On 6/13/2016 1:14 PM, George Shirley wrote:
On 6/13/2016 8:02 AM, Frank wrote:


Reunions can be fun or boring. I've been to both.
My Catholic all boys high school has been holding an annual lunch for
the past few years for guys only. Fun but sad to see those in wheel
chairs etc. Wife went to my 25th many years ago and could not
understand why I did not remember a lot of these guys. Problem was,
e.g. that the skinny little guy with black hair was now a fat little
bald guy with a mustache. Wife never went to hers but when she saw a
picture of one said she could not place these people.

Our class of 1957 was 32 people, mostly men. Most of the men are gone
now and I have seen very few of the women come to the reunions. I guess
59 years down the road not only our class has gone mostly but some of
the younger ones have too. Some of the classes behind us were prime meat
for Vietnam, even going back to kids who were in grade school when I
graduated. I was lucky, got in, got out before 'Nam. Also lucky in
getting recalled to active reserves when the Cuban missile crisis came
along. They kept me to my get out date in June 1963 and, Lo! a few years
later the Vietnam Veteran GI bill came along. If you served one day
active duty in '63 you got the bill. I took it up and made enough money
off the bill plus my wages at the chemical plant and from my gunsmith
shop that wife got her last two years in. That's pure luck.

50th college, stunk, college was a PITA making major effort to get
donations for the college. I figure I spent today's equivalent, a
quarter mil to educate my three sons there and that was enough.
Class photo was a joke. They hired a professional photographer but only
gave us a 4X6 photo. HS for our little outing gives 8X11 with far less
people at lower cost.
I loved college, started in 1971 at age 32 and managed to graduate in
1976, had to lay out a while when I had Hep A that knocked me down.

Rains enough here on the east coast that I seldom have to water
anything. Wife says toilets look cleaner as aquifer is getting plenty
of replenishment. 1st tomato about 1 inch.

Wife's siblings are in Maryland, they complain of not enough rain too.
It rained .91 inches today and more for the rest of the next two weeks.
I am so grateful we picked out a house when we moved here that is high
and dry.

George


I got deferments, not because I did not like what our country was doing,
but to pursue my education as a chemist. College freshman class had a
high predominance of Korean vets. One of my best friends was one. He
got drafted in the army and as a Greek Catholic they figured they would
make him a cook and sent him to cooking school and by the time he
finished the war was over. Almost went into national guard but there was
a summer camp requirement and I had to work to pay for college. Friend
had to go in during the Berlin crisis.

I live on a hillside where there is no danger of flood damage. Some at
the bottom of the hill have gotten it from creeks overflowing.

Maryland is only a few miles away but is spread out enough that rain is
different in different areas.