I was shocked a few days ago when I saw Linda’s note that Ray Deniston had been added to the In Memory section of our Class Creator website, and I had to email her to ask if it were true. It seems as if I was just talking to Ray at the 50th reunion. It took me a while to put together the words that I wanted to say.
I met Ray in Mrs. William’s 7th grade class at Landis Intermediate. He was one of a few Jocks at the school. His best friend was kind of arrogant, so most of the girls had a crush on Ray, including me, because he was the nicer of the two pals. We laughed at the reunion and shared memories of our time there and in high school. I told him that I had a picture of the class at Landis and sent it to him.
We were in line for pictures at the reunion and I didn’t recognize Ray! He had grown at least a foot and a half taller and was much bigger. But his mannerisms were the same. He would make a joke, then sort of stand back to the side to see what the reaction would be. He remembered me, though, and asked if I had worked at the Herald Examiner as an editor, and if I was living in Nevada, and if I had worked in packaging. Yes! Yes! And Yes! He had been following my life and this was coming from a guy that I don’t ever remember even looking in my direction the whole six years we were in school together! I thought he didn’t even know that I existed on the planet! When I told him that I had a crush on him since 7th grade, he told me that he had a crush on me in high school, but, like most of the guys, he was just clueless then. I thought none of the guys in our class liked me because there was only one guy who was brave enough to have a relationship with me, and he broke my heart when he moved away after high school. All the other girls were going on dates and sock hops all the time and only a couple older guys asked me out. Ray said that I was just too intimidating because I was very pretty and very smart, as well. That floored me because I just couldn’t ever imagine Ray saying something like that, much less knowing anything about my life. He made an old woman feel very special—but 50 years later! He said that he even married a girl from BPHS who was very much like me. She was the yearbook editor from 1966, and very pretty and very smart. Ray and I even shared some careers. He was in packaging sales and I developed packaging materials for a food company in Seattle.
Ray, I’m so sorry that you are not still with us, but I am glad that I could give you a good laugh and share memories before you left. I’m also so glad that you had a lovely wife and family which you loved and had a good career while you were with us. Thank you!
Isn’t this what reunions are all about? Sharing memories and laughing about how silly you were in high school?
Mary Ann McNeill (Michalsky)
I was shocked a few days ago when I saw Linda’s note that Ray Deniston had been added to the In Memory section of our Class Creator website, and I had to email her to ask if it were true. It seems as if I was just talking to Ray at the 50th reunion. It took me a while to put together the words that I wanted to say.
I met Ray in Mrs. William’s 7th grade class at Landis Intermediate. He was one of a few Jocks at the school. His best friend was kind of arrogant, so most of the girls had a crush on Ray, including me, because he was the nicer of the two pals. We laughed at the reunion and shared memories of our time there and in high school. I told him that I had a picture of the class at Landis and sent it to him.
We were in line for pictures at the reunion and I didn’t recognize Ray! He had grown at least a foot and a half taller and was much bigger. But his mannerisms were the same. He would make a joke, then sort of stand back to the side to see what the reaction would be. He remembered me, though, and asked if I had worked at the Herald Examiner as an editor, and if I was living in Nevada, and if I had worked in packaging. Yes! Yes! And Yes! He had been following my life and this was coming from a guy that I don’t ever remember even looking in my direction the whole six years we were in school together! I thought he didn’t even know that I existed on the planet! When I told him that I had a crush on him since 7th grade, he told me that he had a crush on me in high school, but, like most of the guys, he was just clueless then. I thought none of the guys in our class liked me because there was only one guy who was brave enough to have a relationship with me, and he broke my heart when he moved away after high school. All the other girls were going on dates and sock hops all the time and only a couple older guys asked me out. Ray said that I was just too intimidating because I was very pretty and very smart, as well. That floored me because I just couldn’t ever imagine Ray saying something like that, much less knowing anything about my life. He made an old woman feel very special—but 50 years later! He said that he even married a girl from BPHS who was very much like me. She was the yearbook editor from 1966, and very pretty and very smart. Ray and I even shared some careers. He was in packaging sales and I developed packaging materials for a food company in Seattle.
Ray, I’m so sorry that you are not still with us, but I am glad that I could give you a good laugh and share memories before you left. I’m also so glad that you had a lovely wife and family which you loved and had a good career while you were with us. Thank you!
Isn’t this what reunions are all about? Sharing memories and laughing about how silly you were in high school?