My high school crowd has stuck together all these years (graduated 1961). We all played one sport or another. Starting in the early '70s we would get together in August for a long weekend in Boston for a 3-game Red Sox home stand. That lasted through the '90s and we then switched to having a long weekend in September at a rented house at the Poland Springs Resort in Maine. Up until two years ago we were still 20 strong. As of today, there are only 13 of us left. I am so sad. While he was the least stable of us he was clearly our best all-around athlete in school even though Tony Conigliaro got all of the press and pro career.

Is this just me or are any of you going through the same losses?

 

I'm sure we all are. It seems the longer we live the more people we know leave us.

Levi

 

That is really special for HS friends to stay in touch so long... all you can do is enjoy the memories. Other than the one and only HS reunion I went to I've never spent any time with any HS friends. Of course if they were guys my wife probably would not mind too much. I really only had one male friend in HS and that was supported by the fact I was in love with his older sister who was voted best looking in her senior class.

Sorry for your loss. We lost a very dear friend just this past Thursday. She was the dear wife of an MG racer from NY who was way too young to leave us. F'n cancer.

 

That's what this was. Jimmy had four prior bouts with cancer over the last 10 years. I spoke with him in July and he was then optimistic that he'd gone into remission again. I think that he was lying to me. Cancer is so ugly.

 

Sorry to hear this, Harry. You went to school with Tony C?
I didn't stay in close touch with any high school friends. I see them now and again, one recently joined the YMCA and has joined the ladies for our AM coffee/social hour after class. We did a bit of catching up. I think the connection you have maintained with your high school friends is great, and I'm very sorry for your loss.

I'm not sure who may have passed in my class, but when the deceased is "your generation" it's harder. The loss of my sister was hard. We are now the generation that is passing away.

 

So sorry for your loss. Cancer is a terrible disease and I know of many family and friends who have passed from it after terrible suffering. May he RIP.

 

Yes. He was a year behind in the class of '62 and his younger brother Billy who went to the Angels out of high school was right behind. Even with a tiny student body (400±), we sailed to the class B state championship in those years. Frank Carey, another classmate, went on to coach baseball and became the winningest high school baseball coach in MA's history.

 

That must have been a hell of a high school baseball team.
Levi

 

Sadly Harry I wish I had stuck close with friends but I only have two with whom I communicate with any regularity.
Another has no desire to see anyone from high school. I have another whom I haven't seen in 38 years.
Next year will be 45 years. They could be dropping like flies but I wouldn't know. I never did the facebook thing to stay in touch.

 

I've lost 4 friends in the last 5 years all from cancer all in either there 40's or 50's.