Open letter to the Class of 1973
I have been told that our class is not interested in celebrating the 50th anniversary of our graduation. I know I have not attended other reunions, that we may or may not have had, but I thought I would attend our 50th. I mean, most of us have retired, so we should be able to squeeze in a couple of hours to say “Howdy.”
So, with that said:
Hello, class of 1973! We are unique in that we were the last class to graduate that attended one of the county’s three competing high schools in the county. I don’t know about you, but I have some great memories from growing up in Pocahontas County. It was a different time. I survived all of those away football and basketball games by sleeping in the back seat of the car – without a seat belt. I also survived outings in the back of my dad’s pickup truck, where I may or may not have stood up and had the wind in my face. I got hooked on the Days of Our Lives soap opera when our middle school days were split days, due to school buildings being condemned and a school fire or two.
I loved seeing my friends during the day and anticipating when they would get home from school so we could talk about what we talked about. Today. I talk about what I ate and the weather.
Seriously, I have no idea what could have been so interesting. My family was on a party line, and we sometimes had to wait until someone finished their call before we could use the phone. I know that I could find the phone because it was attached to a cord in the wall. Now it takes 20 minutes to find the phone, and if I remember who I want to talk to – I can’t remember why!
Yep, these are the types of things one would talk about at a class reunion. We would ask if we got married, with some of us you may ask how many times. Did you have children, and if so, how many grandchildren? And because we are old – great-grandchildren?
What type of work did you do over the years? How has your health been? Have any surgeries? We may have even walked away with a hint or two of how to treat that recent ailment.
Then there would be the “Do you remember” conversations. Hopefully, that would bring back some good memories. There would be that awkward conversation where you realize that you are not talking to the right person or they think you are someone else. Whoops.
Bottom line. I appreciate all of you being in my childhood and helping with the struggles through graduation. I also wish my class and other classmates at Pocahontas High School the best of health and happiness.
Maybe we could be unique, once again, and have a 51st reunion?
Go, Warriors!
“Terry” Payne Tysarczyk
Amherst, Virginia
