Happy 35th Anniversary!
A Collection of Graduation Materials
On the date of the writing of this article 35 years ago, the Clinton High School class of 1980 went out into the world! For some it hardly seems possible that it was ONLY 35 years ago, and yet for others it seems like a lifetime ago (or even longer!) Do you remember where you were at 6:00 pm on Tuesday May 27, 1980? Well, let me tell you where most of you were… on Coan Field at Clinton High School, in Clinton, Iowa; we was to be grad-gee-ating!
If it pleases the court, may I submit to you exhibit “A”; an actual photographic image, taken with an actual photographic camera (meaning NOT digital… they were YEARS away from even existing yet, at least for consumers!) of said class on that day in that place doing that thing… graduating. Now you say, “but that image is so grainy and I can’t see any detail.” Yeah, remember emulsion type photography?! It was probably taken with some model of Kodak camera, “Mother, grab the Instamatic, we need to get down to the high school to see our son/daughter graduate. I’ll be out in the Country Squire Estate Wagon waiting for you!”
As further evidence I submit exhibit “B” – the mimeographed schedule of events for the entire graduation process along with “instructions for cap and gown”, and exhibit “C” – the image of one ivory colored graduation announcement detailing the time, date and place of said graduation. I rest my case!
We were one of the lucky ones, it didn’t RAIN, nor was it unbearably HOT (at least as this writer remembers it.) It was the culmination of three years of hard work (or hardly working… you choose!) Some were headed off to more schooling in the fall, others would be headed off to work (or were already working). Some would have already met their future spouse, others still looking. The future was bright and still ahead of us.
Here we are, 35 years later preparing to celebrate once again as a class. The plans are set, a date, time and place already reserved. The volunteers of the reunion committee have organized a full weekend of events in hopes that as many as possible will find something/many things to pique their interests and therefore attend. Some will re-kindle old friendships, others will start new ones, finally gathering the nerve to talk to so-and-so, about such-and-such, never having dreamed they would do so 35 years ago. For lets all remember, we all put our pants on one leg at a time, we are The Clinton high School Class of 1980.