PIKE HIGH SCHOOL HOLIDAY LUNCH
By DUNCAN
DUNCAN - JOBY BENNETT CALHOON - DAN SACKS - LEE MORROW - JOHN HERRIN - JAMES KITTLE - JOHN ETCHISON - KAREN BENNETT BELL - BILL BELL
The Pike High School Class of 1962 decided to hold a class reunion every ten years. They graduated in 1962, and now it is 2024.
(I whipped out my $10.00 calculator. Here is the math, 2024-1962 = 62 years later.)
Someone suggested that we should meet more often than once every ten years. For those of you reading from distant places like California, Denver, Florida, Texas, and everywhere in between, we had a small number of students in our 1962 graduating class.
The total number of photographs in the picture above is eighty-three (83). However, some may argue, "Oh no, we had more than that in our class." It's possible that not every student had their picture taken. To accommodate everyone's perspective, let's say we had fewer than one hundred (100) students in our 1962 graduating class.
As we transition into adulthood, we leave high school, move on to higher education, join the military, and attend weddings. Some of those weddings are our own, and it's a pleasure to see our classmates getting married—unless, of course, you were hoping to be the one they married!
Later on, we reach out to our classmates for help with various aspects of our lives, whether fixing our cars, insuring our homes, securing a mortgage, or even restoring our marriages. We turn to our classmates because we know them and trust them.
One day, we stopped attending weddings and started going to funerals. We noticed our class size was getting smaller but didn't think much of it at first. However, it seemed like we were attending more funerals than weddings.
These funerals began to feel personal and increasingly close to home. The classmates who were passing were my friends, not just acquaintances.
We find ourselves drawn to the sanctuary and sit quietly in the pews, where we notice other classmates attending the same service. Thoughts of our future fill our minds as we ponder what people will say about us when our time comes. Who will attend our funeral?
As we gather in the vestibule after the funeral service and exchange glances, someone finally speaks up and says,
“Want to go to a restaurant and grab a bite?”
We end up with a dozen. We sit, look at each other, and we talk. We order food and drink, and we laugh. We are alive. Our health is good, and we are blessed. They say, “If you have your health, you have everything.”
Then someone says, “We need to do this more often.”
The terms are set; let’s agree to meet about four times a year. Let's say every three months.
Today, we decided to gather on December 27th, two days after Christmas. It may not be the ideal time during the holiday season. Still, Jim Kittle reached out a month ago to let me know he would visit Indianapolis from his Sarasota, Florida home to see his family.
“Can we arrange a quick get-together with the Pike group?”
Today, nine of our classmates joined us for lunch at The Journey. Several members of our group had never been to The Journey before. I searched for more information about The Journey only to find reviews from December 2008. I was surprised to learn that The Journey has been open for business for at least sixteen years.
Our class is getting smaller. Today, someone asked how many of us have passed. We realized we didn’t have that information readily available.
The question could be addressed by contacting the class via email or text: "Who has left us? Do we know when they passed?”
This question could turn into a project, and someone may choose to take on the challenge.
In the meantime, stay safe and make the most of each day—you lucky Pike Red Devil.
