44 years ago today
By DW Davis
@DWDavis (25797)
United States
June 9, 2023 6:08am CST
Two score and four years ago today, I graduated from Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. We were mighty, we were fine, we were the class of '79.
There have been 4 Class Reunions since then, one every ten years. I missed the first two. I made it to the 30th and 40th. At the 30th, I saw my high school girlfriend for the first time since graduation night. We'd broken up the autumn before. Seeing her again did inspire me to write a couple of stories. One is a novella titled "Betrayed Back to Love," and the other is a short story titled "Feels So Good." The title of the short story is from the instrumental song by Chuck Mangione. It was our song when we were dating.
She and I have stayed in touch since getting reacquainted at our 30th Reunion, with K's full knowledge and consent.
I have to smile when I think of the very winding road I've traveled in those 44 years. Oh, the places I've been, the things I've seen, and the people I've known.
When and where did you graduate high school? Are you still in touch with any of your classmates from those days?
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7 people like this
7 responses
@DaddyEvil (174208)
• United States
9 Jun 23
I graduated in 1982 from Aurora, Mo.... When I was still working at Walmart, I'd run into a few of the people I graduated with... I haven't seen anyone I knew in about three years now. I haven't gone to any of the class reunions. I didn't like anyone well enough to bother.
2 people like this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
9 Jun 23
Other than my JROTC buddies from back then and G, there aren't many people at the reunions I talk to. What surprised me most was how many of the women at the reunion wanted to talk to me. Some of them wouldn't give me the time of day back in high school.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (135583)
• Marion, Ohio
9 Jun 23
I graduated in 1983. From Elgin near Marion Ohio. I see a couple of people here and there.
2 people like this
@Jenaisle (16568)
• Philippines
10 Jun 23
It was nice that you met her and you were able to reminisce about the good old days. Incidentally, I just got a call from a high school friend and all we did on the phone was talk about the hilarious events that happened when we were young and so naïve.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
10 Jun 23
Bruce Springsteen has a song about such conversations. They are the norm for people who haven't seen each other in a while.
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1 person likes this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
9 Jun 23
I left school (we don't call it graduating here except from university) in 1986. I know there was a ten-year reunion but I didn't go, and I haven't heard anything since. There wasn't really anyone I wanted to see (except a handful of friends I was in touch with anyway) and I was afraid it would be an instance of everyone trying to show off how well they had done, if they had.
However there was one boy who was in my class who I always had rather a soft spot for and over the years I occasionally wondered what had happened to him, I sometimes tried to look him up but without success - until a few years ago when somehow I suddenly found him on LinkedIn. I got in touch and we have been corresponding on and off since then. At school he was a long-haired heavy metal fan, so I was quite surprised to find how much we have in common now! We are both happy with our current lives but it has crossed my mind that if we had somehow got together at age 15 it might have actually worked!
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
10 Jun 23
There are several of my class who still live in the Wilmington area. They get together over homecoming weekend, go to the football (American style, not the real football), and maybe go out for drinks every year. I've never been able to make it to any of these mini-reunions.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222222)
• United States
10 Jun 23
I graduated in 1965 from Cleveland Heights High. We had a class of 1,000. I'm in touch with one person in Minnesota, one in London, England,; and one is my sister-in-law! lololol
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222222)
• United States
11 Jun 23
@DWDavis I married HER brother! We started dating when I was 18 and out of high school. He's 7 years older than I am.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (120533)
• United States
9 Jun 23
I graduated two years early, so it was 1997 (was born in’81), from a school that is no longer there. I am currently texting with one former classmate (and mylotting while she forms her responses), and this weekend I have plans to meet up with another. The others are primarily just my FB friends.
1 person likes this
