Reunions

And putting down roots

“forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit” - Virgil

and perhaps at some time it will help you to remember these things

Twenty-five years ago I graduated from high school and opened the valedictorian speech I gave at graduation with the above quote from Virgil. I was an AP Latin student and had spent my senior year translating the Aeneid alongside a small band of other Latin scholars. We knew how to have a good time.

Me around the time I graduated high school.

My twenty-five year high school reunion happened this past weekend, and like my twenty year college reunion last year, I missed it. In the case of my college reunion, I found the travel logistics too complicated. For my high school reunion, I didn’t even consider logistics because by the time I found out it was happening, I had already committed to performing in a fundraiser show for the comedy theater I’m a part of now.

Me now. Still having a good time.

Lately, I’ve found myself too caught up in my present life to be able to celebrate things from my past in the way I would like. In April, I was tempted to fly to Atlanta to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the gym where I was a member and trainer but didn’t want to take time off from my current job.

The Historic Oakland Foundation, which supports my beloved Oakland Cemetery, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. I wanted to attend their volunteer celebration this coming weekend, but I have another performance as well as work. (I’m also bummed because there are a lot of shows I would have liked to see at the Atlanta Fringe Festival this weekend including Slammed!, which features a lot of great storytellers I knew from my days at Carapace in Atlanta.)

This past Friday, I did manage to attend a reunion just not my own. Every year the weekend after graduation, Amherst College hosts its Alumni Weekend. White tents pop up all over campus with signs announcing which classes are designated to meet inside. This year, the signs were for classes with years ending in 1 or 6, like this tent for the class of 1996:

As part of the general events for Alumni Weekend, the college held a “Farewell to Val” dinner recognizing the closure of the current campus dining hall, which will soon be replaced by a facility in the new student center. Since moving to Amherst, David and I have eaten the majority of our lunches and dinners at Val where we’ve made great friends and woven ourselves into the fabric of the campus community. Of course we attended the farewell dinner!

This past week, I did some reflecting during the blue moon period about how my life has changed over the last few years. Between my new job, improv, volunteering, and spending time on campus, I have definitely become very rooted in my community here, which I’m grateful for. Because one day the things that occupy my time now will also become things of the past, and at some point, I won’t even be able to attend the reunions.

The earliest class I saw a sign for at Amherst College’s reunion was the class of 1956. Oddly enough, at the end of the weekend on my walk with Maggie, I noticed this memorial plaque for a member of the class of 1926.

I also saw this bougie beer can, much nicer than the kinds of beer usually represented on the campus lawn after a weekend of partying.

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