Getting Together Several Final Times

My recent trip to Ohio had one primary purpose, the 50th anniversary of my matriculation from Chillicothe High School. The reunion featured several events between Thursday and Sunday – my interest focused on the two big events on Friday and Saturday nights.

With 50 years behind us, us being about 18 at the time, we are in Medicare/Social Security territory – having existed longer than we expect to exist. Indeed, many of us have ceased to be between 1972 and 2022. It’s just a fact of life. Getting together on that 50th anniversary will, for many, be the last time some of us will see each other.

The first “Party” was just that. A party, held at the Elk’s Hall in downtown Chillicothe. The good news is that the Elks can accommodate a large crowd. Very good, considering the number of people who actually showed up. The bad news is that the acoustics were terrible, as would be expected in a large room. Add to that, everyone talking with each other at once, and an alumni band, and you have a cacaphony which may get noise complaints from the local airport.

A month or two before the first party, I was asked to speak for a few minutes to the assembled throng. I had spent a few years as a radio announcer and had a way with words. When we got to the point where I was supposed to perform, I decided it better to tell anyone listening to go ahead and keep doing what they were doing. Which they did.

At one point in my life, my ego would have been crushed. But, not this time. I was happier just getting together with friends and going with the flow than I would have been with making a dull and boring speech. After all, it had been fifty years. Some of us had a lot to catch up on.

After the Friday party, there were a couple of events I was going to make on Saturday, the first being on Saturday morning when a few classmates would gather to take a walk on the city’s flood wall. It wasn’t until after the better half and I did our walk did we learn the reason no one else showed up was that the organized walk didn’t happen until half an hour later than we started.

The other event was the “Formal” dinner at the Chillicothe Country Club. Again, a large room, but with better acoustics. I was more than happy just to attend and not have to worry about making speeches or offering entertainment. The company at our table was amicable, and we had a good time chatting about this, that and the other before and after dinner.

Both evenings were enjoyable, despite the din. I got to see a few of my favorite people, got to meet some people I don’t remember ever meeting, and heard bunches of interesting stories from classmates from every walk of life. It wasn’t until after I got home that I discovered that there were a few other people there I didn’t get to at least speak with, despite being in the same room. I’m sorry to have missed them, although maybe some of them were deliberately avoiding me. Nah… wouldn’t happen!

The only regret I had was that some of the classmates living in Florida didn’t make it, due to the recent passing of the hurricane Ian. It was a darn shame, really. Oh, and there was at least one who didn’t make the reunion because she had been going through Cancer treatment.

Other than that, I had a really good time. Hope to be able to do it again in another five years!

Be Seeing You!