Catholic Girls Start Much Too Late.
But enjoy it more once we do.
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That has been my sentiment as one of those late developers who inspired Billy Joel to sing about us. Last October, I attended my 50th high school reunion and judging from my gracefully aged classmates, we all think Joel should add that caveat to his lyrics. We are the class of ’69, the Woodstock generation, the make love, not war believers. Better late, Billy, than never, or too early.
We were only the third freshman class in 1965 to enter the shining halls of then brand-new Mother Seton Regional High. Most of us bussed in from surrounding towns, Rahway in my case.
Saturday, October 6, 2019, we filled to capacity a private dining room in the Bistro, 1051 Raritan Road, Clark, a stone’s throw from Mother Seton. Being packed together so tightly after all these years was reminiscent for me of a certain “oneness” that we still share. Certainly, the class of about 220 girls has scattered in manifold directions — marriage, kids, divorce, remarriage, never married, child-free, strayed from Catholicism, still practicing, and on and on. Some have died too young.
No men, no problem—did I mention we were an all-girls Catholic high? We did get to bring boys to our proms. Senior prom, 1969: Lenny Welch, born in Asbury Park, NJ, sang in person for us. We idolized that rock star. He sang Since I Fell For You. We swooned. If you’re too young to know Lenny, I’m sorry. Big, big hair was in. Grecian curls were all the rage. It took half a day to get them in, a whole day to get them out, with all that teasing. Buckets of creme rinse, precursor to conditioner. I don’t recall all the guys’ names in above photo. My guy was Jimmy Walker and, when adults were not around, we rode his motorcycle without helmets — not to the prom though. My father, who had to meet the guy, would’ve locked me in my bedroom. No wonder I started so late, Billy.
