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High School Graduation
This weekend seniors from high schools around the county will graduate. It will be a big weekend with many celebration parties. I hope everyone will be careful. Times sure have changed from 1966, the year I graduated from high school.
Our high school graduation was held in the tiny Our Lady of Victory Academy gymnasium. 28 graduates sat on the stage and parents, relatives and guests sat on folding chairs or the bleachers, filling the gym. Linda Torrance was valedictorian and gave a speech. I was the salutatorian and also gave a brief speech, using several cliches, I'm sure, such as "looking to the future" and "always remember our years at O.L.V.A." I hadn't invented my signature closing "Good night, North Country" yet, so I probably ended with a simple "thank you."
The guest speaker that night was Don Garrant, an O.L.V.A. graduate from sometime in the Fifties, who had used his high school graduation and college degree to move his way up into an important position at Plattsburgh State. The good sisters at our school often mentioned Mr. Garrant as a shining example of the success that can be achieved if you graduate from O.L.V.A.
I recall that there was a small party at our house on Johnson Avenue that evening. My parents had invited all the relatives and many family friends to come to the house and pat me on the back. On that particular evening I had no idea whether I would be attending Plattsburgh State or Wadhams Hall Seminary. Yes, indeed, I once considered becoming a priest. After all, I think I was priest material. Bobby Rougeau and I were the official "servers to the bishop" whenever Bishop Navagh attended an event at Our Lady of Victory Church.
If you doubt me on this one, there's a book called A HISTORY OF CATHOLICISM IN THE NORTH COUNTRY, published in 1972, with my picture on page 171, walking right next to Bishop Navagh as he blessed the new Notre Dame School in 1961.
Anyway, my parents' graduation gift to me was an electric typewriter and some cash. They figured whether my calling was to the priesthood or to the classroom, I would be able to use a typewriter of my own. That's a far cry from the gifts that grads will receive this weekend like a car, a computer, a well-padded savings account, or a cellphone, all expenses paid for life.
None of my friends had a party with a DJ, none of my friends' parents rented the VFW or the church hall for a big shindig. Times were different. Each of us 28 grads went our own way that night in 1966, and some, I never saw again. Like David Lefebvre, Gary Hebert, Henry Yerger, Alex Bedard and Howard Ormsbee. Others would die much too soon. Like Don Wells, who died in a car accident while serving in the Navy, and Rod Dame, who built a thriving enterprise in Plattsburgh after high school and military duty, but would succumb to cancer, and Marlean Lareau, also a cancer victim. Others have passed away more recently. Like Donald Kelley, Gilles Maille and Ginny Macey.
Some of my classmates have stayed in the area, raised families, and are growing old along with me. It's always nice to see Sue Rennell, Mary Stone, Betty Yopp, Doug Durocher, Gary Leavine, John DesRocher, Joe Giroux, Angela Liberty and my fantasy baseball adversary Ed Rostak. And, sadly, other classmates I just seldom see, even though they are still in the North Country.
The point is - I hope the graduates treasure the friendships they have made in high school and try their best to maintain contact with those they are closest to. Time has a way of intervening between old friends. And, most of all, please have a safe graduation evening!
Comments
Foxy, I can't believe it will be 35 years since the BCS class of 72 were honored in the H.S. gym, next year. GO EAGLES!!
You hit on a good point, about how after so many years, we kind of lose contact with each other. I am sure that we all have good intentions of staying in touch, but the fact remains, many of us leave the area, and forget to leave a forwarding address, to our former friends. Like your class, we have lost some of our classmates through death, and some have just disappeared, from moving on. But I still keep in contact with a former classmate, thanks to the world wide web, since he lives in North Carolina, and I now live in Wisconsin. He even sends me info on some of my other classmates, he still keeps in touch with. and of course the classmates who stayed in the area, I hear about from time to time. I realize many of us live far away, and the last attempt at a reunion didn't work out well, but it might be nice to try again someday!! So even thought we don't all stay real close, I am sure there is enough contact, due to today's technology, to the network system in place, and such places as classmates.com, to try to keep in better contact. Good luck to all of you who have graduated this year.. May all of your dreams come true!!!!
Posted by: Steve Peryer | June 24, 2006 1:47 PM
I've been reading all the interesting articles and comments Foxy, all this internet & blogging has got me really curious. I'm from the old school where you picked up the phone to talk or sent a letter and waited for days for a reply or better yet went over to your friends house to visit. Although we lived outside the city, I graduated in 1963 from St. John's Academy, those were the days. Lunch was always great--Cherry Coke and hamburgers from Larios, egg salad sandwichs and Apple Dumplings from Woolworth's. What would we do without our good old memories? And they were good--The Commish
Posted by: Judy | June 22, 2006 2:02 PM
Thanks for the blogs Foxy. I am always glad to hear from "Eagle" fans. See you this fall.
Posted by: Crusher O'Connell--- M A I---Class of 1973 | June 22, 2006 12:11 AM
I graduated from Franklin Academy in Malone in 1972 - It was a very big year as I planned to move to the City of Plattsburgh and begin my "career" as a legal secretary for the law firm of Robinson, Lewis & Bell (two weeks after graduation). It was so much fun, especially working for the new guy at the firm - John Niles. I made some wonderful and life-long friends during my ten years there and then ten years with Terry Meron and Paul Knapp. I wouldn't change those years for anything. But, back to high school - I still keep in touch with people from Franklin Academy - some with help of the internet and some with a phone call now and then. I thought I would be a "Huskie" forever and then our girls were "Foxes" (like their dad!) and then "Hornets", our grandchildren are "Chiefs" and now my daughter teaches at Beekmantown so I cheer for the "Eagles" - whew -that's enough mascots for a lifetime! How fortunate are those of us who have fond memories of school which prompt us to re-visit old friends once in awhile. Your forum has certainly provided that opportunity for many people and we all thank you for that! (Note: Our granddaughter, Ashleigh, graduates this weekend from Saranac and our nephew, Craig, from PHS, and we too wish them and all graduates a safe weekend and great future.
(Foxy's note: Thanks for the interesting comments!)
Posted by: Diane | June 21, 2006 10:10 PM
Hi Foxy!
Yes, this year is my 45th HS reunion, held in Chateaugay, NY. I'd love to be going but I'm now 3000 miles away.
I can remember my father going to his 35th reunion in Chazy and thinking how old he was. Can it be possible time has flown by and we didn't even notice.
This Friday, June 23, my granddaughter Kristen is graduating from Saranac Central High, exactly 45 years after my graduation year 1961.
Reunions are funny things. So much time has passed, yet, how little classmates change. - yes, we're a few pounds heavier, careers made and retirement looms, a wee bit grayer (if we admit it) and we long for Botox - the mindset is the way we were at 18 years old.
I will make plans for number 50. I hope you have a wonderful time at your OLVA reunion, Foxy.
Lynda
Posted by: Lynda (Bouyea) Bevins | June 21, 2006 12:43 AM