Christine R. Adair Hicks

After college, I landed a job in the travel business, which turned into a nearly 30-year career. With my husband working for United Airlines, that meant we could travel the world over together - which we did for 20 years, until his untimely death in '00. I stayed in the travel business a few more years, until the downturn effected by 9/11 cost me the job, when the department I served at AAA Travel was closed. I ultimately retired in January 2017 as administrative assistant for a property and casualty insurer, and now keep busy with catering and volunteering. I volunteer at my church assisting in their fundraising events and overseeing the use of its social hall, as well as doing some freelance editing and writing, including editing for a friend whose self-published books are sold on Amazon.com (see author Rosanne Higgins).

I started working on the reunions when we held the 25th. Living in the area has that distinct advantage. A core group continued to work with me on the 40th, and we have a huge electronic group who will help on the 50th, which we anticipate will be a big one. This has been a source of great fun, staying in touch from time to time through each intervening year with classmates I knew and some I have only just begun to get to know. With a class the size of ours, there's ample opportunity still to meet people, and make friends. Amazing, huh?

The down side is that I am among the first to know when one of our own has left us. Each year our earth-bound class grows smaller, and the heavenly-bound larger. If you have always wondered 'whatever happened to...', this is your opportunity to get in touch with the many who have registered here. And if the aren't registered, give us a shout. We have acted as intermediaries in these instances, confidentially sending emails (as we have them) to non-registered classmates, asking them to contact you. It's worked, and it's about as nonintrusive as you can get. The older we all get, the more curious we all are to find our whatever happened to...just got a letter the other day from one, who was happy to reconnect after leaving town quite a while ago. You can, in that sense, go home again.

It's hoped we will see you in 2019, at the 50th reunion. Meanwhile, stay caught up here at our free website.

Some people can recall who said what, when, where, and very specific details about their elementary, middle and high school years. I am not one of those. My memories are more sensory...I can recall how I felt when Mrs. Rizzo criticized a paper I'd labored over, and the smell of sweat at a Friday night dance. I remember the first sweater and skirt I proudly purchased with my own (babysitting) money, and how I felt wearing it (orange turtleneck, plaid and pleated orange and green skirt). I recall listening, over and over, to certain songs (Beatles, Gary Lewis and the Playboys). And I knew I fell in and out of 'love' with very nearly every boy in the class at one point or another. I do remember where I was when we heard Kennedy was shot (middle school girls' locker room - the announcement came over the loudspeaker).