What Ever Happened to …?
Whatever happened to the classmates in your old school yearbooks?
What happened to their dreams? And what happened to yours? Are all the memories tucked away in a box somewhere, or proudly displayed on your bookshelf? Have you looked at them lately and reminisced? Or were those years best left to be forgotten?
In my continued slog through what remains from my mother’s storage unit, I came across a boxful of her college yearbooks, plus one from her high school, and one from my father’s high school, too. Together, they weighed fifteen pounds, and were large enough to overwhelm my already over-burdened bookshelves. So I wondered…
… What to do with these old books book now?
I pored over the pages of Mom’s books, looking for her familiar young face and checking out her class activities. Most of them were familiar to me: French club, a campus play or two, a modeling job, a social club, etc.
My Dad had saved only one annual from his small town high school. Seeing his teenage smile was a moment to savor.
But, hidden among the pages was something truly wonderful, something I had overlooked when I was hurriedly packing them up.
The dreams of a young man from a small town
I finally decided to call our city library to ask if they had any interest in old school yearbooks. Yes, they replied, but only if they didn’t already have them in their collection. So I took them there, and just as I was about to hand them over, I had a last minute urge to check them again.
And that’s when I found the clipping from an old newspaper.
You see, my father once told me that his first ambition in life was to become a pro baseball player.
He was a Dad who shared his love of the sport with this lucky little girl. He taught me the rules of the game, and how to throw and catch and bat. Took me to local community games, where he coached a local team. And he was among the first to buy season tickets when our town got a pro baseball franchise.
After he died, I remembered seeing an old newspaper clipping with the headline “Ace Yellen Does it Again.” I don’t know what happened to that article. I hope it shows up someday. But for now, I’m planning to frame the one I rescued from his yearbook that day as I was about to leave the books there.
In case you can’t read the fine print, the article reports that in this game, he’d pitched an 8-0 shutout and hit a home run. And a double, too. No wonder he loved baseball. Apparently, he was pretty darn good at it.
It’s funny what happens when you start to see your parents as young people, after they’re gone. As a writer, I’m suddenly getting an urge to merge parts of their stories into something I’d like to write. Who knows? Perhaps Ace Yellen will spring to life in one of them and hit a walk-off homer.
Have you looked through your old yearbooks lately?
Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism. She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “Notable.”
Her multi-award-winning Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and laced with touches of romance, heart, and humor. Available on Amazon or through your favorite bookseller.
Love this Gay. I actually used old yearbooks as a major plot point in my Marketville mystery, Before There Were Skeletons. The idea was inspired by finding my hubby’s university yearbooks. But I will often think of someone from my past and do a google. Sometimes, I’ll find them on Facebook. But a lot of times, there’s just no social presence. Recently, I had a dream about an old co-worker. We were never friends, just worked at the same place and liked each other well enough, but we definitely didn’t run in the same circles. Anyway, the last time I’d seen her (or thought of her) was probably in the late 1990s. But after the dream I googled her and…she had just died! Kind of freaked me out, to be honest. But hey, maybe there’s a story there…
Thanks for the inspiration.
Funny, how our memories work their way into and out of our consciousness, Judy. I’m glad the post may have inspired another creation from you.
For many reasons, your post has made me very emotional, not the least of which is the knowledge that you give such thoughtful, tender care to preserving the memory and legacy of your amazing parents. We could call you Ace, too!
Thanks for the confidence, Saralyn. I’d love to adopt the moniker, but there’s only one Ace in my story.
Oh, I love this, Gay! I can’t find my 1975 yearbook. I can’t remember the last time I looked at them. However, as a young girl, I pored over my dad’s year books, and when he passed, that was the only thing I asked for. “May I have Dad’s yearbooks?” In them, not only was my dad’s activities, but my grandfather, who was superintendent of schools. I couldn’t agree with you more. Yearbooks contain hidden treasures.
Donnell, I love that your father’s yearbook holds such treasures, too. Here’s hoping you find that one from 1975. Maybe at the library?
Over the years, I’ve looked through my old yearbooks when I’ve been trying to come up with character names, but that’s about it.
Who knows, Lois? Maybe next time you look there’ll be something there.
There was a time I peered through the books with friends, but during different moves they were packed and forgotten. Recently, in downsizing, I opened the box and looked at memories dating back to junior high and juxtaposing those with what has happened in the years since the particular book was printed.
It’s amazing what we can pack away and forget so easily, Debra. Our perspective changes as time goes on, doesn’t it?
This is a unique example of how anything can be the seed for a story. Lovely. Lovely. Lovely post, Gay. Thank you.
Pam, thanks for your kind words.
Love this post, Gay! I’m so glad you took one last look and found that article. My grands have recently taken an interested in what “Mimi” was like in her younger days. Maybe it’s the age I’m at right now. Or maybe the age they’ve reached. So, in my recent decluttering/downsizing I can across yearbooks and pulled them out to share. It was a great opportunity to share some stories and a chance for them to have a different view of their Mimi.
How wonderful that you shared your yearbook memories with your grands, Mary Lee. Makes me think they’ll hold onto them in the future.