RUNNEMEDE REMEMBERED

Growing up in a small town in Southern New Jersey


Tuesday, September 20, 2011

50 years!

Reunion photos -- more to follow in tomorrow's finale.

Elsalyn Palmisano and Sue Youngblood. I would have recognized them anywhere, including the Carnival sailing ticket counter in Miami!




Richie Kaye. For three years I spent the earlier hours of morning in his car on our daily trip to Glassboro State College. He was my ride. And Richie is ALIVE and well, not as rumors had indicated earlier this year.



Richie and Lorraine Hynes -- Lorraine you did it again, you and your helpers. Great job.



It was a little over 50 years ago that my high school class graduated from Triton. What a day/night that was. First, the day started out very, very warm and humid and we practiced out on the football field, then we came indoors and practiced indoors, just in case the weather was bad, which is was predicted to be.



About mid-afternoon the storm(s) rolled in. Would the graduation ceremony be indoors or outdoors. Of course in the school it was quite warm, but since the outdoors cleared of any rain or threat thereof, we were moved outdoors. Apparently the temperature maker didn't know that we were graduating that night, and turned on the chill. We just about froze, and because it had rained so hard, the ground was a little bit muddy -- well more than a little bit -- and our high heeled shoes sunk into the ground too far so that we who were stupid enough to wear heals had to march on our toes or barefoot, leaving out shoes behind, because no self-respecting graduate in those days would carry anything in their hands.


Of course, after the main event, there were several parties. My mom and dad would not let me attend any parties, never did find out why.



So, last weekend my class, the class of 1961 celebrated it's 50th anniversary of graduation and had a reunion.



It was such a fun event, starting with the cocktail/appetizer mixer on Friday night. Introduction ourselves to one another was quite humbling for me, at least. Yes, we had name tags, but to try to guess to whom we were speaking, without being obvious about looking at the person's name was quite a effort.



Some I recognized right off because, hey, even in 50 years, they hadn't changed much. The names that come to mind are Elsalyn Palmisano, Sue Youngblook, Nancy Touchet, Lorraine Hynes, Jack Weaver, Jerry Belber. The rest of us? Well, we all still looked good, I think, but not recognizable.



I must mention that I did notice that the of the women in attendance, there were very few with gray hair, including myself. Under my blond "do" there is a head full of white, note even gray, hair which until last February was my "color" from the time I was 30 years old. Yes, I was gray by the time I was 30, and white by the time I was 40.



To differentiate between gray and white -- there are still a few strands of black, brown, red, mixed in with the white hairs. White means no colored hairs at all. All white. I am so glad I change the color.



The men on the other hand, I guess, didn't really care what color their hair was. Quite a few white heads among our men -- which only made them seem much more dignified.




More to follow.





ttfn

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