Class of 1971

Time for a reunion…

The Cover of the Bloomington High School Yearbook reflects the “mod” vibe of the times.

My 50 year class reunion will be held in my hometown this weekend. BHS class of 1971 will gather (one year delayed) to meet friends, or at least stare at namtags and try to remember faces and personalities from long ago. Of course, we haven’t changed a bit!

1971 Trivia

Ah yes, 1971. Let me take you there:

Alan Shepard golfs on the moon  during the Apollo 14 mission

Voting age lowered to 18

Young men were still being drafted into the Vietnam war via the birthdate lottery

Famous songs;

James Taylor,  You’ve got a friend

Rod Stewart, Maggie May

Three Dog Night,  Joy to the World

Rolling Stones,  Brown Sugar

Carol King,  I feel the earth move

Albums: Tapestry by Carol King and Jesus Christ Superstar

McDonalds says “You deserve a break today”

Time Magazine’s man of the year was Richard Nixon

First Starbucks opened

Over 100 million  crock pots were sold

All in the Family was the most popular TV show

The first email was sent

I Was There

Here it is. My one and only photo in the senior yearbook. Those who know me now might find this hard to believe, but I was very shy and lacked self-confidence as a teenager. I wasn’t in sports, or band, or student government. Once, I tried out for a dancing part in the school production of “My Fair Lady” and was selected to be an “alternate,” secretly hoping someone would get sick or drop out, but no one did. I prefered to sit at the back of the class, did my work, made good grades, seldom raised my hand to answer a question. It was easy to get lost in a graduating class of over 700.

You’ve Got a Friend

During my junior and senior years, I found a group of friends that I could be myself around, an eclectic group of smart, creative, fun personalities. Deep freindships developed and many of us stayed in contact during our college years and beyond. We are scattered across the country now, but if I see them this weekend, I hope to have a chance to tell them how much those friendships meant to a timid-teenaged girl navigating towards adulthood.

This guy had his picture in the yearbook more than once…track, cross-country, band,..etc. Back then, I thought he was a show-off, but he stuck around, and after 50 years he’s growing on me. He’ll be my date for the evening.

I think this red dress will go well with my gray hair, and I’m wearing comfy flats with proper arch supports. There will be a band playing music from the 70s. It’s kind of hard to dance to James Taylor songs, but since I didn’t get that dancing gig in high school, I’m going to give it a try. Wish me luck.

Threads of thought icon

Threads of Thought

What songs were popular when you were in high school?

High School Reunions: yay or nay? Any words of advice?

6 Replies to “Class of 1971”

  1. Awesome, Debbie! Hope you have a great time. We’ve tried three times to have our reunion…so here’s hoping the third time is the charm!

  2. Debbie, I hope your reunion was great fun. Did your hubby go with you, to? You look even more beautiful now than you did in 1971. Your senior photo was so cute. You have aged well Debbie. Thank you for sharing your life. I enjoy reading about it/you.

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