As You Walk on by, Will You Call My Name?

Did you get your invitation packet in the mail? Did your friend? This is a non-nostalgic post designed to convey information. The picture of the sweethearts is just a bonus that was shamelessly included to catch your eye.

Having graduated with the class in May 1986 is not a prerequisite for attending this party. Maybe you earned your GED later or moved out of town at some point (even during freshman year). Maybe you graduated with another class but feel more affinity for 86 because that’s where your friends are or because you just love our crazy-cat mark.

If you want to attend this party, we want to send you an invitation. It’s that simple. But of course, it’s getting late now: this event is only 6 weeks away, and we need to know our final number even sooner than that.

Please also remember that we didn’t have any official lists of names. We literally typed out a spreadsheet based on yearbooks (which were incomplete); memories; and a stapled paper directory of addresses from our senior year (which was also incomplete). We relied on people saying, “What about this guy?” or “Don’t forget this girl!” and we definitely relied on people just contacting us and saying, “I want to come.”

That’s the most important point. We had a dozen people making phone calls and playing detective and being very persistent, but ultimately, we had to rely on people wanting to be found and taking the initiative themselves. We placed ads in print and online; we left information at the school office and on the school web site.

And we started a blog. You can’t beat that, right?