Reflections on Growing Up in a Magical Time

                        Larry Veale

Just after returning from my 60^th high school reunion (September 19-20, 2025), I feel compelled to record the emotions and reflections I had from seeing my classmates, resurrecting memories from over half a century (plus about a decade more) ago.

While we were growing up, I (and I suspect most of our class) never thought about our environment or how it might have been different from other towns, or from the future.  We were too busy having fun, working at home or jobs, studying at school, and engaged in athletics.  We had the usual arguments, disagreements, and even fights among ourselves.  But even those we had disagreements with have become closer as we have grown older.

As I reflect on the differences between our childhoods of the 1950s and childhood of today, we had little to no concern about violence from within.  We did have concerns about war with Russia, and “the bomb”.  The end of World War II brought about by the first use of the atomic bomb was the source of this concern.  Outside of family members relating memories of the war, this was likely the first time we were introduced to the possible horrors of war.

When we were younger, we walked or rode bikes to get around.  Most families only had one car.  Some were lucky enough to have two.  As we got to high school, a few of us lucky ones had a used car to get around in.  In my case, my grandfather died, and we got his 1958 Buick.  Compared to today’s sleek sporty cars, this one was a tank.  About the cars – they were constantly needing attention and maintenance.  Taking a trip?  Better check the belts, hoses, fluid levels, tires.  And YOU had to drive the car – none of the lane boundary, safe distance, even self-driving conveniences of today’s cars.  On the other hand, I remember gas at 4.9 cents/gallon during a gas price war.  The gas tax alone was about 3 cents/gallon.  Today it is 38 cents/gallon.

Pampa was a city isolated from big towns and cities, so we had to provide our own entertainment.  I played baseball in the summer, and knew I was not school quality in athletics.  So I became a band geek from junior high on.  Band and science were my passions, thus I became a chemical engineer in college, and for the next three decades of my career.

When I was in junior high, we added a room onto our house.  My father and I did the carpentry, and I learned why geometry was useful.   I got a real bedroom out of the construction, whereas I had been sleeping in the den previously.

In elementary and junior high, we kids played in a nearby park or in the neighborhood yards.  High school brought organized activities in our extracurricular activities (band, choir, athletics, clubs, etc.).  I don’t remember having the UIL Academic contests that we have today.  But we did have a journalism class, and we published a paper weekly.  It was fun to read about what our classmates were doing.

If we wanted to communicate with someone, we called them on the phone (if we had one), or talked to them in person – no texting, social media, or answering machines.  We had to write thank-you notes to the people who sent us birthday and Christmas presents.  When was the last time you got one of those?  Life was up close and personal, not the sterile environment it can be today.  I guess I should not feel so isolated since I have chosen not to be on any social media.  But I do have two phones, email, and snail mail.

Somehow, we have accommodated the changes in our society and world, and most of us have maintained a sense of normalcy.  But isn’t it fun to reminisce at these reunions about how things were back then?  I noted how many of our classmates are still working part-time largely because they want to, not out of necessity.  Most of us are still mobile, aware of our surroundings, and self-sufficient, and maybe it is because we still have a sense of purpose.  There are still jobs to be done, and we see no reason why we can’t do them.

My thanks go to Karen Bridges for planning such a marvelous look at our town today.  All the activities were informative, interesting, and fun to attend with our classmates.  I really feel like we matured in a magic place in a magic time.

I’m looking forward to the next reunion already.  It may not be as grand as this one was, and we will be older, but my classmates are like the Energizer bunny – they just keep going.  See you then!