Hello and welcome to all of you RHS and IC Classmates from 1962, as well as to our spouses, significant others, family and dear friends.
We are gathered here tonight to celebrate our 50th class reunion! Amazing, isn’t it? Where HAS the time gone? From those relatively carefree days til now. . . we’ve come a long, long way.
Well, we’ve made it through a lot of years, faced a lot of fears, shed our share of tears, as well as having lived through events of great joy, happiness and exaltation.
We’ve experienced moments of pride and wonder and beauty. . . all of which has molded us into the people we are today. We’re older and wiser, supposedly, and we’ve reached the stage in our lives where we have some perspective. We can look back and see what we “shoulda, woulda, coulda done” but didn’t, and what we DID do but perhaps shouldn’t have, and which decisions we made then that were absolutely right and that we would make again.
At any rate, we’re here!
Although that in itself is momentous. . .the fact that we graduated 50 years ago in the year 1962 makes that year especially eventful for us. But I thought you’d like to be reminded of a few other noteworthy happenings from that year:
The Cuban missile crisis, John Glenn orbiting the Earth, James Meredith desegregating Ole Miss. . . these are just a few great events from l962 that have been in history books for decades.
On a lighter note, did you know that l962 was the year the Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys released their first records? Andy Warhol painted his Campbell’s Soup can and that Johnny Carson took over “The Tonight Show”. James Bond, 007, premiered in l962 and he’s outlasted the Soviet Union.
Think about how long 50 years is! Although, to tell you the truth, right now it doesn’t feel so long, does it? Not to me, anyway. My memories of those wonderful, bygone days are quite clear, as I’m sure yours are, too. . . mine include the beautiful red brick RHS building, the evocative aroma of oiled, wooden floors, the excellent teachers, the smoke filled Double-E where we danced the “travel” to Run Around Sue (among other juke box selections). . and at the beach, Hurley’s, the Cyclone, the Himalaya. . . on Broadway, the Revere Theatre. . .all are gone but are fondly recalled. . .
And look around us. . . despite our illusions (or are they delusions?) that we still “feel young” and “think young”. . . let’s face it , we’re not! Many of us are grandparents, for heaven’s sake. We’ve entered our so-called “golden years”. For many of us, these are years of comfortable retirement, filled with travel, relaxation, hobbies, health complaints, back problems, financial worries, Medicare issues, elder-parenting concerns, etc., etc., . . . but I digress.
How the world has changed since then. And we’ve changed, too. Some of us e-mail and are on Facebook (we may be old but we keep in touch) and we stay current. We have a Class of l962 WebPage, thanks to Rose. I’d like to recognize Rose Franciosa Sisti for her outstanding efforts on the Lantern. She keeps us all connected and she does it so well. Thanks again, Rose!
I will just say that those of us who graduated in l962 were witnesses to significant events, but to be a bit facetious, James Bond, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones. . . these are our life-long companions. They lasted so long because nobody else was ever able to knock them off. Like 007, nobody did it better! As with us, l962 grads. . . we’re still here! (still around)
Hail to us! But let’s first toast to those cherished and beloved members of our class who, most sadly and tragically, are no longer with us. . .may they rest in peace! And then, let’s toast to ourselves, to another bunch of years and to the memories of our carefree, wonderful youth!!
