Anatomy of a Garden City High School Reunion

I like to throw parties. I like to go to parties other people give too. This summer I decided to throw a really big party – my 40th Garden City High School reunion.

Organizing a reunion is like having a wedding reception, without the bride and groom. It's a lot of responsibility, especially when you're the one signing away the money on the Saturday night reception place and then hoping classmates come. 

This time I had help from Susan, Betty, Ellie, Kathryn and Janet. Joel, the class president, was also happy to assist. We all got to know each other better during reunion committee dinner meetings than we did in high school. We were from all different social groups in high school, but even by the 20th reunion, we realized it didn't matter who our friends were back then, we were all friendly now. We share the common bond of our childhood years.

We did the regular committee tasks, such as getting classmate addresses. Luckily, Joel and our class started a Yahoo group after Sept. 11, 2001 so we had many e-mail addresses. The group has stayed together for nine years online. 

This is the first reunion we've put together strictly by e-mails, a paperless "green" one. I'm still not sure if that was the best way to gather people, but it didn't cost us anything for invitations.

Another reunion responsibility was decorations for the Garden City Casino, the location of our Saturday night bash. What would have meaning for all the grads after 40 years? A few years ago I did this for my husband's high school reunion: I went to the elementary schools to get old group class photos and color Xeroxed them. We put the photos on each table. They were a conversation-starter and classmates loved the idea, remarking how young we all looked back then. 

I'm glad Ellie decided to organize a very funny contest in which she gave several awards out. The "Mr. Dick Clark" award went to the youngest-looking male classmate, Bill. "Mrs. Dick Clark" went to a grandmother who had the most grandchildren, but looks great. The "Mickey Rooney Award" went to Vinnie, who not only changed marriages like Rooney, but also changed his last name. The "Elizabeth Taylor Award" for a female classmate went to Bonnie, with three marriages like Vinnie.  

Who was the famous writer? Malachy, who has written for Town and Country Magazine for a long time, and does very well. The stranded Canadian? She was a classmate named Deb who has had run-ins with Canadian immigration and Border Control because they don't believe she can work in London and manage to live in Canada with her husband, who is getting Canadian citizenship. If she came to the reunion she might not have gotten home.

The love-birds? Janice and Bob, who didn't know each other in high school, met at our 10th reunion, fell in love and got married 30 years ago. The card-burning doctor is another classmate named Debbie, who now lives in Virginia. 

She reminded us of a story long ago. Back in 1969, the Village of Garden City was having an artist sculpt a bust of founder A. T. Stewart for the village's centennial. Some of us high school students said that we'd rather have a nice library than a sculpture (for that price), so we burned our library cards in a big protest in front of the old library. The police came. Soon after, however, plans were drawn up for a new library, which we use today.

There were more good stories during the night, these are some highlights. The reunion was a lot of fun. It was wonderful to see each other after so many years.

Joel decided we all did such a great job on the committee that we can be co-presidents of the class with him … and no one wants to wait another 10 years. Everyone wants to celebrate our 60th birthdays together in 2012! Has anyone ever had a 42nd reunion?