GHS Alumni News: Roll Call: How Big Was Our Pond?

(Excerpt from the November 2013 GHS '70 Newsletter)

I remember first learning in school, perhaps around the third grade, that groups of fish are often called “schools.” It sounded right to me, and I distinctly remember looking at a fish school picture and identifying with a straggling fish on the fringe, well away from the swarming center... but enough of that. Accepting the simile implied by the graphic, the real question of interest is “How big was our pond?”

To construct a reasonable if one-dimensional view, I went to the Garrett Library, which has a set of all the GHS yearbooks. Looking at the 1965 7^th grade class, the 1966 8^th grade class, and so on through the ’70 senior class, I compiled a list of post-elementary classmates ever-associated with the 1970 graduation trajectory, regardless of actual graduation. The only exclusions are St Joseph junior high students who moved or otherwise did not progress to Garrett High, those whose school photos were never once taken, and those accidentally omitted by yearbook editors and/or my own error. Too bad we couldn’t get a fix on the elementary years as well, but what I found was quite interesting.

In summary:

108 classmates were noted in the 1970 yearbook's Senior class.

168 classmates were noted in the yearbooks' core '70 classes throughout grades 7-12.

Of the 60 who were not noted in the 1970 yearbook's Senior class:

12 were noted in the 1969 yearbook's Junior class

14 were noted in the 1968 yearbook's Sophomore class but not later

10 were noted in the 1967 yearbook's Freshman class but not later

16 were noted in the 1966 yearbook's 8th grade class but not later

8 were noted in the 1965 yearbook's 7th grade class but not later

Still, ALL of these were classmates at some point throughout our very formative years, so it was fun to look through a comprehensive list, which rings many, many bells …

[The 168 Class of ’70 names, printed in the GHS ’70 newsletter, were omitted from this excerpt.]

The Mystery of the Pond

I am ever-awed by what I don’t know... Life’s mysteries... In this case, all those people we swam with throughout so many school years, yet never really knew... Who were they, really? After all, how many people do you feel really ever knew you? So many opportunities so close at hand, yet so few we dared or imagined to take! A genuine, profound mystery indeed, which we will never fathom.

One example, if you will: a classmate, Steve Engle.

Our sophomore English teacher Mr. Roscoe asked everyone to make a short ‘speech’ on any topic, and while I can’t recall anyone else’s, I do remember Steve Engle (someone I had never talked with before or after) speaking about pockets: what his various pockets might hold on different days, how or why he might have chosen to pocket these particular miscellaneous items, etc – can’t remember the details, but will never forget how astonished I was that he could make such a pedestrian, mundane topic – what could be more boring than pockets - so intriguing! It was a GREAT speech, and indicated a unique and interesting mind – something I would have never known but for this one chance incident. And given my newfound admiration for this unknown (to me) classmate of how many years, did I attempt to befriend him, get to know him better, etc? Not at all, never dared or imagined to do so, never even said how much I liked his speech; don’t even remember why not, but have known throughout many adult years that I missed an opportunity. (Steve, are you out there, somewhere? Please join us!)

And this is just one example - there are a hundred plus other such mysteries: Who were these people?

In most cases we will never know.

So on the GHS ’70 luncheons: Yes, come to see old friends, that is very good - but come as well to see old classmates you never really knew, and they will become your friends in time. This I promise, as it has already happened, and continues to happen every month.