As the reunion season moves into high gear, I was reminded this weekend about the importance of these rituals. My advice: When the opportunity arises, don’t miss yours!
I returned to my high school reunion and picked up where I left off decades ago with classmates who – thanks to social media – have loosely remained a part of my life.
Remington (Ind.) High School went the way of other small-town schools when it was consolidated with other area schools in 1971. To ensure a crowd for a school that never had more than 200 students at any given time, all alumni are invited to the annual reunion. This year, 180 of us showed up, most of whom came from the three honored classes — 1945, 1955, and 1965. Ten of us from the Class of ’65 attended the reunion. At 51, my class of Boomers was the largest to ever graduate from RHS. Fourteen of us had gone through all 12 years of grade and high school together.
Our reunion speaker was Randy Tobias, Class of 1960, and arguably the most successful RHS graduate since he had an illustrious corporate career that included major roles at AT&T and eventually as chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company.
Recalling early days in Remington (current population 1,356, but much smaller then), Randy said: “Growing up in Remington in the 1940s and 1950s was an incredible experience. The characters and the story lines in TV programs popular then, like Father Knows Best, or The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett, or Leave it to Beaver, were all familiar to us. Their lives were our lives. Their towns, our town.
“And certainly, for me, the values, the character traits, the attitudes and aspirations that have shaped my life since, are without question all rooted in my growing up in Remington. I learned about the importance of taking responsibility, of making and keeping commitments, of always doing the best I was capable of doing. I learned about the importance of being part of a team, of doing what the coach said whether I agreed or not. I learned about developing leadership skills. And the list goes on.”
Despite his success, Randy has always remained faithfully tethered to his hometown. Several years ago, he even bought a farm that he visits occasionally.
As I mentioned my reunion experience to several friends yesterday, I heard similar stories about the value of these important get togethers.
“Serial connector” Fred Siegman compares reunions to the musical Brigadoon. “A mystical place reappears after many years. The passage of time seems illusorily minimal, and then, at the end of the reunion, poof, everything disappears. I love them.”
“Reunions are fun,” was the enthusiastic response from brand transformation consultant Jim Steuer, who had just attended his University of Chicago Business School reunion. He describes reunions as “the social aspect of school without the homework.” Jim added, “People may change on the outside, but that inside connection endures over time. That is where the relationship continues.”
Footnote: As Fred’s wife and mine gently noted, “When your significant other says ‘I’m not trying to rush you, but let me know when you’re ready to leave’. . .it’s time to leave.”