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A few weeks ago, my wife and I attended her fiftieth class reunion. She graduated from Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, and her class was the first to attend all three years in the new building.
My wife was part of the Reunion Planning Committee, so she had been working on the reunion for the past year and one-half. She acted as committee secretary and enjoyed every minute of the planning. I mention this, because most people aren’t aware of what goes into making a class reunion a success. I was part of my classs’ planning committee also. It was fun putting everything together. The surprising thing about my fiftieth class reunion was that, after being on the planning committee, I didn’t attend the reunion. Why I didn’t attend will have to wait for another column.
Back to the Loy Norrix reunion. The thing I enjoyed the most was watching my wife having the time of her life. She was constantly reliving old memories with classmates, being a part of photo opporutnities, and sharing a hug or two.
The reunion started out on Friday, with lunch with twelve other classmates. We then took a tour of the high school, which added about another seventy classmates. This number spilled over into a social time, where everyone had the opportunity to catch up on what had happened with each other over the past fifty years. The creme-de-la-creme came Saturday evening, when everyone met at the Fetzer Center on the campus of Western Michigan University. This was the banquet. The evening couldn’t have been better planned. There was a photo booth, a DJ, a wonderful dinner, and a program that brought laughter and a few tears.
I was raised here in Three Rivers and graduated from Three Rivers High School, so I’ll always be a Wildcat, but the kindness that was shown to me during my wife’s class reunion made me feel like an honorary Loy Norrix Knight.
If any of you have neglected to attend a class reunion, please don’t let it happen again. I know I won’t. The only problem in going to a reunion is that you’ll be spending time with some really old people.
There was an event held on Wednesday, October 1, in Centreville, where everyone had the opportunity to learn and benefit from various agencies whose jobs are to provide services for those in need. If you needed a haircut or dental exam, this would have been the place to have it done FREE. There were so many booths that it would have taken more than an hour or two to check everything out.
I spent about two hours volunteering at the Veterans’ tent. Veterans were able to receive all types of clothing free of charge. There were also representatives from several veteran groups. They made themselves available to answer questions or help a vet secure a much needed service. It was a moving experience being there. The one thing most of us vets agreed on was that, if you want to get something done, you’re better off if you try to take care of it yourself. The government has a habit of dragging its feet, when it comes to taking care of those really in need, and there are plenty of veterans who need help.
During my time there, I had the pleasure of meeting Jay Newman, another columnist for this newspaper. If you have the opportunity, read his column. You might learn something. If you’re already a fan of Jay, I thank you for him.
If you’re not a big fan of seatbelts, please remember this; Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
Stick out your tongue then scrape it. It helps reduce bad breath, and it protects against gum disease, colds, and cavities.
See you Out and About!
Submitted by Norm Stutesman
