Reflecting with Reunion
In my last column I referenced the upcoming reunion of the Class of 1963 from Castro Valley High School. It is the class that I was part of.
Although I prefer to not write about a subject a second time, an exception has been made. Compared to other reunions of my class, this one was different. There was a consensus among the 55 or so people that attended that it was our most meaningful. With that, the question is why? We are all now in our late 70’s. It is worth exploring.
We all know that aging does things to us – to our bodies, hearts, and minds. Nearly all of it is challenging. The bad competes with the good. We get more health problems. We have lost classmates - and continue to do so at an unsafe speed. We know the clock is ticking for us.
Nonetheless, we continue to gather. The planners of the reunion decided to create three separate events – all informal. The first was at a classmate’s home for a pizza party. Special guests were two teachers from the early days of Castro Valley High. One was Norm Guest – a teacher and track coach liked by everyone. The other was Dale Berven – also a teacher and coach (wrestling and football). He was also there as a teacher when CV High opened in 1956. We were privileged to have them join us. They were great teachers and role models.
Of added value was that the President of the Castro Valley School District Board - Lavender Whitaker, joined us. When invited to make remarks she thoughtfully emphasized the roles that we played in growing up in CV and going through our schools. We have been a part of history. That history has not only been local, but on a much broader basis. Upon graduation, President Kennedy was assassinated. The next we year we went to war in Vietnam. The next year riots broke out in major cities over the issue of race. Radical politics was born on the left and took hold on college campuses throughout the country. There was talk about revolution and overthrowing our government. Five years later Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated. Historians often view the 1960’s as the most troubled decade since the Civil War.
Two more events over the next couple of days took place for our reunion. One was for dinner and wine at Twining Vine Winery in Cull Canyon. It was an ideal setting for us to gather. The third and final event was to gather for coffee and donuts at Rudy’s Donut Shop. It, like us, is a part of our local history.
The talk among everyone was that this was the best reunion we ever had. Most of our lives are behind us. We are wiser and more paced in how we view life. We appreciate time more than ever, particularly with family, friends, and classmates. A consensus emerged from within the gathered to have our next reunion sooner, rather than later. The question was to do it every two years or perhaps even annually. Keep it small and simple. Just get together. Time is of the essence. As aging classmates greet one another, we do so with a spirit of appreciation and gratitude.
As I conclude these thoughts a maxim comes to mind. It is that as we age can make new friends, but we can’t make old friends. And – old friends are the best friends.