When is a high school reunion more like a family reunion?

When it is a Livorno American High School reunion.

I had the great good fortune to be a military brat. The traveling and new experiences from an early age have informed my views as an adult, which is a good thing.

I had even greater good fortune in spending my last two years of high school (in the early 70s) in small coastal town in Italy near a small military base. I attended Livorno American High School, comprised at the time of around 185 students grades 7 through 12.

My graduating class was 21 people.

I could go on and on about those days, going through our teenage years in Italy while still connected to the American culture through the US Dependents school system. We were quite a mixture--some had roots in Italy through one or both parents. Others, like me, were being brought up within the "Fortress" of the American military. But we all shared a unique experience called LAHS, and we were like family to each other.

At the time we graduated, none of us gave much thought to staying in touch or worried about seeing each other again. We each had our own dreams to fulfill, and we more or less scattered to the four winds. It wasn't until some years later that we began to itch to reconnect, and, fortunately, some of the group took action.

The first all-year LAHS reunion was in 1989, thanks to Pat Kirylo (from my grad class) and James (Randy) Rosseau (of the class right behind us). Alums from as early as 1958 attended the reunion, and it was great to reconnect with my friends from high school. Since then, there have been various reunions, the most recent being this past weekend in Alexandria, Virginia. Which is where I am sitting as I write this.

It was a great weekend. I got to see classmates I hadn't seen since we graduated, and I got to reconnect with people I had seen in '89. We seemed a bit mellower this time (the effects of aging, I guess), but still bound to one another by the experience we shared.

It was like being with family, even down to some of the dysfunctional behaviors that inevitably crop up when family gets together. I love these people, with whom I shared an experience that is hard to describe to anyone else. And I am looking forward to more get togethers in the future.

Comments

[Pat Kirylo]

What a great article and so true! I don't think anybody realized when we left Italy just how important our connection to our classmates in Italy would become. I have lived in the Washington DC area since leaving Italy in 1976 and no matter how much time goes by, I still feel the bond with my classmates that we had growing up together. Your article captures my feelings. Thank you Patty for capturing my feelings about it.

[Maria Allegra]

So this is what you were writing in your hotel room? :-)

Great article, and the LAHS reunions I have attended have made me realize how truly special "our group" is. We are a unique and special band of people, and I can only hope that we continue these yearly get-togethers.

[Kim Roenigk]

So...are you calling me dysfunctional? LOL
We did have a great time and your blog just said it all. I am glad that all my special friends were able to make it this year. Everything was perfect, location, weather and the comraderee. The reunion filled me up with gratitude for past, present and future experiences with LAHS alumni.