It will be difficult to top the content of my last post (Poop #547), but every new day there is fresh subject matter to draw from in this blog. Today, for example, we did the American Heath Association Heart Walk, a 3-mile, slow-moving mass of humanity (and dogs) crossing two Portland bridges. This was followed by an Open House for the son of one of my wife’s business associates. We hadn’t been to a high school graduation reception for over 15 years, and it took me back to the Class of 1969 and the party my parents put together for me. Next year will be my 50th class reunion, and it’s hard to believe how fast the time has gone by.

I remember my son’s graduation about 30 years ago, and how he distinctly turned his entire cap sideways rather than simply flip the tassel like his classmates. It was his way of getting some attention, but also reflected his unique personality. I also remember the graduation party for my wife’s youngest daughter in 2000, and how I scrambled to build an extension on the outdoor deck to accommodate her guests. The blocks turned out to be not so even, and several friends teased me about my questionable construction skills. I did a better job with the mulch the year before for her oldest daughter’s party, but I was not part of her family at that time. All I remember is that she ordered too many sandwiches, and I waited at her house while everyone else attended the ceremonies. We left for New York City the next day, our first trip together, and got married two years later, so it was still quite early in our relationship. As my wife would say, “we had only been through two of the four seasons necessary to determine if the partnership would work.” We ended up going through eight before our marriage finally took place.

It’s now been nearly 20 years, and will be over twenty when my 50th high school reunion takes place next year. It’s a shame that my high school will be closed by that time as a result of a merger. There was only one school in Elkhart, Indiana when I attended, but my graduating class exceeded 1000 students and future projections showed that a second high school was necessary. Fifty years later, the town will be back to one, and many of us are upset that the school song and mascot will be lost or compromised. The “Elkhart Blue Blazers” name was unique (See Post #37), while the new school became the less-creative “Elkhart Memorial Crimson Chargers.” It was tough enough to see my school renamed Elkhart Central in the 70s, let alone soon lose its identity all together. A new school song, colors, name, and mascot are all in the process of negotiation, so the tradition will be gone, as all the students will move into one facility next year.

I was not in school when there was an inter-city rivalry. This trophy was the consolation prize for diluting our state domination in sports. State Championships were no longer a tradition, as one great athletic program became two mediocre schools. This was also about the same time that the unique Indiana one-class basketball tournament was controversially changed to “classes” based on enrollment. These are a classic examples of how an old-fart like me looks back in time and declares that things were so much better in the old days. “Mr. B,” the Blazer mascot, would roam the sidelines in his paper machete helmet and dark blue “E” sweater, cheering us on to victory. North Side Gym would be packed to capacity for every game. Recently, that’s only happened when the two Elkhart schools played against each other, otherwise attendance has suffered.

I know I can’t go back, but today’s graduation stirred up some memories. I wish the “Class of 2018” all the success in the world, and appreciate the talent of today’s youth. Next year at this time, I’ll be in a room with a bunch of other old people, who may or may not recognize each other. We’ll gather around the same friends that we had 50 years ago, and wonder why we weren’t friends with the “new classmates” that we’ll finally get to know that night? It will probably be the last class reunion that I will ever attend, but there’s something about a 50th that peaks my interest.