Fond Memory 1
on this, the Quadranscentennial Celebration of
my Lebanon High School Graduation:
1800 or so more days!
Well, to clarify, that would take us to the 30th anniversary of graduation in 2019 ... so I should probably explain. Just like this countdown, the original plans for this month's full blown reunion were changed relatively late in the game ... with the Friday social activity and the Saturday tour of the remodeled high school the parts that remained. Those that still went home anyway made the best of it ... just as we'll do in five years (or maybe next year as the rumor is that this year's official shindig might be rescheduled to 2015). Ultimately, that removed the urgency from my countdown somewhat, but in the spirit of finishing that which was started, here's the final memory ... which, in true rule-breaking fashion will be a set of memories.
Here's the truth ... if I'm being completely authentic, the reality is that I was a late bloomer who excelled in class (because I didn't have any other stereotypical teenage distractions) ... which means my fondest memories would be of time spent during the lessons with my teachers, documented here in the photo on my report cards from 9th to 12th grade (see how many *you* know!) as: Mrs. Mills, Mr. Celaschi, Mr. Rupp, Mr. Gettle, Mr. Putt, Mrs. Bomberger, Mrs. Jackson, Mr. Webb, Mrs. M. Gardner, Mr. Stuckey, Mr S. Miller, Mr. Graeff, Mr. Heck, Mr. Heilman, Mr. Rossi, Mr. McDaniels, Mr. Heverling, Mr. Linn, Mr. Detwiler, Mr. R Smith, Mr. Yenser, Mr. Graeff (again), Mr. Heck (again), Mr. Heilman (again), Mr. Linn (again), Mr. Coles, Mr. Garvey, Mr. Gettle (again), Mr. S. Miller (again), Mr. Heck (for the third time) and Mr. Heilman (also for the third time).
AND that's how I was originally going to end the countdown. But then I went to what was left of the = reunion weekend and remembered that, despite my focus on the classroom from 1985-1989, there were a handful of classmates from those four years that ALSO deserve to be part of the number one memory ... [in alphabetical order by first name - ish] ...
Amy M (for always letting me eat peanut butter cups from her fundraising activities despite my inability to pay for them)
Holly F (for starting a friendship that would only blossom in the immediate months after graduation ... and beyond)
Jenn W (for being the one with whom everyone in high school thought I should be coupled)
Kerri G (for being my high school girlfriend at just the right time to convince her father to harbor an illegal runaway the first few nights after I struck out on my own in March of my senior year ... which was just the start of an amazing friendship)
Matt H (for being the reason I still wear Adidas sneakers *today* in hopes of being as cool now as he was then)
Rose M (for being my eternal homeroom buddy AND co-worker at McDonald's)
Sally P (for being my "wife" in our sociology class from the beginning to the end: fantasy-home building to egg-in-lieu-of-child keeping to who-gets-what-in-the fake divorce planning)
The Hebron kids: Jenn G, Jerry W and Mark B (for being doubly involved in my life at the time since they also attended the youth group for the Methodist church in town, meaning we had Retreat memories to add to our high school ones)
The I Don't Care So Much For Physics Crew: Bob W, Sally P (again), Tom I and occasional guest star Wendy W (for helping me pretty much ignore Mr. Garvey's Physics class with an often blue-humored round robin passing of notes that still survive to this day but that can't be put on the interwebs due to the fact that some of those folks have kids now)
Wendy W, again (for being so magnanimous as to get her mother to legally take me in regarding the situation I described above, becoming my insta-sister in the process)
And so (finally) ends a countdown (admittedly, a few days later than planned) ... here's hoping that I still have the capability for memories when it's time to go back home for the 30th reunion!
Here's the truth ... if I'm being completely authentic, the reality is that I was a late bloomer who excelled in class (because I didn't have any other stereotypical teenage distractions) ... which means my fondest memories would be of time spent during the lessons with my teachers, documented here in the photo on my report cards from 9th to 12th grade (see how many *you* know!) as: Mrs. Mills, Mr. Celaschi, Mr. Rupp, Mr. Gettle, Mr. Putt, Mrs. Bomberger, Mrs. Jackson, Mr. Webb, Mrs. M. Gardner, Mr. Stuckey, Mr S. Miller, Mr. Graeff, Mr. Heck, Mr. Heilman, Mr. Rossi, Mr. McDaniels, Mr. Heverling, Mr. Linn, Mr. Detwiler, Mr. R Smith, Mr. Yenser, Mr. Graeff (again), Mr. Heck (again), Mr. Heilman (again), Mr. Linn (again), Mr. Coles, Mr. Garvey, Mr. Gettle (again), Mr. S. Miller (again), Mr. Heck (for the third time) and Mr. Heilman (also for the third time).
AND that's how I was originally going to end the countdown. But then I went to what was left of the = reunion weekend and remembered that, despite my focus on the classroom from 1985-1989, there were a handful of classmates from those four years that ALSO deserve to be part of the number one memory ... [in alphabetical order by first name - ish] ...
Amy M (for always letting me eat peanut butter cups from her fundraising activities despite my inability to pay for them)
Holly F (for starting a friendship that would only blossom in the immediate months after graduation ... and beyond)
Jenn W (for being the one with whom everyone in high school thought I should be coupled)
Kerri G (for being my high school girlfriend at just the right time to convince her father to harbor an illegal runaway the first few nights after I struck out on my own in March of my senior year ... which was just the start of an amazing friendship)
Matt H (for being the reason I still wear Adidas sneakers *today* in hopes of being as cool now as he was then)
Rose M (for being my eternal homeroom buddy AND co-worker at McDonald's)
Sally P (for being my "wife" in our sociology class from the beginning to the end: fantasy-home building to egg-in-lieu-of-child keeping to who-gets-what-in-the fake divorce planning)
The Hebron kids: Jenn G, Jerry W and Mark B (for being doubly involved in my life at the time since they also attended the youth group for the Methodist church in town, meaning we had Retreat memories to add to our high school ones)
The I Don't Care So Much For Physics Crew: Bob W, Sally P (again), Tom I and occasional guest star Wendy W (for helping me pretty much ignore Mr. Garvey's Physics class with an often blue-humored round robin passing of notes that still survive to this day but that can't be put on the interwebs due to the fact that some of those folks have kids now)
Wendy W, again (for being so magnanimous as to get her mother to legally take me in regarding the situation I described above, becoming my insta-sister in the process)
And so (finally) ends a countdown (admittedly, a few days later than planned) ... here's hoping that I still have the capability for memories when it's time to go back home for the 30th reunion!
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