The Class of '65 turns 65

What  REALLY Happened to the Class of '65? 

Well, I don't know.

But back in '78 (or so) I did.  I knew cuz I read the book.  A mere child of 11 or 12 and I'm reading THIS book.  Why???

Cuz I was born in 1965.

My sister & I would walk to the store - it might have been an Eckerd Drugs - and would buy candy, lip gloss, MAD Magazines and the occassional paperback book.  This was one of those books.  My sister wanted to buy it, I'm sure she coerced me into chipping in by pointing it out it was about THE YEAR I WAS BORN!  How could I possibly NOT want to read it, too? 

I have no idea where our copy is but I remember it fondly, altho sporatically.  It was the pictures in the middle that fascinated me the most (but I did read it, not just look at the pictures.  Honest.)  I can still see the portfolio picture of the beauty queen - gorgeous!  And the girl who had just had a baby (literally - her boobies were showing!).  The guy - I think his name was Brock - who was the hunk, became an actor, then killed himself (I forget how).  I think there was a story about him that he dunked a basketball in the wrong goal scoring for the other team.  Story upon story of admitted drug use, sexual exploits (oh my!), arrests, and just plain sadness.

Hopes, dreams, expectations, realizations, defeat, acceptance, life.

These stories never left me, although, now they're vague.  I kept them for years, definitely through my own graduation and several years after.  Whenever I think of where I am, where I thought I'd be and whether or not I'm truly OK with it, I think of this book.  As young as I was, it was a real eye opener for me.  The saying "we plan, God laughs" truly comes to mind.

So, after all these years and my own dog-eared copy long gone who knows where, why now do these men & women come to mind?  I really don't know.  In a fit of insomnia recently, it popped in my head.  And I started doing the math...  the Class of '65 would be... turning 65!  Wow.  That was too good to not comment on.

I understand there are follow ups but I haven't delved that far yet.  Maybe soon.  I'm more in awe of the fact that these kids, who were only 10 years out of school when I stumbled upon their stories, are grandparents & great grandparents now.  Their careers are coming to an end, they're thinking about retirement.  They're probably paunchy, wrinkled and gray...

And I am not far behind them!  Just tonight I sent out a Facebook message to a few classmates reminding them that this was our 30th Reunion year.

Ouch.

And touche.