Reunion/70th Birthday

THE CLASS OF 1970 TURNS 70!

AUGUST 21, 2022

WILDWOOD GOLF CLUB

 

Donnie's Toast to Us

May we always stay,

Linked by time,

Bonded by Friendship,

And Forever Fraternalized.

 

 

Nancy Pirt's Speech

    Last year, when Donnie asked me to say a few words at our reunion, I was surprised.  First of all surprised -- and flattered -- just to be asked by Donnie, who is a good speaker.  But I was even more surprised the fact that I said "yes,"  because I knew that the person that I was when I graduated from St. Raphael's would never have had the guts to speak in front of all of you.  However, I suppose that after 50 years, we can expect to see some change.  I guess that I've blossomed a bit.  So, let's see how I do.

    To begin with, consider this -- it was September 1958 -- 64 years ago this month is when most of us met for the first time.  64 years !  Now, some of us girls met a few years later, in 1966, at St. Ray's High School --  a mere 56 years ago.   But 64 or 56 years, either way it's a long time.  Outside of our own families, who else have you known and kept in touch with for more than half a century? 

    Stop and think about that for a moment, think about just how special that is.  For us to be able to sustain these friendships, to remain interested in each other and to care about each other for more than half a century, that's extraordinary.  If you doubt me, try talking to people from other groups, and see whether they have that same connection with people from the schools that they have attended.  You'll find that what we have is not the usual thing.

    Which made me wonder, why are we like this?  How have we been able to do this?  Is it a Pittsburgh thing?  Is it a baby boomer thing?  Or could it be an old-fashioned, pre-Vatican II, Catholic school thing?  Maybe there's a little bit of all of that mixed in, but mainly I think that it's because we are fortunate enough --- perhaps by the luck of the draw -- to be part of a group of people who have fundamental goodness of heart.  We accept each other.  We want the best for each other. 

    I wasn't conscious of any of this when were growing up -- I doubt if any of us were aware of this.   We probably weren't mature enough.  As children, we weren't all angels all of the time.  There was some teasing and maybe other bad behaviors.  I know that I can remember having some snowballs chucked at me by a few boys as I walked home on Jancey Street.  But that was just kid's stuff.  Not vicious.  We've outgrown all that nonsense and turned out to be good decent people.  (Although, if anybody wants a rematch snowball fight, I brought enough fake snowballs for everybody.  Take them as a souvenier.)

    It's only been in recent years when I returned for some of our other get-togethers, and through the chat on the webpage when I got to know our classmates a little bit better, that I recognized this quality in our class.  I realized that we feel comfortable around each other.  We know that we will be accepted for who we are today.  In some sense, it's almost as if we are related to each other, like cousins of some sort.  It's what makes our class special, and unique.  It's wonderful.

    Now, I don't just want to be serious and sentimental here.  We have shared a lot of experiences growing up, and that bonds us, too.  I'm not really one who is that good at recalling all the specific events of school, but I do remember some of the quaint, almost Victorian terms that we heard when going to St. Raphael's.  I remember that we all had to hang our coats in the Cloak Room.  The idea of little 6 year old Nancy going to school in a cloak just tickles me.  Then, when we were at school, we took our recess in the lavatory.  Have you ever been anywhere as an adult and tried asking the people to direct you to the lavatory?  They wouldn't know what you are talking about.  They would be confused and think that you were asking for the laboratory. 

    Then, too, for us girls, there was a special something that we heard when we got to the High School, and that is the word Weskit.  We all wore Weskits.  It was part of the uniform.  Everybody had a Weskit.  (By the way, boys, in case you are wondering, a Weskit is a vest with pockets.)  I have to tell you in all honesty that today, in this speech, is the most that I have said the word Weskit in the 52 years since I graduated.  In fact, this could the be only time that I have used the word "Weskit" in any way.  Although, I will add that I was watching a history show about England not too long ago and they mentioned that gentlemen wore Weskits, and I thought -- "I know what what is.  I have personal experience of wearing one, for 4 years."  (I found out from that program that the word is spelled as Waistcoat, but the English pronounce it as "Weskit.")

    To return to my main theme, as I said earlier, I'm not the person who can tell you, "Do you remember this?" or "Do you remember when we did that?"  A lot of the specific events of that time kind of got buried in the files of my brain. What I do remember is how I felt during those years, and that has a lot to do with why I'm here today and why I'm giving this speech.  The reason is that through all the uncertainties and stresses -- and the happiness, too -- of going to St. Raphael's, looking back I realized that I always felt safe around all of you at school.  I'm hoping that most you, too, share this remembrance of school.  I say once more that I see our class as having a fundamental goodness of heart and an acceptance of each other.  It's a gift that we give each other.

    I feel so lucky to have been a member of this class and to have grown up with all of you.  As our good friend Donnie Yoest said once, we are forever fraternalized.