Yesterday I spent a rainy afternoon reading the newspaper. Not just any newspaper. The Slate! Yes, Slatington High School’s school newspaper, The Slate! I was lucky enough to have a classmate lend me her collection of every single issue from our shared high school years. September of 1966 through June of 1970.
What an afternoon of memories, laughs, surprises, and heartbreak! It reminded me how much I have forgotten in fifty years. I cannot recall a tennis court being installed on the school parking lot. There are teachers I cannot recall. I guess because I didn’t have them as teachers. I didn’t know that we had students who were pilots, magazine writers, and children of missionaries who grew up in Turkey!
While the New York Times is known as this country’s “newspaper of record”, the Slate has to be known as the newspaper of record for extracurriculars of my high school. Football at my high school…winless in my freshman year to undefeated in my senior year. Track, basketball, wrestling, baseball, softball were also covered. Reading the names of the stars of those sports brought back good memories but also curiosity. What happened to them after high school? Did they continue to excel in their sport or like many of us develop laziness and a pot belly? Are band members still playing their instrument of choice or are those instruments gathering dust in an attic?
A feature in every issue was student of the month. It was interesting to read about them and their plans for their futures. It was fun to see the pictures of prom courts from the past. It was great to read about the individual accomplishments of students, from perfect bowling games to winning golf tournaments over adults. I had forgotten about the Talent Fashion Show and our annual Magazine Sale.
I mentioned heartbreak. Seeing a picture of Larry Horner on Slave Day and seeing him listed as class clown was heartbreaking. Larry was killed in Vietnam right after graduating from Slatington High. Seeing pictures of other classmates who are no longer with us was sad. Sad, but a reminder to be thankful for every day we are still here.
Don’t worry about my fascination with the past. I am not living there. I just like to visit now and then. I know not everyone can look back on their high school years with joy. I think I am one of the lucky ones. I enjoy sharing that. So, again, I am not stuck in the past. I am enjoying my present immmensely! And the future…can’t wait! Bring it on! But my nostalgic rainy afternoon was wonderful.
I end with a shout out to Nancy Haydt (Boyer) who allowed me to read her collection of memories. I’m very thankful that she is a self proclaimed saver!
A Semi-retired Kind of Life 