My high-school yearbook is online.
My page here. Kill me now.
P.S. I’m on that page twice. (Yes, that’s me in the Jane Fonda shag, swingin’ ’70s styles and ’80s scowl walking out of the graduation party.) Thank God I never bought it — the yearbook, that is.
(Pause.) OK, I was going to just post this and forget it, but I couldn’t resist a walk down memory lane. This page is a good reflection of the unfortunate truth that boys’ clothes were as stupid as girls’ — the guy in the plaid sportcoat and polka-dot bow tie is a case in point. (He died of AIDS, I heard.) The guy in the plaid sportcoat in this picture did, too — die of AIDS, that is. One of my best friends ever, and I still think of him at least once a week.
Beverly “Vacation” D’Angelo’s brother, bottom right. I saw her in a Benetton a few blocks from my old high school about a dozen years ago. The windowpane-check sportcoat on the same page was a serious partying buddy. Justin Timberlake’s uncle, top left.
Oh, stop me now, but no! Bottom row, left had the most terrifying post-spring break suntans I’ve ever seen; if he isn’t dead of melanoma by now, it won’t be long. Middle row, center: a model. Or was, anyway. Second row, left: Pretty enough to be one, but wasn’t. Top left, drove his Mercedes into a sinkhole on West Broad Street in Columbus; photo published all over the country.
Finally, My buddy Dave Jones, the sportswriter, top left. Tons better-looking now; in fact, a fox.
OK, now I’ll stop.
Dorothy Michalski said on July 20, 2004 at 7:39 am
Nancy:
You and I are the same age – I graduated from Wilkinsburg High School (Pittsburgh PA area) in the same year. Same hairstyles/clothes/makeup, just different faces! Thanks for sharing. It’s scary to think that next year will be the 30th reunion. Not sure if I’ll attend as I’m moving from Cincy OH to Greenville SC soon. I read you faithfully. And I, too, am a recent Swiffer devotee! Since my house is up for sale, I decided to bite the bullet and try it. It’s terrific – but I’ve only used the dry variety. I’m an old fashioned bucket, mop and Murphy’s Oil Soap kinda girl when it comes to the real cleaning. But you can’t beat the Swiffer for getting the dog hairs, food crumbs, etc. out of the way when there’s a showing of the house in a half hour!)
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John Ritter said on July 20, 2004 at 8:04 am
My 30th HS reunion is this fall (Radford High, Class of ’74). Nancy, you look great, given the back drop of the ’70s.
Kids who were just five years older than us, have somber yearbooks photos which reflect the old notion of HS graduation is the entry into the adult world. On the other end, kids from the ’80s have already acquired the me-first, plastic, overdone and over the top look about them.
I love the ’70s with its campy good times nature.
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4dbirds said on July 20, 2004 at 11:33 am
Thanks Nancy, what a treat. I graduated in 73, and like DM above, the hair and clothes are a match with my annual. We called it an annual, not a yearbook. When I say annual now, everyone looks at me as if I’m crazy. Sorry about your friend’s death. I had a good friend commit suicide and I too think of him almost everyday. Another death, that haunts me is a girl two years older than me, dead at 17 from massive sepsis due to an illegal abortion. “Eff” Bush and his right to life shit.
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4dbirds said on July 20, 2004 at 11:40 am
Another thing, your school had a large amount of attractive people. Seriously. I think I would have gone after Ty Adams. Okay, so tell me now how much of a dork/loser he was.
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Nance said on July 20, 2004 at 8:34 pm
4dbirds — My school was Columbine-size, and my graduating class numbered around 750. Ty Adams is a mystery to me, but man, that moustache — very ’70s porn star.
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Dave said on July 21, 2004 at 12:35 am
Big difference between 1975 and 1968 and Upper Arlington and lil’ ol’ Pickerington of that era. Probably another reason I’ll never see my yearbook online but I knew everybody in the high school. Didn’t realize we were all so stiff though, as one poster put it but I know what they meant.
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Laura Wise-Blaurawiseblau said on July 25, 2004 at 1:48 pm
My sister had a good friend at Miami U. who graduated w/you, too– Tom Oakley. He died of AIDs about 20 years ago. Great guy, very sad.
At any rate, it was fun strolling down your memory lane.
Best,
Laura
PS Another small world item: my husband has been friends w/James Burns since their days at UC. I enjoyed (okay, enjoyed isn’t the best description, but hey) reading his graphic novel on nnc. Thanks!
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NANCY GAW CRAIN said on July 17, 2005 at 1:42 pm
HI NANCY, I WAS PLAYING ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND YOUR SITE, I ALSO AM A NANCY GAW AND GRADUATED BACK IN 1974, IT WAS KINDA FUNNY TO SEE SOMEONE ELSE WITH MY NAME… I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS ONE OF A KIND, I WONDER IF SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE IF WE ARE RELATED? ANYWAY,HAVE A GREAT DAY AND WRITE IF YOU FEEL LIKE IT…NANCY
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