Wander around in your mind and take yourself back to your high school years. Think about how much you’ve changed since then, how differently you think, how you’ve gone through countless experiences–good and bad–to become the person you are right now.

Back in my day, (oh, dear God, there goes grandpa again, reminiscing) there were only two types of schools: Elementary, grades Kindergarten through 8th; and then, off to high school for 9th through 12th grades. Having a September birthday, I was 13-years-old when I first started at Torrance High School and only 17 when I walked the walk and got my diploma that June of 1973.

I can easily remember “Grad Night”, where I had that feeling as I turned in my cap and gown, that now, I was a real adult. I was preparing to leave the nest and head north to the University of Washington that fall, to live away from my parents for the very time and make decisions on my own.

The jolt, the slap in the face is that was fifty years ago. Half a century back in time from when the Viet Nam war was winding down, there were rotary dial phones, one of the newest accessories in cars were the seat belts and so on. In other words, a long-frickin’ time ago.

This past weekend, I attended my 50th high school reunion of the class of 1973 and surrounding classes, as organizers decided to open it up to all graduates of Torrance High that could make it. And, it was a blast!

But at the same time, it was overwhelming. So many familiar and formerly familiar faces, some I hadn’t seen in five decades. Others, I had seen briefly at the many reunions over the years, but I had a hard time remembering who was there and who wasn’t.

I was quite the “rah-rah” as they called it back then, really involved in activities and the student life. I was in the marching band, I played on the basketball teams, I was Senior Class President and A.S.B. Vice-President.

Because of my shy, timid nature, I was asked by the organizers of the reunion to emcee things and keep it going. I said, “Sure”, but as needed. I didn’t want it to be the Tim Hunter show. The most important part of that gathering were the one-on-one conversations, reconnecting with people, or actually talking with the people we stayed in touch with on Facebook. That was the reason we were all there.

But being the hambone I am, I did prepare some lines for the gathering and if you were there, you may or may not have heard these, as attention spans varied. I thought I’d share a few of them I snuck in during my announcements:

Welcome everybody and you know, it’s so hard to believe it’s been 50 pounds ago. YEARS! I meant, 50 YEARS ago.

You know you’re getting old when your wife says, “Let’s go upstairs and make love” and you respond, “Honey, it’s one o rthe other but I can’t do both.”

To all those teachers that said I’d never amount to anything: Lucky Guess!

I don’t mean to brag, but I can still fit into my high school flip flops.

Yes, I’m wearing a Dodgers Hawaiian shirt, but I’ve also got on my Mariners Speedo. Don’t make me show it!

How long ago is 50 years? Seth MacFarlane, Heidi Klum, Neil Patrick Harris, Pharrell Williams, Dave Chappelle, Ichiro Suzuki and Monica Lewinsky all turn 50 this year. Each of them could have been one of your kids!

Two of my favorite stories: When we gave away an overnight at the Torrance Marriott Hotel, the winner pointed to a guy standing in the crowd and was quick to point out that she had invited him to the Sadie Hawkins Dance (where the girl asks the guy) and he stood her up. Way to go, Marla! Revenge, 50 years later.

The second moment was when a couple of guys came up to me because I had cracked them up with some of the zingers and they introduced themselves as “a couple of spouses” and I was thinking, well, that’s nice. But these days, everyone’s free to love whoever they want. It turns out they were talking about the fact they were each a spouse of some Torrance High alums that were attending.

Oh, for Pete’s sake.

I figured Brian Miller wasn’t going to attend the reunion. He was a couple of years younger than me but his claim to fame was being an accomplished drummer, who went on to direct the CBS Orchestra where he met and eventually married Carol Burnett! Yeah, don’t do the math.

The Senior Class Clowns back together again!

Gotta give a shout out to Sal and Andy, along with Debbie and David, who were the work horses in pulling this off. Over a year and half in the planning and it just plain all worked out. They handled the permits and the details, arranged the food and the sponsors, got the prizes to give away and did an amazing job. There was a daytime picnic at Torrance Park and an evening gathering at a local brewery, where Scott Ellis, one of the classmates, and his band wowed the crowd. The reunion was a wonderfully casual, “let’s just hang and talk old times” event.

There were cool kids and outcasts, the shy and the outgoing, cheerleaders and jocks, straight-A students and dropouts, and all were just a glance at a name tag away from a flood of memories. 50 years ago, people, 50 years. Wow!

That was a blur.

Tim Hunter