Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll

My kids love That 70's Show. I think it's funny as well, but I don't watch it very often. I don't have to--I lived it! I got together with a bunch of classmates the other day to plan our 30 year high school reunion. Long live the Bedford High School Class of 1978! We had it made then, and many of us still have it made. We were the last graduating class to be born during the Eisenhower administration. We were too old for Mr. Rogers (Happy Birthday Fred) and Sesame Street when they came out, but that made us old enough to remember the first moon walk (as in Neil Armstrong, not Michael Jackson). As trailing edge boomers, we got all of the freedoms that being a child of the '60's-'70's brought without having to put up with the pain of fighting for the rights. Some of us had brothers or neighbors who were in Viet Nam, but we just missed. Because of them, however, the drinking age had been lowered to 18 by the time we got to high school, and trust me, most of us took advantage of that (ssshhh, don't tell our kids). Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll was the theme of the time and we all participated to some extent in at least one of those (mine was Rock & Roll--the other two would have gotten me into too much trouble).

My graduating class was a large one--450 +/- a few crossed the stage at Centennial Hall on June 2, 1978. I was the 13th to walk across; is that bad luck? For a class that large, we were surprisingly close-knit--not that we didn't have cliques like everyone else. But we were mostly respectful of one another and let diversity rule--or maybe I just see life through rose-tinted glasses.

I think that synergy was reflected in our reunion committee meeting. There were 9 of us there--8 ladies and Ron (10 if you count Gary, who phoned in from Minnesota just to say hello). Everyone there knew everyone else, but most didn't hang out together regularly back in the day. Still, it was like old home week. We all looked fabulous, if I do say so myself. Think Donny and Marie, who are our contemporaries, but without people to do our hair and make up. We all could pass for being a decade younger, IMHO. We did get some planning in--a few tentative dates, a couple of bands to check out, etc. We listed classmates we've lost over the years. Right now our count is at 18 (16 guys and 2 girls), but we may be missing some. Most of the time, however, was spent reminiscing.

It would be unfair to repeat some of the stories, and since some of our kids may read this, it would also probably be unwise. Again, remember, the drinking age was 18 so most of us were legal for a large portion of our senior year, and Lawson's would sell beer before school if you asked nicely. (I never did that, but I know people who did). Framptom Comes Alive; Styx, REO Speedwagon; Blue Oyster Cult; AC/DC; Queen -- they were in their heyday and we were there. Of course, we were also there for disco and Andy Gibb.

But we aren't content to live in the past. We're planning a GOOD TIME come the summer. We may actually have some real wine (ok, not for me any more) instead of the Boone's Farm or Mad Dog from our youth. And our committee keeps getting larger. 10 people for a first meeting is pretty good--as our fearless class President Meg put it--there were as many people at our committee meeting as the class of '76 had at their reunion. I expect the total to double by the 3rd meeting. Any '78-ers who read this--come join us!

To all you other BHS classes--ours was the best. Even the teachers think so. I know they told you that you were, but they just didn't want to hurt your feelings. '78 was awfully damn great!