Do y'all go to reunions?

Alligatorob

Alligatorob

SF VIP
Location
Northern Utah, transplanted from Florida/Louisiana
I was surprised to get notice of my 50th yesterday and am not sure what to do.

I grew up in Florida and Louisiana, but when I was a junior in high school we moved to Utah, so I graduated here. I have not seen or spoken with anyone from the Utah High School in many years. Not long after graduating I left Utah and have only recently returned, so do not feel very connected. I do however have some nice memories of some of my classmates, it might be good to see them and see how their lives turned out. Assuming they are still alive and show up. I do know that my best friend from that time died a number of years ago.

I have no idea how they even found me, but somehow they did. I graduated in 1970, so this is actually the 51st, but they are calling it the 50th, I guess covid kept it from happening last year.

What would you do?

Go and take a chance on making some connections with very old friends? And risking not and just end up feeling like you are amongst strangers? People here do not move around much, most of the members of my class probably lived here all their lives and have long been a part of a stable social structure that I am not. On the other hand they were, and I am sure still are, good people. They might not remember or care much about me, but they won't be rude...
 

No, I was born & raised in Athens Ohio. (Ohio University) My class was only 24, so most have passed or moved a long way away. So they stopped having them when only 4 people showed up back in 2000. I graduated in 1953.
 

You could go, hang around and leave early if it becomes too soul-crushing. Unless they lock you in, which is something my school reunion would have to do to keep people there. We were all so glad to get out of school they'd have to hire people as stand-ins for us.
 
My HS class had the 50th reunion in Denver, in 2010. We drove over there and spent a few days with the relatives, etc. Out of almost 600 in the graduating class, about 300 showed up. It was kind of nice to see some of the old crew. There was some interest in having a 60th in 2020, but that never happened.
 
Alligatorob said:
I was surprised to get notice of my 50th yesterday and am not sure what to do.

I grew up in Florida and Louisiana, but when I was a junior in high school we moved to Utah, so I graduated here. I have not seen or spoken with anyone from the Utah High School in many years. Not long after graduating I left Utah and have only recently returned, so do not feel very connected. I do however have some nice memories of some of my classmates, it might be good to see them and see how their lives turned out. Assuming they are still alive and show up. I do know that my best friend from that time died a number of years ago.

I have no idea how they even found me, but somehow they did. I graduated in 1970, so this is actually the 51st, but they are calling it the 50th, I guess covid kept it from happening last year.

What would you do?

Go and take a chance on making some connections with very old friends? And risking not and just end up feeling like you are amongst strangers? People here do not move around much, most of the members of my class probably lived here all their lives and have long been a part of a stable social structure that I am not. On the other hand they were, and I am sure still are, good people. They might not remember or care much about me, but they won't be rude...
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I wouldn't go unless you feel a connection to the event.

Here's how I feel about class reunions. Neither hubby or I attended any of our class reunions based on the fact we had a close-knit group of friends all through our school years, and we never ventured outside of our tight circle of friends, which does go to say that we had nothing in common with those outside of our close-knit groups, so why after X-amount of years would we want to take time out of our schedules, money out of our pockets, and hobnob with those we had nothing in common with back in the day, and suddenly pretend, because it's a class reunion, that suddenly we have all sorts of things in common and that we're so happy to see people we couldn't care less if we ever see again.
 
I have been in the past, but probably would not again. I was kind of shy in school, and not really popular. But every one acts like they are your long lost best friend.
Unless there are people you really want to see. If you have moved from the area, decide if your desire to go is worth the travel expense.
 
I did attend many class reunions. Our class was having the reunions every 5 years and I just got tired of attending them because there were lesser people attending. Our graduating class had the most graduates. I never did find them 'fun' to attend.
 
I didn't go to a large high school. My high school now holds group reunions, one event for every class which is celebrating a anniversary that is a factor of 5 or 10 years.

My 50 should have been in 2020 but was cancelled due to covid. It was rescheduled for 2021. So some of the years that were invited included 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 ........... right up to 2015 and 2016.

That represents 40% of the people who ever graduated from my school. One would have been lucky to find a classmate in the throng. Needless to say, I didn't attend.
 
I'm in the same boat as Tom86. I came from a small school-23 kids in my graduating class. I'm 75, and a fair number have passed away. I've been trying to find a better way of saying this, but not all my classmates were near, and dear friends. And the kids we were, are no longer "kids". 57 years is a long time. If I met my classmate in a store, I'd be happy. But I'm too old, and decerped to go hundreds of miles.
And not only that. but my old school doesn't exist anymore.
 
I am going to mine, even though I now live 2 states away. I figure this is my last opportunity to see them and find out how life has been for them. Some of us chose to move away for college and work and never moved back. My mom and stepdad have been deceased for many years so I have not been back to the area. Also this is the 150th celebration for the whole town so other classes will be represented as well as mine. There will be a parade featuring each class.
 
We attended my 15th back in 1966. Didn't particularly enjoy it. Too much "humble bragging". This year will be our 70th and I don't know if they'll still have one and can't remember if I got an invite for a 65th ? Can't be too many of us left.
 
We had reunions with my classmates aged forty and fifty, and were very very enjoyable events, (mostly folks didn't have to travel more than fifty miles or so).
I keep saying its time we had another one, having missed our sixtieths, so nothing to fear at all if you can make it I'd suggest. :)
 
The only reunion I have attended was the 50th and I enjoyed it but have no intention of ever attending another one....if they ever have another one.
 
Went to my 50th and loved it. We had a small class of about 110 or so of small town/country people who grew up and went through grade school together. We were a close and mostly friendly group. Classmates came from all across the country to attend. Somewhere around half of them have since passed on and I am happy I got to see them one last time. I will drive or ride ctoss country if they ever have another get-together, however small it may be. They're my good friends and I I want to let them know I care enough to be with them.
 
Thanks for all the responses, helped me think about it.

I have decided to go, just to the dinner and associated social. It's only a 10 minute drive from my house.

One reason is that I am newly returned to Utah and don't have many fiends here yet. I am thinking that I could end up connecting or reconnecting with people. And little to lose if I don't, just a few wasted hours.
 

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