OLD HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOKS
This past week as I sat at my coffee place a young couple sat down not far from me. They were high school seniors about to graduate. I watched as they traded their high school yearbooks. Each took considerable time as they wrote in each others book. He finished writing first. When she finishing reading what he had written, she brushed away a tear and smiled.
Seeing this yearbook signing between the two took me back to something that happened to me on one of my trips back home last year. Often I find myself stopping at old junk stores, antique stores, thrift shops, old goodwill type stores. I especially look for old record albums and books. Sometime this past summer found me doing such back in my old hometown of Terre Haute, Indiana.
Earlier in the day, much earlier, a bit after 4 A.M. I had left my home just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. I made arrangements to try and be in my home area by 10 A.M. to meet and play golf. I seldom listen to the radio these days, just music tapes. Mainly country music or music from the late 50s'. Music I grew up on. It was a beautiful day as I made the five hour drive, top down on my convertible and music playing all the way. You can get in a lot of Elvis, Jerry Lee, Fats, Chuck, Ricky, Hank and Merle in such a drive. No last names needed.
Later that day after golf I stopped to wander through an old junk/thrift type store in my home area. In doing such I came upon an old book case. There I found a number of old books and to my surprise, I found seven or eight old high school yearbooks from my time in high school. Couple of the books from Gertsmeyer High School, two from my wife’s old school of Garfield, one from Schulte, one from Honey Creek and two from Wiley, the high school my good friend Mike graduated and others that I knew. Wiley High School, one book was from the class of 1959 and the other class of 1960. I knew both---well.
For about the next hour I found myself sitting and going through these two yearbooks from Wiley. Looking at pictures of athletic teams and various people I knew from those years. Just sitting and thinking about people, places and happenings from those years, 1959 and 60. The last page of the 1960 yearbook really caught my attention. It was the same year I graduated high school. There was written a full page note. It began with, “Dear Bob.” The writing ended with, “I will always love you,” signed Sharon. No last names given. As I returned the books to the shelf where I had found them I smiled. Smiled and thought. Thought a lot.
Earlier in the day I had been playing some music from an artist popular in the late 50s’, Bobby Vinton. The words of one of his songs began to come back to me.
A long, long time ago on graduation day
You handed me your book, I signed this way
Roses are red my love, violets are blue
Sugar is sweet as so are you
We dated through high school and when the big day came
I wrote into your book next to my name
Roses are red my love, violets are blue
Sugar is sweet but not as sweet as you
Then I went far away and you found someone new
I read your letter and I wrote back to you
Roses are red my love, violets are blue
Sugar is sweet my love, good luck may God bless you
Is that your little girl, she looks a lot like you
Someday some boy will write in her book too
Roses are red my love, violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet my love, but not as sweet as you
I wonder whatever happened to “Bob and Sharon?” I wondered if what they once had “Promised” ever came true. I wondered about that "Always."
Do you remember what you once wrote in someone's yearbook or what they wrote in yours? Any promises? Or, any promises that were made to you?
Keep on,
Larry Adamson