While looking through our senior yearbook in order to write a posting at the West Point Skateboard Gang blog, I had the following thoughts.
The words of wisdom that some added to their “Senior Informals” were pretty silly. We weren’t nearly as wise at 17 or 18 as we thought we were, huh? None of them were as dumb, though, as what I was going to say but at the last second wisely opted not to put down. Not that all of them were “dumb” or “silly”, I mean, yours was probably one of the really awesome ones. I think I liked Sue Confer's "Not all who wander are lost" best. I have no idea who Sue Confer was.
Scott Wallace and I worked at one of the camps out by Round Pond one summer during college. I was a dishwasher/laborer, and he was the supervisor. We had a great time working together (at least I did). We swapped stories, cracked jokes, etc... The others who worked there probably thought we were BFFs. We were in some classes together in high school, but I’d say we were only casual friends then. When the summer ended, I went my way, and Scott went his, and that’s a real shame.
When I got the announcement for the 10-year reunion, I realized that one of the several reunion organizers, Sue Gagliardo, lived only a couple blocks away from me in Albany. I met up with her, and you know what? She was totally cool! She was funny, easy to talk to, and very interesting. How did I miss this about her in high school? I must have been pretty clueless!
At the reunion, I got to spend some time hanging out with Pete Small - what a great guy! He's the kind of guy you wish you had for a next door neighbor. I knew Pete a little back in high school, and he was a great guy back then too.
Have you seen Carla Jenning’s picture on Facebook, her body-builder one? Talk about a “Big Gun Show”! I’d love to hear your story, Carla!
The vast majority of people in the yearbook are a mystery to me, including the Class of ’81. How is this possible? James I. O’Neill is the only high school I went to. It’s certainly not because of a fading memory. Mine is famously good at remembering names, faces, and events (I’m the unofficial historian at the WPSG blog). While looking through the yearbook, I asked myself, ”Why didn’t any of these people sit next to me at lunch or something and strike up a conversation?” A better question, though, is “Why didn’t I sit next to more people at lunch or something and strike up a conversation?” The answer, of course, is very simple. We came from 4 distinct communities: Garrison, Fort Montgomery, Highland Falls, and West Point, and each of these had diverse groups within them. I wasn’t BFFs with Scott or Pete or Sue or Carla because I got on a different bus at the end of the day and hung out with other people after school, on weekends, and during the summer. In answer to the blog title "Why?", this blog is my way of sitting next to you today and striking up a conversation.
My life since high school has been a pretty adventurous one, but I’ll bet yours is just as interesting. I invite you to give an update in the comments if you like, or at the very least check out what others have written. Thanks for stopping by!
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4 comments:
OK, here goes. I'll start with my education. I took the long way to a Master's degree in mathematics from SUNY Potsdam.
Until a couple of years ago, I had stayed in NY, mostly up in Albany and farther north in Malone, before returning to Albany again while my (2nd) wife was in pharmacy school.
Job-wise, I spent nearly a decade helping inmates get their GEDs in NYS Corrections. No, I wasn't an inmate, very funny, I just worked there. From there I taught at a few community colleges before teaching at an ultra ultra ultra private school in Albany while my wife was in pharmacy school. When she graduated, we moved down to the Asheville, NC area where I am again teaching at a community college.
I have a couple of grown stepsons, one of whom has a 2 year-old son, but I have no kids of my own.
My wife and I have a nice house; both of us have jobs we like, and we consider ourselves to be living the life!
Mathdude (Chris)
Thanks for getting this going and for your thoughtful thoughts. Sue G is indeed great, one of barely a handful of folks I've kept in touch with for the past 28 years!
I'm in the Albany area also, with my partner, Mark, and two girls. We moved up here 2 years ago for me to work for the Spitzer administration. We pine for NYC, but are having a great time here.
Jim Ransone's band
http://www.breezekings.com/index.htm
Well, I'm one of the "smarter" kids from our class since I became best friends with Sue Gagliardo the first week of freshman year! I was from Garrison and thought that going to such a HUGE HS would mean getting beat up (like my older siblings who went to school in the Bronx). Sue came up to me and hit me in the arm thinking I was Rita Tracey! Rita and I both had long brown hair! I almost fainted thinking, oh no, here it comes, I'm going to get killed! She was shocked I wasn't Rita, we both cracked up and have been best friends since. She's like a sister to me, my son't godmother and we still crack up together.
I went to SUNY Albany and then got an MBA from RPI so I lived in the Albany area for a long time. Had a disastrous first fiance, left him, took golf lessons at the Albany YMCA and 3 years later married my golf teacher from TN. Now we live in GA. We had kids later in life so my boys are 7 and 10.
Although I hated HS at the time, now that I look back there were so many cool people there. I enjoyed the 20 year reunion especially hanging out with folks I had never spoken to while in school. Sue, Mary Foye, Patti Lopez, Liz Pruiett, Robin Noonan and Phyllis Crowder take girl trips together but I've only been on 2 and both times was pregnant! Waiting for the next one so I can enjoy some drinks with the gang.
Hoping for a 30 year reunion and if I can be of any help let me know. My job is super busy but I can do what I can. I'm a Territory Manager for Weight Watchers International which is the best career I've ever had in all these years.
Thanks for this website, it's fun catching up!
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