Live Like You Can't Go Home Again

This weekend Judi and I are going to Stockton to attend my 45th hs reunion. I left town (on a train! with a lot of books!) to attend Northwestern University in September of 1965, and essentially haven't been back for more than a few days here and there since. As one of my choir members said at rehearsal the other night: "Two days in Stockton...in August...how...fun..." Right...yesterday it was 106 there...and 72 here...sigh...

I got out my old yearbooks yesterday and looked through all the faces...especially the ones that are on the list of those who are attending the event. I remember a lot of them, but we had a big class...It will be interesting to see how many still "look the same"...

The event will be bittersweet, as I found out a few days ago that one of my hs musical colleagues (he was a year younger than I was) passed away unexpectedly. Gary Wright was one of three of us that I know of that ended up teaching music at the university level, which is a testament to the musical training we had in school (Frank...if you're reading this...thanks!).

In reading the tributes to Gary on facebook, it is clear that he was the kind of teacher that we all hope to be...involved with his students, and modeling as much as teaching. That's the thing I miss most about not teaching in an academic situation...watching students grow up, go out, and do well. Gary's death reminds me that life is short...take advantage of it...which also reminds me...I've got to go pack the good wine for the weekend...later...