Missing Classmates, Missing Memories 

    There is a website that I visit on occasion--regularly--but perhaps with significant gaps between, like the phases and spaces of our lives. We go days, weeks, months, even years, between some of our life connections. This web page was created by some of my 1989 high school graduate cohorts, and it sums up a bit of us over time. 35 years since that day in May, the time has come and gone. It documents deaths of our classmates, and the missing ones who have not registered. 

    There are 195 of us who have registered on this site, to record a bit of our lives, to keep up with old cohorts and children turned adults from one year at the end of the Cold War to another. Most of went many separate ways. There have been some reunions. I missed the 10 year, missed the twenty year (which was well attended, I learned), made it to the small 25th year get together, and missed the 30th. I am not sure if there is a 35th, which would be in a few months.

    We are now of age! Most of us will have made or broke a career by now. Some of us are gone, the last being a sweet guy named Dave Parker. It was cancer, I have learned. Some 19 deaths are recounted on this page; I think I knew a majority-- they are part of life's footnotes now. Living or dead, most of us are in the footnotes anyway.

    If my valedictorian friend Jason is correct, there were 455 of us graduates of Bloomington South back in the last year of the 80s. He was proud of being number one in grades, and still is. Rightly so, not a bad achievement. We had some smart students. Some dumb ones, too, of which I could sometimes fit. We could be of both ilk, us Purple Panthers. Ilk, plural? I meant it that way. More than one ilk.

    By that math, 195 living accounted for, 19 passed on, subtracted from my memory of Jason's statement of 455, that leaves... 241 missing classmates. We are supposed to contact them, according to our page, and connect them to the administrators to be added to our active list of members. I have had contact with a few of them, and they are still not a part of our digital lair of names and notes. 

    I mentioned it to a couple, like Stacey, but to no avail. Yet. We shall see over time. At least I have accountability for some of my chums and mates.

    Why does it all matter? Good point. Well, for that matter, why does anything matter? For me, I am nostalgic and curious; I like to see differences and commonalities over time. I like history, and I enjoy to discover if I am a part of it or not, and no matter what, if I can observe and comment on the whole lot. Curious, our lives and doings. Or not. Take it as you will. 

    So, 241 potential missing mates and memories. Many of the names I do not know. Some of them I know vaguely. Some of the people I have keener recollections of from middle school, or even elementary school. We were a small class from my original Elm Heights, but most of us stayed the course till our senior year. And now, so separate, it seems to be. Never, or ever to be re-united? Seems less likely. Such is life, c'est la vie, and all other valid cliches.

    Who, or whom shall I list and mention some old yarns or glimpses of sketches of thoughts of yesteryear? This is from the list of 241, or 230, or whatever the March 11, 2024 queue contains:

    Jason A.

    Bryan A.

    Elizabeth A.

    Leora B.

    Julie B.

    Beth. B.

    Matthew B.

    Robert B.

    Tammy C. 

    Curtis C. 

    Samantha C.

    Wendy C.

    James C. 

    Eric D.

    Bena D.

    Jodi E.

    Greg E.

    Kristi E.

    David G.

    Stanley G.

    Molly G.

    Kimberly G.

    Manuel G.

    Peter H.

    Ric H.

    Daniel H.

    Kimberly J.

    Scott J.

    Christopher K.

    Hugh L. 

    Patrick L.

    Jennifer M.

    Amy M.

    Michelle M.

    David M.

    Kelli M.

    John M.

    Elizabeth N.

    Nicholas O.

    Katherine O.

    Lisanne P.

    Travis P.

    Frank P.

    Amy P.

    Linda P.

    Jennifer R.

    Mark R.

    Douglas R.

    Dalia R. 

    Steven R.

    Peter S.

    Brian S.

    Christopher S.

    Anthony S.

    Raymond S.

    Robert S.

    Mark T.

    Brian T.

    Jason V.

    Steve W.

    Anthony W.

    Margaret W.

    Brad W.    

    Scot W.

    Tom W.

    Timothy W.

    

    Not all are missing to me, but the memories are fading; some impressions will be shared. Maybe we can re-awake the 1980s in some way. For what cause or purpose? To remember some life.