Dobson High School: Class of ‘85

 

Kenneth in the (602)

As the 40th anniversary of my graduation from Dobson High School approaches, it seems fitting that I would wake up to this yearbook inscription I wrote four decades ago to a girl I tutored. (A big thank-you to Michelle for thinking of me and sending. I stand by my advice to "stay away from fractions and stoners" -- and bonus points if you can identity the song lyrics I quoted ... because I was 17!)

If there's a 40-year reunion in the works, I'm not aware of it. (In the top post on the Class of '85-specific Facebook group, someone named Rachel Davis writes: "DHS 85 Alum....just sent out the official Evite for 30th reunion. If you didn't get it, please message me your most current email address. Thanks!") As a Catholic-born closeted-gay agnostic at a massive school of Mormons, I was always more ripe for a fish-out-of-water afterschool special than becoming a reunion organizer. So it wouldn’t really surprise me if I somehow missed the boat. 

At 17: Going up?

But I did recently find these photos on the school's Facebook alumni page, which believe it or not are now the only pictures I have from my commencement ceremony. 

(Disturbingly, I found the images directly below the news that current Dobson football coach Richard Godsil had been arrested for sexual exploitation of a minor.)

It's never the coach you want it to be

It's no secret that Molly and Gary took laissez-faire parenting to the max. As such, no photos were taken that day -- not even of me in my gray honors cap and gown (as opposed to standard-issue blue ones). Four years later my parents knowingly skipped my college graduation ("there'll be so many people there you won't even know the difference," my mom said when I protested their conflicting travel plans), and I have no recollection of their being at my high-school ceremony. Perhaps my memory is wrong about this -- I do remember our going to Swensen's for ice cream with my grade-younger friend Kristen at some point to mark the occasion -- but suffice to say graduation day wasn't the big milestone occasion it was for so many others. 

P.S. My tutee-cum-gal pal also shared this, which may be of interest to fans of the Sonic Thrills, who narrowly missed the notable alumni section on our school's Wikipedia entry:

Michelle writes: 

Remember the band I hung out with in school and they came over to Suzanne's apt. And she screwed my crush, Tony? I found Jim Monarch, the lead singer. They sung at the Mason Jar. He was lead vocals for New Born South, The Voice and Sonic Thrills. I found my yearbook this morning.😁🤗memories!!! 

Another song. Jim's the vocals.❤👍i used to be semi cool for about 2 years.😂

Read HERE.

Jim Monarch weighed in on Mesa's own Hollywood Alley, aka "Arizona's Only Ultra-Chic Pissant Hip Dive Bar," HERE.

P.P.S. 

Just stumbled upon this 2022 film that is apparently so low budget they couldn't afford an apostrophe. Has anyone watched it? 

Writer/director Kyle Misak's movie is set in Southwest Michigan and tells the story of "an unorthodox high-school teacher with an outlandish persona [who] helps his small class of nine students get a better understanding of life."

Related: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"

UPDATE:

A friend saw my post and then noticed this on FB, which prompted this exchange!