Can it be 40 years already?
High school graduates in 1978 were born at the tail end of the Baby Boom Generation, sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation.
They were babies when Bill Mazeroski and the Pirates walked off with the World Series against the Yankees, in grade school when Roberto Clemente led the Buccos to the 1971 title, and sophomores in college when Pittsburgh蘑菇视频 Boys of Summer defeated the Orioles again in 1979.
The Steelers won back-to-back Super Bowl titles when they walked the high school halls, and added a couple more soon after their graduation.
The Vietnam War officially ended when those graduates were in high school and the boys in those classes were the first to head off to the Post Office to fill out cards for the reinstated Selective Service Registration.
Three presidents (Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter) served during their high school years.
And, I was one of those 1978 graduates.聽
It蘑菇视频 been 40 years since the Class of 鈥�78 graduated. I know that because the Geibel Class of 鈥�78 held its 40th class reunion last weekend.
Four decades. I know. That was a long time ago.
Graduates were offered a tour of their former high school by Principal Patricia Nickler, which has changed significantly over the past 40 years. Father Bob Lubic, a fellow Geibel graduate, later held Mass for those in attendance, followed by dinner and music at Nino蘑菇视频.
The class is best known for the PIAA and WPIAL boys basketball titles, secured in a 26-0 season. A new banner now resides in the gym celebrating the state title, alongside another noting the state swimming titles won by Emily Zimcosky almost 40 years later.
The Class of 鈥�78 entered high school predominately from the Fay-West area, but the closure of St. John蘑菇视频 High School added students from the entire county.聽
We had 96 in our class, about the average class size for the school back then. Many of us had siblings in high school at the same time, often in the same grades. Bill and Louise Downey had three children in Geibel in the 1977-78 school year, and my younger brother Pat and sister Lori were classmates of siblings of my classmates.
Connellsville had more in one graduating class than Geibel had in the entire school. Because of family ties, athletics and school activities, it was not unlikely to know most everyone in the school.聽
James was the fourth-most popular baby name in 1960, but was by far the most popular male name in the Class of 鈥�78 because I graduated with five other Jims (Donato, Flynn, Gyurke, Hartz and Mongell). Plus, another蘑菇视频 given name (Aaron Lusty) was Jim.
Although the graduates were a convergence from many different grade schools, a large number of those folks, including myself, attended Conn-Area Catholic, meaning we鈥檝e likely known one another for a half century.
I don鈥檛 know if we were any more special or unique than any other graduating class of the time (although our mothers might disagree, as moms do), other than the fact we will always be tied together in the Class of 鈥�78.聽
My classmates earned doctorates, worked in many aspects of the health field, labored daily, and entered a variety jobs in the market. Many married, some did not. A few have grandchildren, a couple are patiently waiting for their next generation. A couple have retired already.
So, to those in attendance, Cathy, Lesli, Janet, Louann, Mary, Camilla, Becky, Missy, Frank, Ed, Michael, Jimmy, Laurie, Pat, Terri, Lori, Joe, John, Charlie, Carole, John, Kenny, Jimmy, Tommy and Jimmy, our special guest Ronnie (a Conn-Area grad who matriculated to Connellsville), those who wanted to be there but schedules did not permit, and those who have passed away, congratulations on your 40th anniversary.聽
Perhaps on the occasion of our 50th class reunion all the details of the hyjinks and strange happenings from those four years in high school will finally truly be revealed, replacing suspicion, stretching the truth and out-and-out fibbing.