebook..one who even turned me in to the principle for doing some bad things. Strange how we grow up.

My 30th was three years ago. Because of finances and having to travel a great distance back to Utah, I didn't go. Really, though, I didn't want to. As it turns out, none of my HS friends went, either, so there were few people there I even knew. The day I graduated from high school I walked away from it all and never really looked back.

I did, however, find a few friends from HS on facebook and reconnected with them and even saw a couple of them for lunch once while I was passing through SLC on my way to other places. It was a very healing, healthy experience for me. My world view has changed so much that I have very little in common with those I left behind in Utah -- with a handful of exceptions.

In the 33 years since HS graduation I have lived in a lot of different cities in the US. I find it fascinating that so many people have never left the place where they grew up and have no desire to do so.

My 20th reunion will be sometime next summer or fall, and as it is right now, I don't plan to go since my high school has been dealing with a company that plans those things, and they charge a lot to go for a single night. I saw the announcement for the reunion before mine on Facebook, and the cost per person was $90 before the event, and $119 at the gate. If mine is going to charge similar prices, then I'm definitely not going because it's more than I want to pay. I went camping last weekend where everything including food, cost me around $90, but that was for several days, not a single night's event.

The other issue is that I never really kept in contact with anyone in high school, and if I wanted to now, there's always Facebook where I decide which friend requests to send or accept from someone.

...without my stalker showing up. In fact, just going home usually send me into a panic attack. I didn't go to my 10 year an d I doubt I will go to my 20 year in 4 years. The idea just gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I had lots of friends and acquaintances in HS and those are really the only people I would want to see, plus any exmos from other class years.

I went to my older siblings reunions- it was mainly people getting absolutely wasted, trying to one up each other, and attempting to get in each others' pants. I saw several people so piss drunk, they had to be carried out of the bar. I already have awesome friends I can do that with who don't make me feel homicidal, lol. When I do run into people from HS, they absolutely freak out when they see me with a drink in hand, cleavage and tattoos on display, and occasionally a ciggie dangling from my mouth.

As for the success bragging, that always makes me laugh, because people will put on the best face for former classmates. I think Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion is a decent visual aid for this posturing. ;)

p.s. None of my friends or my BF went to their reunions either for similar reasons....birds of a feather, right?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2013 01:22PM by Itzpapalotl.

I was not in the top cliques, nor a star athelete, but I did have a pretty good time in high school. I was not very friendly with the student government types who sponsor the reunions. I went to my 25th and saw some old friends and discovered a lot of the really nasty kids had turned into decent adults, and I had a lot in common with most of them having grown up together in small town. It was really nice. I've been to two since then that were not as fun, and most recently became facebook friends with lots of folks from my highschool class, it sounds trite but although most of us live all over the country we do have a common bond, and about 80% are inactive or out of the church.

I was extremely depressed at my 40th (OK, I did some set up before anyone else got there because I'd volunteered weeks before hand, and then I left, THAT depressed).

Mainly because my classmates had done very well overall, especially one guy who was organizing it, but was kind of a goof-off in HS, but now? He told me he sold PART of ONE of his companies for...119 million dollars! He was griping about having to lease a corporate jet like it was nothing and I could barely cover my credit card minimum at 48 years of age and this guy owned the biggest house...in the entire county.

Overall the nice people were still nice. The jerks were still jerks. The biggest change was the alcoholic who went to rehab and cleaned himself up. What a nice, kind, handsome man he turned out to be.

The other thing that was strange was a lot of them were grand parents already. My kids were 5 and 6 at the time.

My 40th was in August. The committee thoughtfully had our Sr pic on our name tags that really helped. Other than the lack of factory air on a 90+ degree day it was a blast.

No one cares at that point who was "important" in school.