Forty years is a long time until you get together with the people who knew you back then. Suddenly, the years seem a little less important. The laughter comes easily, the memories start flowing, and you remember how much you still share.
That was our 40th high school reunion at Saint John’s Military School. We ate well, laughed hard, shed some tears, and remembered that being an Old Boy is something we carry with us.
The Road to Salina
For me, the adventure started early Thursday morning with a drive north from Texas.
The road had other plans. An accident on I-35 near Denton cost me about 45 minutes, and then the interstate was shut down entirely near Davis, Oklahoma. My goal was to reach Wichita by noon to pick up fellow alum Jefferson "Jeff" Baker at the airport.
This is where the brotherhood showed up before the reunion even began. Another alum passing through Wichita picked Jeff up around 12:45, and we all met at the home of Old Boy Lynn Bogue. I finally rolled in around 1:45. After a short visit, we resumed our trek to Salina together.
Thursday: Sliders and The Alley
We checked into our Airbnb on South 5th Street, a roomy house with four bedrooms and an easy walk to nearly everything on the weekend's schedule. Once we had settled in and claimed our rooms, we walked over to the Cozy Inn.
There we met up with old friend Samantha Daelene and her husband, Tate. Each of us put away a full sack of Cozy's famous burgers. Then we went exploring and found The Alley. We only saw the bar and the restroom that night, but we liked what we saw, and we met a wonderful bartender named Ashley. We had no idea we would all be back the next evening.
We walked home that night carrying two boxes of leftover pizza. Along the way, we met a man who was hungry and in need, and Jeff handed him one of the boxes without a second thought. Jeff is a very kind soul, and that moment set the tone for the whole weekend.
Friday: Coming Home to the Museum
After a good night's sleep, we headed to the Saint John's Museum to meet the rest of the Alumni and our former Staff. Around noon we were treated to more Cozy burgers, and the stories kept coming as we caught up with old friends.
We went back to the house to rest before the evening's main event: the Alumni, SJ Staff, and Board dinner at The Alley. Our new friend Ashley greeted us at the door. The night flew by with pizza, beer, and plenty of laughter.
There were tears, too. Some of us learned for the first time of classmates who have joined the Final Roll Call. More friends joined us at the house that night. Some of us (me) had a bit too much beer and went straight to bed.
Saturday Morning: Mass and Memories
Saturday started a little rough for some of us, but we were punctual, as Saint John's taught us to be. We arrived as planned for Episcopal Mass, led by Old Boy Father Fiske.
The "Memories" session followed. Alumni from the '70s and '80s shared story after story, bringing plenty of laughter and a few tears. Hearing them made it clear how much the school shaped every one of us, whatever decade we came from.
My classmates and housemates returned to the house for lunch, and what a lunch it was. Shawn Reitmyer grilled thick butcher-cut steaks, served with ears of corn and baked potatoes. I think we all needed a nap afterward.
The Final Roll Call
That afternoon we returned to the museum for the weekend's two most solemn traditions. George Miklos served as our MC and guided both ceremonies with real professionalism.
The Final Roll Call was led by Class of '86 Old Boy John Scott. Some names we didn't know. Others we knew well. There wasn't a dry eye in the room.
Each attending Old Boy and former faculty member came forward with a rose as the names were called. For each departed alum, one of us marched to the table, turned left, and stood at attention. We placed a rose on the table in that brother's honor and saluted. Then, as a bell rang, we slowly lowered our salute and returned to our seats.
The Vail Hall Handle Ceremony
Following the Roll Call, I had the honor of leading the Handle Ceremony.
The front door handle of historic Vail Hall is one of the most cherished symbols at Saint John's. Before the 1978 fire that destroyed Vail Hall, every cadet who attended the school held that handle. Old Boy Jack Vanier salvaged it from the ruins. Starting in 1981, it became part of commencement, with each graduating class passing the handle from cadet to cadet to carry the tradition forward.
Today the ceremony is part of every organized Old Boy gathering. Passing the handle reaffirms our ties to our alma mater. As it moves around the circle, we reflect on our own time at Saint John's: the friends we still keep in touch with, the friends we wonder about, and the brothers we honored at the Final Roll Call. Most of all, we honor the thousands of cadets who came before us, whose memories were of a Vail Hall that has passed, as they have.
The Old Boys gathered on the Browning Parade Field. I asked each of them to consider who they were as a Saint John's New Boy, how they grew under the guidance of the school's administration, faculty, and staff, and how that shaped who they became. Howard Haythorn, Class of 1945 and our oldest attending Old Boy, started the handle on its way around the circle.
Our circle seems to get smaller every year. I suppose it should, since there are no more graduating classes to grow it. That is exactly why moments like this one matter.
Retreat, The Garage, and SOS
After the circle came a group photo, followed by the flag retreat. It took me right back to our evening ritual of lowering the flag at the teardrop all those years ago. We then returned to our temporary homes to rest before dinner.
Saturday's dinner was held at The Garage, a wonderful car museum and gathering place with its own ties to Saint John's.
The reunion wrapped up Sunday morning with a breakfast hosted by the museum. The menu was a cadet favorite: SOS, better known as biscuits and sausage gravy. Over breakfast we talked about future gatherings and ideas for the museum before saying our goodbyes, or rather, "Until Next Time."
Until Next Time
I came away grateful for everyone who gathered and for the brotherhood that still exists forty years later. If you have been thinking about attending a future gathering, I hope you will come. Every Old Boy adds something to that circle.
Saint John’s Forever!
The Traditions, on Film
Two moments from the weekend, captured on video.
The Weekend in Pictures
The museum and all Old Boys are welcome to download and use these photographs freely. Select a photo to view it larger, then use the download link to save a web-size copy.
