An Open Letter to the RHS Graduates of 1966 & 1967

Dear Fellow Schoolmates,

In 2011 as the calendar rolls up another decade in the new millennium, we baby boomers find ourselves applying for social security, waiting in the prescription line for blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, arthritis, and other age induced medications.  Between struggling to read the fine print on any and everything and forgetting where we left the notepad on which we scribbled all the important notes and dates that we did not want to forget, we spend our time baby-sitting grandchildren.  We now stand in front of the young cashier ringing up the Senior Citizen’s Discount without our prompting.  Yes friends, we are the Senior Citizens of today’s society.

Remember the carefree days of high school?  Remember when the entire student body rose as we marched down the aisles of Kate Finley?  Remember when Rockingham and Hamlet shut down one Friday per year to attend the Rocket – Red Ram football game?  Remember dissecting frogs, swimming in P.E. class, pep rallies in the gym, student government elections in the spring, and last but not least to our addicted friends, THE SMOKING AREA. 

Yes, all the above were fun times in our young lives.  Unfortunately, we can no longer step back in time and physically walk the hallowed halls of Rockingham High or even once again taste a Zip & Superburger from Tom & Sarah’s.  Yet, we can still gather with the high school friends of our youth and in our minds, relive the Happy Days of our teenage years.

The 1966 & 1967 45^th Reunion Committee has set aside the weekend of 9/30 - 10/1/2011 to rally and celebrate those HAPPY DAYS of our times together.  The key to our success is dependent upon your attendance.  A current popular soap opera, first aired in 1965, opens up with the line “Like the sands through the hourglass… so are the Days of our Lives.”  Before we hit the Big 3-0, it was easy to say “My life is too busy now.  I’ll go to high school reunion #20.”  A decade later, some graduates used the same logic with #40 as a goal.  In fact, we have classmates who never have attended a reunion.  Friends, our hourglass does not have that much sand left in it.  In fact, at least 42 schoolmates total in both classes are no longer on this Earth.  While you are still in good health, make plans now to attend this important weekend in our lives.

Joel Bailey (Class of “66) has created a wonderful website http.//www.rockinghammemories.net...  He has agreed to list the names of those tentatively planning to attend our reunion on this site and on Face book, 1966-1967 Rockingham High 45^th Reunion Planning Committee.  As soon as details are worked out, the committee will make contact with a RSVP request.  As for now, we need the following: mailing address, phone number, and email address as soon as possible in order to notify and confirm details.  As the sands pass through our hour glass, we eagerly await your reply.

On behalf of the Planning Committee,

Bob (by) McDonald

Class of 1966