Column #373        October 21, 2022BC Class of 62 Sixtieth Class Reunion

As the old saying goes, “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”

When I was in high school, I remember one day when some graduates from a class in the early 1900s were having a reunion. Maybe it was the class of 1910. I don’t recall which year. But what I do remember is that I thought to myself that these old coots are really old. I had a hard time imagining myself ever being in the same situation.

Well, time marches on and, sure enough, my high school class just had its sixtieth reunion. It was on my 78th birthday which made it quite a day. So far, fully one third of the nearly 80 students in my 1962 graduating class have passed. Many others do not live close enough or for other reasons and obligations they couldn’t make it. Some of us still work too. But 17 “gentlemen” made the reunion and got in the group photo.1

So there we were, a bunch of graduates from the 1962 class at Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia. It was quite a gathering of old coots if I do say so myself. There were even a couple of old codgers, several old fogies, and an old fuddy duddy.1

Back in 1962 our school was quite primitive. It was an old-at-that-time, two-story, brick building with steam heat and no air conditioning. There was also an annex which was an old two-story house that had been converted into two classrooms and offices for the full-time military instructors. Since then the school has moved to a new site and, for those who see the new campus for the first time, it takes your breath away. It’s really first class. I don’t know if the students in the new school are any smarter than we were at graduation, but they certainly have a better learning environment.

Benedictine Military School is a Roman Catholic military high school for boys that was founded in 1902 by the Benedictine monks of Savannah Priory. They still operate the school under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah, Georgia. However, students of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds attend the school. It’s not a boarding school since the cadets live at home.2 3 4

Along with reading, writing, arithmetic, social studies, foreign languages, and the sciences the curriculum includes the full gamut of ROTC studies such as how to march, military discipline, marksmanship, leadership, and similar skills required in the field. For instance, back in our day we learned how to “quickly” disassemble, clean, and reassemble an M1 Garand Trigger Housing Assembly. It’s a little tricky with its springs and all. Having a clean weapon was a priority and we all had one assigned to us. We also got real good at spit shining our shoes so they had a mirror finish. Yep, we were a militaristic bunch.

What was best about the reunion was the comradery. The last reunion I attended was the 25th and between graduation and that reunion I hadn’t been back in Savannah. But here we were together again and I found it difficult to even recognize some of the guys. Yet everyone was delighted to see whomever just as if we had been buddies all these years. Amazingly, due to the internet and email, many fellow students have been subjected to my commentaries over the years, so maybe I wasn’t that much of a stranger. Consequently it didn’t feel like I hadn’t been with them for these past 35 years.

Another aspect of a reunion of “mature” guys like us was the accumulated knowledge that existed in the Class of ‘62. After graduation some went to college, some did not. Some stayed in Savannah, some hit the road for other regions of the country. Nearly everyone ended up in one or more very different occupations. In addition most had hobbies or outside activities that added to their diversified life experiences. So it struck me, after graduation the 80 or so graduates in total had accumulated an amazing diversity of skills and knowledge that is really quite awesome. Taken together, their problem solving ability would be more than a match for their ongoing enthusiasm for life itself and having a good time.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don't miss these links for additional reading:

1. Welcome to the Class of 1962 Picture Portrait

2. The Benedictine 400

3. Benedictine Military School in Savannah (Campus History) Hardcover – November 2, 2020 by Robert A Ciucevich (Author) from Amazon

4. Benedictine Military School from Wikipedia