Have I been writing? Yes. Although I haven’t had as much time to concentrate on my personal projects, I’ve been putting fingertips to keyboard every day…except when traveling. On those days, I usually rely on a journal to record impressions, ideas, and experiences.

The #1 time consumer of late is a booklet of brief biographical sketches of my fellow high school graduates. Our 50^th reunion is coming up in June, and we (the committee) wanted to commemorate the event in a special way by developing a source of information about our classmates and their goings-on.

Fifty years. Wow! That’s a long time, and it means we’re getting, er, more mature every day. For twelve years, many of us walked the same halls and listened to the same teachers. As years passed, we attended sporting events, dances, and well, you know the things young teens do. Some people started out with us in 1954 and then moved on to another area and school. Others transferred into Camden schools at a later point.

But then one day in June of 1966, we left Zemp Stadium and started our grown-up lives. Within weeks, we fanned out across the world (literally), and our adventures in marriage, college, the military, parenthood, and the labor force began. Somehow most managed to navigate life’s often turbulent waters and stay afloat.

In putting the sketches together, I’ve learned much about my classmates, not just their whereabouts and life achievements but also about their personalities and latent abilities that have surfaced throughout the decades. The Class of ’66 has its share of business owners, medical personnel, military men and women, educators, homemakers, and managers. There are also several musicians, writers, and artsy folks like painters, jewelry makers, and designers.

Despite our diversity and life paths, one thing remains true for all of us. We all have stories to tell. Every one of us is a walking, talking repository of experiences, sad and glad, and of memories, knowledge, and a changed perspective of the world we live in. I’ve enjoyed reading and writing about my classmates’ lives and am looking forward to hearing the stories face-to-face in June.

My other projects? Let’s save that for tomorrow.