High School Reunion, Toronto, 2006, by Fran Wallace

From MemoryArchive

Who: Fran Wallace
What: High School Reunion
When: November 2006
Where: Toronto, Canada

This fall I decided to organize a small reunion of high school classmates. I didn't really know how successful I would be, given that graduation occurred 35 years ago. I didn't want it to become an overwhelming task, so I restricted my focus to those that were friends during our school years. I had only kept in regular contact with one high school friend, but had recently made contact with two other people through the magic of the internet.

Organizing the event was really quite simple -- primarily because of the internet. I was able to get in contact with about 80% of the people I was trying to invite. I looked on websites that catered to alumni, as well as capitalizing upon the personal networks of some of my classmates. I wrote to several brothers/sisters of people I was trying to contact, and thankfully, they would generally pass along my request. I was also amazed to learn it was the males that kept in touch with their network of friends, not the females!

I asked those unable to attend, to send along a brief biography ("what I've been doing since high school") and photos, which I made available to those who did attend the evening.

The evening was wonderful. What struck me was the genuine joy every single person felt upon seeing old friends. There was no posturing, just a heartfelt desire to share life stories and tremendous feelings of friendship. Some people had changed dramatically in appearance (and not just weight or baldness issues!), others looked identical to their yearbook pictures. Former boyfriends and girlfriends were able to see each other for the first time in many years -- some with still unresolved feelings about each other. Perhaps it is because we are all in our 50's now -- and have reached that stage in life where we are comfortable with who we are -- that we were able to talk not only about the successes in our lives but also some of the troubles we had (learning disabilites, hidden pregnancy etc.) Everyone enjoyed themselves so much, they would like to make the get together an annual event.

Since that evening, I have asked everyone to send me pictures taken during the evening, and I have created a photo album on the web for all to access. And, personally, I am making a conscious effort to keep in contact with these found-again friends.

I would highly recommend that people participate in any reunion invitation that comes along. It was such a special evening. Nothing -- divorce, extra weight or baldness, is a reason to refrain from attending a reunion. Nobody gets through life unscathed -- it is just some of the scars are more visible than others. The connection at the reunion is about the friendship -- not superficial issues or personal successes and failures. Maturity has a wonderful way of making people realize what is truly important -- non-judgemental acceptance and the fragility of friendship. A word of advice -- make things easier on organizers by contacting alumni websites and provide contact information. You wouldn't want to miss out, just because nobody knew how to contact you.