The first memory I have of reunions was shortly after graduating from high school when my dad announced that he would be going to his 50th high school class reunion. I remember thinking I’ll have to wait for fifty more years to be eligible for that celebration. And fifty years seemed to be a lifetime away.

Our high school class lost enthusiasm for class reunion celebrations a while back. I don’t think we celebrated the 50th. But you are aware of what age does to memory? In other words, I could be wrong.

I imagine that confession caused joyful cheering in Heaven with my wife Kathie leading the cheers! 🙂

I normally don’t admit such things.

Actually, it’s hard dealing with such high numbers but if I’ve calculated correctly this would have been 63 years since our Clinton Rocket class was released onto the world.  Now that’s a lifetime!

Experience has taught me that some people are reunion goers while others are not. I happened to have helped in the planning of a reunion or two, so I guess that puts me in the ‘attending’ reunion group.

Wheaton High School celebrated their all-school reunion last weekend and yes, I did attend parts of the celebration.

After teaching high school biology in Wheaton High School for thirty-four years I think I had a responsibility to attend. It’s so fun to see how the students have changed. Some look very much like they did in the 1962 yearbook while others are unrecognizable.

Facial hair and tattoos are all the rage now.  ):  Some have succumbed to such practices while others have not.

While visiting with past graduates one thing always amazes me, they have memories of class happenings that I have no memory of. I reply did I really say that, or did I really do that?

The Traverse County Fair was also celebrated the same weekend as the reunion.

In fact, I met a 1965 graduate of Wheaton in the 4H Food Stand as we enjoyed lunch together. His name was Ken.  When he told me his name, I was reminded of a story I was told when I first came to Wheaton in 1967. It seems several years earlier a young man coming home late at night had an encounter with a UFO. Supposedly, the UFO lifted the young man’s car, and it ended up in the ditch. The next morning when the tow truck arrived, they came upon an unusual site.

The road had, had a dusting of snow during the supposed encounter and the young man’s tire tracks were clearly visible until the tracks disappeared yet the car was in the ditch several yards down the road far from the tire tracks in the snow!? Had it really been an UFO encounter?

The young man I was visiting with was a brother of the driver who had, had the supposedly UFO encounter. I asked him what he thought about the incident, and he said, smiling, “I don’t really know but my theory is that my brother had too much to drink and went in the ditch. So, he made up the story so his dad wouldn’t be mad at him for drinking and going in the ditch.”

But what about the snow-covered road with no tire tracks?

The tow truck driver who saw the missing tire tracks would disagree with that hypothesis.

My plan was to attend the All-School Reunion program at the high school and then sit in my plastic chair and watch the reunion parade pass down Wheaton’s main street.  Those plans were unexpectedly interrupted, however.

One of the first floats was a wagon carrying some members of the teaching staff. They were throwing out candy and to my surprise they threw me a beautiful red T-shirt with a Warrior symbol on it.

I was in need of updating my wardrobe, so I was quite excited.

Facebook often posts pictures that I had posted years earlier. One time Facebook posted a picture that I had posted ten years earlier and to my surprise I was currently wearing the same shirt!  Definitely, I needed a wardrobe update!  🙂

I draped the T-shirt over the back of my chair turned back to the parade as I heard a voice ask, “Do you want to ride in the parade?”

Looking up I see my new friend Ken sitting in a beautiful, red 1965 convertible. He was representing his class in the parade.

Because the parade was moving, I had to make a quick decision, so I shouted, “I’ll ride!”

So, I left my chair and my new red T-shirt and hopped into Ken’s ‘cool’ car.

What a great experience that was. The look on the faces of friends and past students smiling and waving when they saw me was truly heartwarming. I could feel love. What an extraordinary sensation!

The entry to the fairgrounds was approaching and I knew the parade was about to end.

Then I thought about my ‘cool’ red shirt hanging on the back of my plastic chair and I hoped both would be there when Ken dropped me off.

As Ken pulled the car to the curb I was relieved to see both chair and shirt were still there.

I hopped out of the car and began to gather up my things when a young lady came running across the main street holding a small bouncy ball and excitedly saying, “My dad went to the Wheaton School, but he didn’t graduate because he moved with his family the start of his senior year”

Obviously, she must have checked out the T-shirt as I was riding in the parade.

She could have easily stolen the shirt, but she didn’t, and I admired her for that.

The young lady held out her bouncy ball and asked me if she could trade the bouncy ball for the red T-shirt that she knew her dad would love.

The trade would be very unfair especially when I loved the T-shirt and would have a chance to upgrade my wardrobe.

Maybe it was her pleading and her big smile but suddenly inside my head I heard, ” Give her the T-shirt!”

So, I did and told her she could keep the bouncy ball too.

I hope her dad appreciates the “beautiful” T-shirt.

See, that’s why I like to go reunions. There is love there.  🙂

Until next time.