Mason City High School Class 1978 40th Reunion
Mason City Country Club
Ruth Herman making announcements
Rev Margaret Hutchins blessing the dinner
Class President, Doug Lind delivering the Key Note speech*
Memorials
Cake!
Trivia Contest*
* answers after the Key Note Speech. And in your Masonian!
Key Note Text
Doug Lind
July 28, 2018
Forty years. At least it’s not our 70th reunion, where the guy connects with his high school sweetheart. They’re both single and they’re hitting it off, so he asks her to marry him. Without hesitation she says yes, and they dance the night away. The next morning, he wakes up, basking in the memory of the wonderful time they had. He remembers asking her the question, but cannot for the life of him remember how she answered. So sheepishly he calls her on the phone.
Sweetheart, we had a great time last night, and I’m pretty sure I asked you to marry me, but for the life of me I can’t remember what you said. She says of course I said yes, but thank god you called . . . I couldn't remember who asked me!
It’s great to be here, great to see you all. And what a giant thanks we have for the planning committee. What a gift of their time and talent.
Where were we?
So where were we, before we took 40 years to became more distinguished, shall we say (you all look amazing), Before we achieved great wisdom, and otherwise led our lives?
Where were we?
Oh yes, I remember. We were celebrating our newly crowned homecoming queen and her attendants. It was the night before the big game. The heat of the giant bonfire, along with a full dose of Mohawk spirit, easily cut through the dampness of the rainy week. Then arrived the hearse, which produced a dummy Trojan that was tossed into, and quickly consumed by, the flames. We were set to trample the Trojans for the first time in 11 years.
We had practiced long hours during those sweltering days of August. It all came down to this moment under the lights. We were pumped. And, like the author Layne Longfellow, personally, I remember so clearly, charging out onto the field to vanquish the enemy. Me, my trombone, and the rest of the marching band.
We had some amazing athletes. They inspired us, as we rallied around our teams. Whether we won or lost, they gave it their all. And whatever we did later in life, it was there that we learned the possible and to never give up, because victory was that one final pass away, one final shot at the buzzer, one last burst of energy in the pool, the mat, on the track.
Where were we?
We at the Drake Jazz Spectacular. We were cool, confident, and in the moment as we took the stage to take top honors.
Later in the year, time stood still as the symphonic band put in a flawless performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. The woodwinds and trumpets had set the powerful theme, the trombones backed off, and the chimes rang amid the thundering cannons. It was our honor to perform at the prestigious National Bandmaster’s Convention, where the tough audience readily stood in ovation.
Orchestra, chorus, track, basketball, academics, thespians, chamber players, swimming, wrestling, cheerleading, Masonian, and the amazing list goes on.
But we know it wasn’t all adrenaline and glory. It was hard work and dedication, and perhaps for some, it was something more akin to survival.
Maybe you were one who spent countless hours in your neighbor’s driveway, in all seasons, squeezing that ounce of perfection into your shot, that translated into those winning points at the buzzer and a well-deserved place on the all-conference first team.
Or one who spent countless hours perfecting your scales, so you actually stood a chance at mastering your part in another Tchaikovsky piece, Capriccio Italien, or so you could wow them with your improv at the aforementioned Drake Jazz spectacular.
Or the countless extra laps, that led to an undefeated dual meet record in swimming for the third straight year.
Or maybe you were one who took a job so you could purchase that pair of school shoes for the fall or a dress for the prom.
Maybe you were one who didn’t quite feel at home in high school, didn’t find your place, only to learn later in life how irreplaceable you always were to those around you.
Or maybe, less happily, you were one, unseen by the rest, who quietly went home from school to endure depression or a highly dysfunctional family situation, which we now know was, and is, all too common, where you summoned more courage than we can imagine, simply to get out of bed and show up to school each day.
We all showed up, in our own way.
Class theme
Where were we? We were hanging out on the senior planning committee, selecting our class theme. It was a good one.
Our greatest glory is not in never
failing, but in rising every time we
fall.
-- Goldsmith
What is life, if it is not falling, and then rising? This pattern is ingrained in us, as inevitable as the breath we take in this moment. Toddlers take that first step, only to fall, cry, do it again, and master it. Eventually they play with other kids, get into a fight with their best friend, make up and carry on. The pattern repeats in high school, as our stories, inflated as they may have become, will attest. The pattern seems to be everywhere.
In one form of combat, the enemy delicately, silently places magnetic explosives on the side of the submarine, like so many ordinary barnacles, awaiting a fatal detonation. One of us suited up and entered the depths, with I’m sure no small amount of trepidation, to scrape them harmlessly away.
One of us received an urgent call one evening at her home. There had been a shooting at a nearby hotel. She called her medical team to action and led them in an exemplary response to what is now known as Mandalay Bay, the deadliest mass shooting in our country’s history.
Another served active duty in Desert Storm. Others showed up on the job site, giving it their all, day in and day out. Others took on crazy amounts of school to become workers and leaders in their profession. Others pursued their passions for excellence in the arts.
We came to know the joys and challenges of parenting, which on good days were met with tough, but unconditional love and resulted in perhaps life’s greatest reward.
In all of this, we may have noticed a couple things. For me, most of my fails were self-induced, courtesy of my ego. I also noticed that the present moment was a reliable place of peace and clarity, even though my mind was busily churning on the past, or future, with regret or anxiety. I further noticed, making matters worse, that the rising up part is rarely elegant, which can be especially obvious to those we love.
The seeds to these very lessons were planted at MCHS, thanks to our amazing teachers and coaches. Success, whether on the field or stage, was about taming the ego and finding our rightful place on the team. And getting up was never elegant, especially after that second loss in a row. But when we met each other in the moment, where time stood still, our hard work made the task seem effortless, as if that's the way it always was.
On a larger scale, no doubt generations also fall and have the opportunity to rise. Thanks to the sacrifices of prior generations, our generation has enjoyed in an incredible period of prosperity, only, in some cases, to see it collapse due to factors beyond our control. Our generation has led the global technology and biotechnology revolutions, yet many in our generation are frustrated as they struggle to meet their, and their family’s basic needs. As a generation, we may have fallen, we may have failed, our rise at the moment may not be so elegant, but we focus, play as a team, and meet each other in the moment. We find clarity, we get back on our feet, amazed at how painless it might have been.
There was a guy named Paul, who wrote a song for us. We liked it. And by May 26, the day of our graduation in 1978, it had risen to number one on the charts.
You may not want me to sing it, but I’ll read a couple lines:
With A Little Luck, We Can Help It Out
We Can Make This Whole Damn Thing Work Out
With A Little Love, We Can Lay It Down
Can't You Feel The Town Exploding?
There Is No End To What We Can Do
The Willow Turns His Back On Inclement Weather
And If He Can Do It, We Can Do It
And A Little Luck, We Can Clear It Up
We Can Bring It In For A Landing
With A Little Luck, We Can Turn It On
There Can Be No Misunderstanding
With A Little Push, We Could Set It Off
We Can Send It Rocketing Skywards
With A Little Love, We Could Shake It Up
Don't You Feel The Comet Exploding?
-- Paul McCartney
Trivia Answer Sheet
