My High School Graduation
Thursday, June 7th, 1979Looking backward from 2009-11-25.
We, the WPSBC class of 1979 graduated on Thursday evening, June 7th, 1979. Here’s a recap of the later parts of that day that I recall.
05:30 PM: The last supper. Mario, the school’s head cook sensed that I was nervous and sad to be leaving. He came to me and said that I would go far in life; much farther than he did, and he said that he was proud to have been somewhat of a mentor to me. After he was the first boss I ever worked for as a pot washer in the kitchen.
06:05 PM: [Tad] and I got ready for the biggest evening of our young lives in room 306, and I do believe that [Tad] was a bit drunk.
07:00 PM: The graduation ceremonybegan. Prophetically, my partner this night was [First Love]. I gave a speech, since I was the class president, and [First Love] gave one as well, as she valedictorian. KDKA radio DJ Art Pallan (now deceased) gave the keynote speech, that in some ways so subtle while in others not so much, encouraged us seniors to make the most of our lives.
09:00 PM: The ceremonyended at around this time, and I milled about the chapel and then moved downstairs to the front hall with my classmates and underclassmen to say good-bye.
10:00 PM: Mom and Dad drove me home, and as we rode, I thought of how anti-climatic this evening had been. I felt a little sad but mostly numb. Peculiar since for years, [Tad], [First Love], [Olga], [Z]. and me, all talked about how great it would be to never have to return to school again after graduation. But now that it had happened, the thought of never having to go back suddenly seemed kind of scary actually; at least to me it did. Unlike the night of my first spring concert six years earlier, there was little joy on this occasion. I felt more relief than happiness, not becasue of leaving for the last time as a student, but rather, because I wished to finally be finished with saying farewell to my closest pals. Thought I fantasized over this night often, I did not actually want to be done. But since I was done, and thus had to leave, I just wanted to get it over with quickly. No, while I’m proud today that I got through high school without dropping out, I would not describe my high school graduation as a particularly happy event though it was nonetheless, a very special one for me. More on that in other posts.