Reunions

On September 18, Melinda and I went to the Westin Galleria for the 40^th Reunion of the S. P. Waltrip Class of 1971. I’m guessing that about two hundred people showed up, including spouses who may not have been part of the class. This was the fifth reunion for Melinda and me –  we returned at 5, 10, 20, and 30 years. (At each of the first three, we were expecting a baby, so we were careful around the 30^th and 40^th. )  At each one we saw people who’d been important in our lives and we missed others who could not make it. 

At the 40^th we were all just glad to be there. A wall of memory solemnly reminded us of a couple of dozen of our friends who were already on the other side, including our most famous classmate, Patrick Swayze.

Waltrip High School in 1971 was a good place for me. I’d tried to play football at Hamilton Junior High for three years and thought I’d like to do that in high school as well. The only problem was that I was 6’1” and weighed 145 lbs. soaking wet. I couldn’t gain an ounce no matter what I did. During spring training drills I was pitted against linemen that were close to twice my weight. So I played center on punts in the spring training game and then joined the debate squad in the fall. Both the football team and the debate squad benefited from that decision, not to mention my body. (My freshman year in college I solved the weight gain problem and have not suffered from that issue again.)

My high school memories are easily evoked by music of the 60s and 70s. When I walk with my iPod in the mornings tuned to my Oldies playlist, I’m back in the halls of Waltrip -- Mrs. Kahla’s inspiring debate class, Mrs. Fisher and Mrs. Week’s demanding English classes, the lovely Mrs. Andrews’ geometry class, the crazy Mr. Mulholland’s chemistry class, Coach Gene Agleton saying, “Creech put the soap back in the shower,” and listening to Gary Puckett and the Union Gap’s “Woman, Woman,” playing on the jukebox in the cafeteria.  I recall the classy Waltrip drill team, the Imperial Guard, marching with drums and bugles and doing their signature “ripple” at the football games, a 0-10 record for our team my senior year, and travelling with friends to the forensic tournaments that defined my life for three years.  I remember standing outside the gym each morning waiting for the first bell, listening to Ken Scott practicing his standup comedy routine, making up stories about what he’d found in the glove compartment of his 1969 Impala that morning.

Melinda and I met in high school and we began dating in the latter half of our senior year. So going to high school reunions means we walk into some shared memories and friendships. It is just a little unbelievable that forty years have passed since I awkwardly walked into that high school as a sophomore and that I was walking into the reunion as a grandfather.