I'm going back through what comprised my senior year of high school and first semester of college in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Come along for the ride. New posts every day or so mixed in with other things.
May 23, 1985. There was so much snow and ice in January and February of 1985 that at one time it looked like my high school graduation wouldn't happen until June even with our spring break cancelled. But, somehow, we made it on time. I'm pretty sure that May 22, 1985 was my last day at Riverdale and that would have been a half day. We rehearsed graduation that evening at M.T.S.U.'s Murphy Center and we were all set. All except for me. I needed a necktie! No necktie and you wouldn't get to walk!
I didn't think it was that big of a deal on rehearsal night. I figured I would wear this old clip-on tie that I still had stashed in a dresser drawer. I don't know what I did during the day on May 23rd, but it was only after I finally starting getting to go to graduation that I realized the clip-on tie was not going to work. There was no time to go to a store and purchase a tie. Luckily for me, my friend Jody who lived down the road had a tie I could use. I was late so I hopped in my Plymouth Fury II and headed out Sulphur Springs Road. I tailgated an older couple and they pulled over to the side of the road so I could pass them. There was a good chance I might not make it on time!
I get over to M.T.S.U. and saw a parking spot, but before I could get it another car dashed into it and KF hopped out in his cap and gown. "Sorry dude," he yelled as he ran to Murphy Center. I desperately wheeled around campus and found another parking space. I sprinted to Murphy Center and wondered how it would feel to miss the one event your entire public school life had been pointing you toward. I walked into the hall under the stands where we were to line up and could see the teacher in charge of us checking to see who was there. My classmates were astonished and also happy to see me as I made it right before she was to get to my name. "Where were you," they asked. I told them traffic was terrible.
They had been in line for almost a half hour so in retrospect I'm glad I made it there just in time to hear "Pomp and Circumstance" ring out. There was no time to be nervous as some of my fellow students seemed to be. It was cool to walk out into the middle of Murphy Center with the buzz of parents and friends in the stands. My mother came that night and snapped a Polaroid of me about to exit the stage. I know my father stayed home. The only other relative that know for sure that was there that night was my cousin Freddy. High school graduation is such a weird night anyways. It's the culmination of your legally required schooling, all you've worked for, all bound up with very fresh memories in one's short life and even with boring speeches the event passes by with shocking speed.
I do recall some of it. We got to our seats and then our Senior Student Council Secretary was supposed to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. She somehow messed this up. I think her timing was off for when to begin it. My pal DD was Treasurer and he led a prayer. He told me later that he spent most of the rest of the night reassuring the distraught Secretary that her goof up was no big deal. He was right. Our class President Hunter gave a nice uplifting speech. Valedictorian LH's speech was dull and a bit tedious. Then it was time to hand out the diplomas.
About to shake Vice Principal Joe Herbert's hand
I had never attended a high school graduation so mine was a first for me. I was surprised to hear how excited parents and friends got in the stands after being told to hold their applause until after all diplomas had been handed out. Airhorns would often go off. It was especially bemusing to me that the really worst academic students seemed to get the biggest audience applause. Professional wrestlers couldn't even make an audience pop like some of my classmates did that night. I guess it was a big deal that those students had made it, but back then my thought was high school wasn't all that difficult. I barely even tried most of the time. I was a callous youth.
We made it back to the hall under the stands and it was chaos with people rushing around to grab photos with each other. I wasn't interested in this, but I'm sure I ended up in some photos as I remember posing for some. Girls hugged me that I had never even spoken to which was odd, but I wasn't complaining. I was a bit numb to be honest. So many emotions flowing out from all of those years attending school: happiness, relief, sadness, trepidation for the future, wild exuberance, and dare I say it....love. Before I let bittersweet feelings overwhelm me my cousin Freddy showed up just outside so I left M.T.S.U. to go riding around with him. I had no definite plans and nowhere necessarily to go, but the night couldn't end just with me going home.
We drove out to the roadside table off New Nashville Highway ostensibly to smoke a joint. It was really little more than a roach with no clip. I burned my hand on it, dropped it, it went out, and we couldn't find it. I had heard rumors of a possible blowout at the Safari Lodge on the Church Street I-24 exit so we drove out there and nothing was going on. Freddy decided to go home and I probably would have to, but I ran into Duff who was also looking around for any parties. We drove around aimlessly until we ended up at our friend Glen's house where we watched Terminator either on cable TV or perhaps Glen had rented the VHS tape. Thus ends my graduation tale.
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