The
Class Reunions
The
40th
I had my doubts whether or not the reunion committee chaired by Bill Black would be a hit. After all the planning started late and the venue selected was as they billed it "not your father's reunion". I had no idea what to expect. What we had at our disposal was this new fangled social media page called Facebook which helped to spread the world. It became an extension to the class website and took off just as summer ended. Before that it was akin to a sprinter warming up for a race only to gain momentum as one approached the finish line. In our case the finish line lasted five hours and maybe beyond. The reunion committee of 2013 made it happen.
The venue was held at the Log Cabin in the Presidio of San Francisco. A rustic but very accommodating place to hold a reunion such as ours took in over 200 hundred attendees. Terry Abad, an honored guest at our reunion (and many others) and also known as Mr. LAA, indicated our class could very well be the one with the largest attended 40th reunion. Chalk another one up for our class (go class!). A couple of classmates stepped up and became sponsors for this year's reunion....Dave Zouzounis of Ted's Market who donated appetizers and treats, and Dave Bon of JT Wines. Committee member Paul Reinhardt was instrumental in blowing up the F'73 panoramic picture which was displayed for all to see.
The fare was handled by just two food trucks, Hiyaaa and Rib Whip which provided meat dishes as well as vegetarian dishes. With the number of attendees, you kinda wonder about the logistics and what would be served, but like the billing says, it was not like one would expect. They managed to serve everyone and there was enough to go around. Four meal tickets were issued to each attendee and each truck offered three selections. How could anyone not have a good time with this? Portions were modest, but multiply that by four I doubt anyone was not satisfied.
As with the 50th Anniversary of Lowell at Eucalyptus in May 2013, PhotoBeats was there to take pictures of groups, couples and individuals - like the one I took. I guess we were too excited that we forgot Jr. High group shots. However, the four class officers of the '73 class and the class president from the '72 class did make it and were there as one would expect from the best officers our classes could have.
The Log Cabin had indoor and outdoor seating which was quite nice especially when our classmates turned up the heat when the DJ turned up the music. While most of the class just reacquainted with old friends they may not have seen in decades, other danced to hits from the period, with some of them still remembering "their moves". I'm fairly sure everyone had a great time. A special guest was there start the evening's festivities. Sure we had members of the '73 song girls, but we were reminded of how old we really were by these young ladies and their "routine"....
But they were not the only entertainment for the night. I know of two who saved it up for a finale which may or may not make a comeback in 5 or 10 years. Mike Bishop, who volunteered to be my singing partner, helped me in singing re-penned lyrics to Bob Hope's "Thanks for the Memories". I don't know if it really went over well, but Mike and I saw it as a minor victory in my "coming out of my shell" existence. It felt good.
I neither schmoozed or danced. Other than getting up the courage to sing with Mike, I became the Glenn of '73. I reverted to being a wallflower who sat back and watched - taking in the positive ambiance of the evening. On occasion I'd receive warm greetings from classmates who remembered me from 40 years and beyond or those who appreciated what effort I've put into the perpetuation of our class spirit. However if I do not make it to the next reunion, it will not be due to my conscience transformation to the Glenn of '73. If I do make it, I might just sing again. Thanks for the memories.