YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN

My 50th high school reunion

By Johnny Trlica

Commentary: I hated high school! I did not want to be there, did not feel like I belonged there and had only a few friends. I was a shy, introverted high schooler that was probably seen as a nerd by my classmates, if I was seen at all. I most definitely was not one of the cool kids.

I didn’t play football or any other sports, wasn’t in the band and shunned extra-curricular activities. I generally just wanted to serve my time and get the heck out of there.

I made good grades throughout my four years at Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg, Texas. Except for Algebra. I didn’t get it then and still don’t and if I could turn back time, I’d tell Mr. Kubena what Peggy Sue told her high school algebra teacher in the 1986 movie Peggy Sue Got Married: “I happen to know that in the future I will not have the slightest use for algebra, and I speak from experience.”

As a senior, I had a part time job at the Sonic Drive In, the coolest place in town. Working there after school and weekends, I was able to buy my first car, a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville. Every morning my senior year, I parked that land barge in the student section of the parking lot behind Mustang Stadium. That was the closest I ever came to feeling like one of the cool kids.

My high school story is not unlike millions of other kids. We’re not all cut out to be jocks or cheerleaders or social butterflies. Fortunately, I am not that shy, insecure kid anymore, so when Camille Cernoch, whom I’ve known since she sat behind me in class in the second grade, invited me to join the planning committee of our 50th reunion, I was flattered and figured, “Sure, why not.”

We had our first meeting in August of 2023 and held meetings almost every month afterwards. Traveling from Galveston to Rosenberg for a one-hour meeting took a lot of dedication but I made the commitment and was determined to follow through.

I was appointed as our media representative and promptly created a Facebook page. We called it “Lamar Consolidated High School Class of 1974,” purposely leaving out the word “graduating,” realizing that not everyone in our class was able to, for whatever reason, walk across the stage to receive a diploma with the rest of the class. We wanted them to know they were welcome. I really appreciated that sensitivity by the committee.

Collaborating with my former classmates on the committee was a fulfilling experience. Seeing their dedication to the project made me look in the rear-view mirror and realize that they would have been good to know in high school, if I had given them the chance.

In the committee, we had a star player from the football team, band member, choir member, cheerleader, drama club member, baseball team player and assorted other classmates. And me. I felt welcomed from the start and my ideas and suggestions always appreciated.

Eventually everything came together. The venue was chosen, a caterer picked, the photographer lined up and a decorator selected. Unless one has been on a planning committee, I doubt they understand the work that goes into it.

At the reunion, the wife of a former classmate approached me to talk about my late sister. They had worked together many years ago and she spoke highly of my late sibling and inquired about her kids. It was a heartfelt moment.

On a brighter point, a classmate I toiled with in the library’s audio-visual department in school remembered me and we talked about the freedom the librarian gave us. Remember the excitement you felt when a TV or film projector was rolled into your classroom? That was us.

Not everyone has fond memories of their high school days. Perhaps it’s meant to be that way. But those youthful experiences are what make us who we are today. Some learn from it, and some don’t.Joining the planning committee for my 50th high school reunion is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Doing so makes me wish I had been more active in clubs and other activities while in school, but I have no regrets. That is not who I was 50 years ago.

If given the opportunity to attend your high school reunion, jump at the chance. Join the planning committee, and volunteer to help with your special talents. Whatever you thought of your high school experience, you have grown since then. And so have your classmates.

Embrace your past, cherish the present and live for the future.

Johnny Trlica is editor of Houston Rainbow Herald, an LGBTQ+ Facebook page. He has been published in the Fort Bend Herald, Montrose Gem and OutSmart, and has been a writer for MONTROSE STAR for more than 10 years. A lifelong Texas resident, he lived in Montrose for over 30 years and currently resides in Galveston. Reached at: [email protected].

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