All you westsiders are missing all the excitement. Right now, the action is over at the Wayne Valley Class Directory blog - http://wvhs67.blogspot.com where there is a raging controversy over ownership of class yearbook images. Well actually it's rather one-sided. I gave up raging years ago.
Maybe I should start from the beginning. A number of years ago, a classmate of mine created a class reunion website for the class. He scanned all the pictures of everyone in the yearbook and set it up. A lot of effort especially using the technology back then. When I discovered the site, I made a copy of the whole thing. It was, at the time, not copyrighted and of course, the source material he used from the yearbook wasn't either. When I built the Wayne Class directory, I used some of those images (the ones that were scribbled on I replaced) and he used some of mine from graduation. It is mostly for reunions and mine is a class directory. You guys are lucky because your website serves both purposes without rivalry or rancor or insecurity or suspicion.
You are all probably familiar with my on again off again, now entirely off again relationship with the reunion committee for being in grown and unconcerned with finding people. You all know how Linda and I feel about non inclusion and cliquishness. Well the Directory launched on Halloween and has been an incredible success and meeting place for old friends. You folks know how that works.
Everything is running smoothly and I'm busy website buildin' and classmate findin' and Linda's Facebookin' and classmates all over the country are emailin' and cell phone callin' each other when all of a sudden we get a notice on Facebook that Linda's posting of Wayne high school yearbook pictures of certain individuals violated copyrights and had been removed. Scratching our heads, we researched the claims and found that they could be traced to the reunion committee. The following day, my webhost informed me that the class directory website had been suspended for alleged copyright violations and until I responded to them the site was down for the count. Hmmmmm. Just a coincidence? Again, we lifted a rock and uncovered...the reunion committee.
Of course, being the "can do" people we are, there is always a way and the net result of this sabotage was a two day interruption of a service that my class has come to enjoy very much. I don't think they realized how much until it was gone for a short time.
Why tell this story? Well aside from giving me the opportunity to vent a little, it is a cautionary tale for the FJ Reitz Class of 67 too. Don't let the wonderful class spirit that has been generated here drift off into the winter woods. You have captured the essence of that phrase, something that some in my own class may never fully understand. It is about all of you, together, through the years. It doesn't belong to any one person or any one group. You built it together and you'll keep it alive by setting aside one weekend every couple of years to get together; by keeping your contact information current so Linda doesn't have to do that hunt again, and if you haven't yet sent in a current photo, just go ahead and do it! And if you're into cruising, block off a week in the beginning of 2013 - not next year but the next, for the Cruise to Somewhere which is coming into clearer focus now.
So call a classmate and wish them a Merry Christmas, break bread together over the holiday. Be thankful that you belong to a high school class that understands the essence of Class Spirit. It's about community. It's not me, it's we.
BTW, the military service page is filling out nicely. Keep the photos and info flowing.
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