GWHS Class of 1988 Reunion Recap

If you were to ask ten different people about their high school experience, you'll likely get ten wildly different responses ranging from abject horror to wistful nostalgia.  For some, high school was the pinnacle of their lives, others got through fine but peaked later in life and others still look back on high school the way someone might recall a stint in prison or fighting in a war.  In my case, I made some lifelong friends, had some truly unforgettable life-shaping moments but of course, there was that awkwardness that is adolescence which doesn't spare many.  There were some bad haircuts and questionable fashion choices but I turned out just fine and lean towards wistful nostalgia.  What certainly colored my experience was the school itself, Glenbard West is still (bias aside) one of the most gorgeous public high schools I've ever seen.  Along with a few hundred of my classmates, we spent last weekend commemorating 20 years since graduation.

The first of two gatherings for the reunion was held at a bar/restaurant called The Bank in Wheaton on Friday night. The irony is that when we graduated from high school, you couldn't even buy liquor in Wheaton, let alone drink it freely in a bar, so hats off to Wheaton for shaking off a bit of their austere past. Originally, Carla agreed to go to both nights of the reunion but reconsidered and chose to go Friday only--wise choice.  Thankfully Jeff W's wife Vanessa was a familiar face to keep Carla company, some of my fellow classmates also spent time getting to know her as well.  She was a good sport and said she had a good time and also admitted she would've done the same thing which is but one of the reasons I married her.  It's not like I abandoned her but I was all over the place catching up with people, some of whom I hadn't seen in 20 years, it was after all, a reunion.  Round midnight, we called it a night which was probably for the best because it kept me from getting into the trouble of staying out 'til 4AM, like some of my friends did.

Among the 4AM crowd were my Grandma Sally's breakfast companions, Kent and Jeff, who made it out by 11AM Saturday morning, not bad.  Following the requisite greasy (but delicious) meal, we took a self-guided tour of the high school, which for me was my first time back in 1o-12 years.  A lot changed but some remained remarkably the same.  The one mistake we made in taking this tour was the long haul up to the sixth floor to where our beloved radio station used to be.  Instead of the studios and office with the highest and best vantage point in town, it had been converted to mere classrooms with no vestigial evidence of what was there before.  So sad.  Also odd was the former 'Girl's Gym' which was host to all of our high school dances had been converted to a library following the $12 million (!) addition to the main gymnasium, which was stunning.  We managed to squeeze in a quick trip to our pal Steve's for a Bloody Mary before the varsity Homecoming football game.  The game ended up being a rout, West won 69-13.  Hell, the halftime score was 69-7, they must've put in a Pop Warner team for the second half.

Jeff R. and I dropped Kent off after the game and went over to the Doubletree Suites in Downer's Grove to check in to the suite and rest up before the reunion proper, which was being held seven floors below.  With this event being the third gathering of the weekend, there were people who were making their first appearance of the weekend.  Some people only went to The Bank event on Friday, a few only went to the game and a few more still only came to the official reunion event, so the were new faces to catch up at every stop.  Since Jeff made the 10,000 mile trek from Singapore, Kent, Jeff and I were "In for a penny, in for a pound", and took part in everything which was great because we got to spend time with a considerable portion of our classmates.  We didn't all get to see everyone but I bet between the three of us, we did.  I'll admit I was a bit dubious when I heard the food would be a 'hearty buffet' but it was actually much better than most wedding food I've had.  The cash bar was a bit steep for the suburbs but not too bad, still cheaper than The Bank.  After dinner there was much drinking, reminiscing and even dancing, which if I was dancing definitely means there was alcohol.  Considering we're all pushing 40 and a lot of us are parents, there was a considerable amount of general debauchery, which impressed me.  As the official reunion wound down around the Midnight hour, we got a nice group of nearly a dozen close friends (including 4 of the original 5 Rational Actors) and went back up to the suite for some wine and more catching up, which finally ended around 3AM. Bedtime.

The only drag was when I woke up around noon, I realized my car key was missing.  I looked everywhere in the hotel suite and checked with the front desk lost-and-found--to no avail--so Carla had to come out to the hotel with the spare key.

There are tons of additional photos for anyone interested on Facebook on our various pages (Kent, Jeff, Me, et al) and I'll try to get some up here as well.  All in all, it was an amazing weekend spent with people I wish I saw more often, some I see just about enough of and some I'll likely never see again, for better or worse.  Oh, and I promise, this will be the last of my spate of recent reunion-themed posts.

Comments

[Kent]

It was a great time. There were some strange moments but overall very fun. I was really happy we got to spend so much time together.

[Jeff]

I'm glad we go to hang out so much, too - it was a mad weekend and, much like a wedding, there just wasn't enough time to see everyone

Highlights definitely included Bruce & Andy making unscheduled appearances (that I knew of), Kent and Becky Z's political 'discussion' at 3AM at Horvath's, and our impromptu after-hours back at our suite. I'm glad we were able to keep to the 'be quieter, stay longer' rule.

There were also a few moments that will forever remain private (including a recurring southern accent impression) but that I'll never forget.

Viva class of '88 - and I look forward to the 25th, 30th, and beyond!