‘Tis the season for that uncanny summer phenomenon that causes grownups of all ages to feel 18 again: the high school class reunion. Take it from Bartlett-based reunion organizer Joy Prisching of Taylor Reunion Services, who orchestrates 40 a year: The reunion is an American ritual with patterns that cross socio-economic lines. Following are a few of her observations:
– The No. 1 reason for attending reunions is curiosity. No. 2 is lost loves. “You wouldn’t believe how many people call me and ask if so-and-so (an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend) will be there,” Prisching says.
– The 10-year reunions are the wildest parties, with the highest consumption of alcohol. “They just get going at 10:30,” Prisching says. “At the 20ths, they start asking for coffee at 10:30.”
– Most classes meet every 10 years until their 40th. Then every five years. The class that defies this system and organizes, for example, a 5th or a 15th, sees attendance drop at the following reunion.
– Ten years ago, the 10ths included the most pregnant women. Now, it’s the 20ths. Prisching says it’s not unusual for two women at a 30th to talk about their toddlers, one woman referring to her children and the other to her grandchildren.
– The older the classmates, the greater the discrepancy in looks. “Everyone looks 28 at the 10th, but, at the 40th, some look 40 and some look 70,” Prisching says.
– The high school stereotypes are evident at the 10ths, where vanity prevails. As maturing classmates turn their attention from themselves to their families and communities, the chit-chat switches from “Who’s successful?” to “Who cares?”
– “Reunion planners have great job security,” Prisching says. “Even during recessions, people still want to go to their class reunions.”
– So many people express anxiety about losing weight before their reunions that Prisching keeps photocopies of a crash diet to send to them.
– Prisching says every class has its characters, like the woman who came to her 20th with hair to the floor. “She said she was known for the one with beautiful hair, so she never cut it until the day after the reunion,” Prisching says.
– Even stranger, she says, are the many deceased people who attend reunions. “You’d be surprised how many people are recorded as dead because their friends, even relatives, tell us they’re dead,” she says. “We put them on the deceased list, and then they show up.”
