The very first stop on this year’s journey was at Bates College, where I and my Bates ’76 classmates came together to celebrate our Fiftieth College Reunion.
It was wonderful to see old friends and catch up with each other on what’s happened since we left. There were over 100 of us there, and because it was a small class at a small school, everybody more or less knew everybody else – not all well, but many (if not most) certainly well enough to have a lot to talk about. And there were, of course, a few folks there that I did spend a lot of time with. I’ve kept in touch with Fred (or, more accurately, Fred keeps in touch with me). I’d last seen Ray at Fred’s wedding 30+ years ago, and the same with Art. Martha and I had seen each other once at an earlier reunion, and otherwise not since before we graduated. I very much enjoyed hanging out with this cohort, exploring the campus together, and getting to know each other again. I also had a good time getting to know some folks I really didn’t spend much time with back in school. I left the reunion happy to have rekindled old friendships and pleased to have made some new ones.
Here is a link to my post from the 40th reunion – one of the earliest posts on this blog. For those interested, here are some more Reunion pix, and some off-campus shots from Lewiston.
Sue’s addendum:
I don’t mind being a spouse at a reunion. I know and enjoy spending time with most of Doug’s friends. And it’s always fun to meet more. Sure, there are times when my eyes start to glaze over with one more memory of the 70’s. I’m good with excusing myself for an introvert break when I can hide and read or go for a walk. Overall, this reunion, as were those in the past, was awesome good fun.
One reunion activity that I thoroughly enjoyed was the guided, narrated tour of downtown Lewiston. Having grown up not that far away in New Hampshire, I was aware that Lewiston had a large Franco-American community. I wasn’t aware of the huge presence and contribution of these immigrants from Canada in the 1880’s into the successful textile and shoe industries in Lewiston. Although the mills were the initial attraction, many of the Canadian men were trained in the trades and built churches, schools, social clubs, residences and help build Lewiston. In general, these immigrants were welcomed to the community. Despite the signficant contributions made by the Canadians, some anti-immigrant sentiment existed (and remains…) in the city.
Due to the closure of the textile and shoe mills, Lewiston was a city in decline in the early 2000’s. Somalis began relocating to the city. When the mayor wrote a letter suggesting that Somalis should stop coming, the community rallied in support of their new neighbors. Somali refugees have been credited with revitalizing the city with vibrant new shops in the downtown area. Although racism has not completely gone away, Lewiston is the most culturally diverse city in Maine.
Lewiston is also near where my brother Roger and his wife Ania chose to retire. During one of my introvert breaks, I got to see their beautiful new retirement home with an amazing view of the White Mountains of NH. We also were able to connect with Roger over brunch as Doug and I were leaving Lewiston. Great to be able to catch up live!
Sounds like a really special time connecting with lifelong friends. Such a gift to have them!
Thanks for stopping by, Zan! Yes, it’s always fun to connect with Doug college buds. Good people.
Doug and Sue, it was a treat to hear about your “big rig” over lobster and talk about your mode of travel around the country. I look forward to reading your blog as my husband Dan and I seek new places to go with our “little rig”. I also enjoyed reading Sue’s roundup of the Lewiston history walk- it meant a lot to me.