Another of my high school classmates just died. Nearly ten percent of the class of 66 is gone.

I hadn't seen her in more than forty years. This is how I will always remember her.

I bet you had a crush on her. ;) I know I would have.

My class of '66 just held a 45th and so far 14 of 51 have died. Not going to need much of a space for the 50th!

she was a beautiful woman.

but my three older brothers still live in the area where we spent most of our childhood. Occasionally they tell me some sad news of the death of someone we knew from our age group. Also my old town has an alumni directory and news website. Of the four of us, the brother who was in the class of 1967 has lost the most old friends, but several of them died quite a while ago.

Having an interest in topics related to health, I would like to see a study done of people born around 1948, as you and billyclem have pointed out to us that a surprising percentage of your peers didn't have long lives.
Is it a coincidence, or is it happening in many places? Did our parents lose many classmates in middle age or younger?

My dad died at 55. My mother at 84. She outlived all of her siblings, most of which died before the age of 60.

LaPointe, Joan
Kinnunen, Bonnie
Martinac, Dennis
Longrie, Bryan
Selden, Pamela


Joan Lapointe & Pam Selden died shortly after graduation. Bryan died sometime in the early 80's. Bonnie died last year and Dennis a few years before her.

some of my classmates have passed, several in VN and some afterwards. It's hard to admit that we've grown old. We were supposed to be young forever, were'nt we?

1. 8th and 9th grade boarding student at San Rafael Military Academy near Mission San Rafael, it existed from 1870s to 1970s and was owned by the Epsicopalian church that had a historic church and seminary in the small Klamath River Karuk and gold mining village that is my home and the home of my parents and back to 4th or 5th generation northern Europeans since 1850s California. I live there now in old age. I was Cadet of the year of the Lower Academy (7th and 8th grades) and won the Cum Laude Honor medal for Highest GPA my first year. I was intimidated and blown away my parents would send me away from family. I was a good kid and trending above in intelligence and behind in social skills.

2. Liberal prep school in East San Francisco area started by the Ford Foundation now an ultra rich day school. I was there year two and three as a 1/2 scholarship student. I was a National Merit Runnerup (one of 6 of 29 in my junior class) and had 1500 plus SATs.

3. Hoopa Valley HS (Hupa Reservation) where I scarcely went to school my senior year , won the senior Redwood Empire Math Derby, and did not attend graduation nor bother to pick up diploma.

My two best friends from SRMA have passed on: Huntley died of a heroin overdose in Stamford, CN age 20, his Dad was a physician and general in the Air Force and had a thai child to mix with the family. The other best friend died of a heart attack Thanksgiving 2006. His Dad was a German Engineer that spent much of WWII in a Russion POW camp and then came to the USA and lived life in Westlake as an engineer for the city of San Francisco. I smoked my first joint with Rudy under the cross above Boyd Park (Mission San Rafael) in Fall 1966. It was an interesting mix of hard core military staff, pre-summer of love Haight Ashbury, Episcapols teachers and administrators( Biship Pike vs the establishment), and liberal Episcopalian anti-war dorm meisters (including the gay circa 1966). The first time I got high on anything was an LSD laced "Love Burger" in the Haight Fall 1966. I thought "Love Burger" was because it was the first sandwich I had ever eaten with sprouts and without meat other than P&J. Good time. Great music for cheap from 66-75 because of Bill Graham and local clubs.

My two close friends that I have know to pass on from #2 (then liberal prep school) are my 68-69 roomate Eric whose Mom was Maya Miller and he turned me on to Zappa and Philip K Dick and (Mary) Jennifer Selznick who committed suicide in the early 1970s in Burbank.

3. I would guess that 30-40% of my friends from Hoopa High are dead from drugs, auto accidents, health, etc. A majority are American Indian or working class Vietnam Vets and/or loggers.