Once a month, the Friends of Old Washington High Schools gather to share lunch, memories and good fellowship.

This coming together began in 2003. As of August of this year, 792 different names have been recorded as attending at least one lunch. The grand total of attendance for all the gatherings is 6,472. Average attendance is around 70 people, and the largest single-day tally was 109 folks.

Friends have come from 733 cities and towns in 21 states. They have come from California, Washington (state) and from Massachusetts to Florida. They represent graduating classes from 1927 up to the early 1990s.

The person responsible for this is Jim “Jimmy” Deans, WHS Class of 1953. He also puts together a monthly newsletter and maintains an up-to-date website. He is a really special person.

Other schools in our county have active alumni engaged in special reunions as well. The former P.S. Jones High School has a group of dedicated folks who keep their memories alive with rather frequent gatherings.

There are some really dedicated former students at Bath High School who are even now engaged in preservation of their old school. They just refused to see the school continue to fall into disrepair.

Other schools’ alumni here in our county may well be keeping the memories alive. Noble endeavors, all.

Those days — school days — seem so long ago. Indeed, they are. Yet, in some ways it seems like only yesterday. Well, maybe not yesterday. But more than half a century ago?

A song I remember from those days began with these words:

“Backward, turn backward, O time in your flight.”

Yet, we know we can turn time backward only in our memories.

Still, we have our memories. And … we can carry them with us.

Always.