High School Year Book Messages

Remember all those old junior high and high school yearbook messages?  Most of them say things like, "Best of luck," or "I've enjoyed being in your Math class," or some such, but some of them are worth reading again nearly 50 years later.  Like this one written to me in the Spring of 1969:

Click the photo for a larger version, so you can read it better.

This was written in my 8th grade yearbook by my favorite Junior High English teacher, Thomas G. Gibbons.  I dedicated my first book of poetry to him.  I only wish he would have lived to read the dedication.  (By the way, I have no clue why he wrote "oo" after my name.  I'm sure it meant something at the time.)

This one makes me feel good about my writing too:

John grew up to be a neonatologist somewhere in Georgia. 

Then, as I'm reading, I encounter entries like this:


This yearbook entry was written in the spring of 1970.  I find several things disturbing about it:

1. First of all, I went to school with several Janets and I have no clue which one wrote this. 
   
2. The instructions are for me to always remember something about cutting cartwheels in PE. 
   
   I sure wish I could remember that. 
   
3. I'm also not supposed to forget the time I nearly blew up Mrs. Roberts' house playing football. 
   
   Now I'm wondering, which Mrs. Roberts and what the devil I was doing playing football that nearly caused her house to explode???

Lord.  It is a miracle that I lived to grow up. 

Now, this one made me laugh out loud:

I'm fairly sure that Don wrote this same thing in all the girls' yearbooks, but it is still pretty funny.  Funnier if you knew Don.

To end today's post, I'd just like to say, if you find yourself writing in a yearbook anytime in the future, please sign your full name.  Writing something personal or funny is good too...something memorable.  In 40something years your friends' future selves will thank you for it.  

Also, take those old yearbooks off the shelf.  Dust them off, and look at them once in awhile.  They're always good for a smile.  😀