They go back.

Suburban Chicago, January 1961. The man sitting next to Dad was one of Dad's high-school classmates. He and his family joined us for a Sunday dinner.

In-the-Woods Reunion

Thatcher Woods, Cook County Forest Preserve, September 24, 2016. Mr. Irene headed back last weekend to the Chicago area for a high-school reunion. He stopped at Thatcher Woods to revisit some memories, and he was happy to find the place in great shape.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 61)

Mariampolis, Lithuania, October 21, 1938. Here is another high-school portrait of Joy.

Graduation Weekend, in Three Takes

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River Forest, Illinois, June 1976. Where did I imagine I'd be in 40 years?

My alma mater is in the news.

A Newsweek article about Trinity High School.

Thanks to my classmate Nora for pointing this article out to me.

An old favorite celebrates an anniversary.

My high-school classmates and I used to go here for pizza.

Classmates

Kedainai, Lithuania, May 28, 1932. The girl in the bottom row, on the left, is the Mother of my friend Nijole. The students wear the identifying uniforms typical of that era.

Thanks to my friend Nijole for making this photo available to us.

The Life Box (Part 28)

I used to sew many of clothes. It seemed like everyone sewed in the 1970s. It was easy to find fashionable patterns, and there was a fabric store in nearly every shopping mall. Mom and I sewed the ensembles we wore during our European vacation, and I later sewed the garments I packed for my trip to Stuttgart. I think I sewed every bridesmaid gown I wore. Oh golly, I once even sewed a swimsuit.

I saved many of the sewing patterns I used. I was looking today for the pattern for my senior-prom dress, but I could not find it. It was a wraparound halter dress that I made in a silver fabric. I intended to show the pattern to Mom because I wondered if she'd now think the dress was too risqué. It didn't seem daring in 1975 or 1976. (This is not the pattern, but it is very close to it.)

I did find several other patterns from that era, so I wonder if I didn't lend the wraparound halter-dress pattern to someone. I recall I went through a "Cossack phase" during which I sewed many billowy blouses and dresses. I still have those patterns. Here's one:

I made a grey blouse out of the pattern, and I sewed a pink and grey bias-plaid, A-line skirt to match.

I even wore that outfit to a school dance:

Suburban Chicago, January 1975. Dad catches me before the party.

Religion Class

River Forest, Illinois, January 13, 1976. Religion classes were mandatory at my high school. Few of us took the classes seriously, and we usually tried to find a course that wasn't very "religiony." This photo is from one of those classes, Marriage Class.

The requirement that students wear uniforms did not mute self-expression.

Grading

River Forest, Illinois, November 1975. A teacher at my high school uses the time between classes to review a few papers.

"Bonjour!"

River Forest, Illinois, November 1975. Here's another snapshot from my stint as a high-school yearbook photographer. The woman on the right is the Dominican sister who taught French. I enrolled in French-language classes after I completed my two years of Latin study. She was an amazing teacher: she never allowed us to speak English in her classroom. I felt nearly fluent in French after I completed the coursework.

This teacher's training was so good that when I enrolled in college, I tested out of the foreign-language requirement and earned the equivalent of four years' credit in French. I was so excited when I learned the news that I called her from my dorm room telephone to thank her.

(Does anyone still install terrazzo floors [distinguishable from "terrazzo tiles"]? The Venetian apartment in which I lived had them, too. I just love them.)

Related by Marriage: Fiftieth Reunion

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, 1997. Mr Irene's Mom joins her classmates from the St. Casimir Academy Class of 1947. (St. Casimir Academy later became Maria High School.)

A Closer Look (Part 51)

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1926. This is my Dad's older cousin Henry at a formal occasion.

Here's the original post.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 52)

Kaunas, Lithuania, October 10, 1948. A friend gave Mom this "senior portrait" and wrote, "When you glance at this photo, remember the friend who loved you very much."

Island Reunion

Delos, Greece, April 25, 1976. It's a quick stop on the way to Turkey.

Mule's Ear

Santorini, Greece, April 1976. I'm trying for a better shot.

Close-up Reunion

Athens, Greece, April 16, 1976. We continue to explore the Parthenon.

Class Reunion

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Summer 1971. My Dad and a few of his classmates celebrate their thirtieth high-school reunion."KABC" stands for "Kauno Aušros Berniukų Gimnazija."

Tablecloth

Mykonos, Greece, April 1976. I bought the tablecloth the woman is holding.

"Ticket Nunsense"

The President of my high school encounters a vanity-plate problem.