(Acutal letter from THS Class of 1965!)🤣

Things I Learned at my 50th Reunion! by Dick Wolfsie Class of '65

If you wear the wrong name tag, most people won’t know the difference for at least an hour.

The group I hung out with in 1965 didn’t take drugs. Now, we all do.

All the girls who said they once had a crush on me should have mentioned this five decades ago.

"So, how have you been?" is a really stupid question to ask someone you haven't seen in 50 years.

People will remember stuff about you that even you don't remember. This is not anything to be concerned about. I hope.

I hugged people I would never have hugged in 1965.

I swear there were three guys gobbling down the shrimp at the buffet table who were not in our class.

I told many of the women they looked great for 68. Larry told them they looked great for 48. Guess who did better with the ladies in high school?

All the women at the reunion admitted to having a crush on the math teacher, Mr. Walsh. And so did two of the guys.

It was great see some old faces, although some of us had new faces over the old ones. Some people danced, but there wasn’t nearly as much making out on the dance floor as 50 years ago.

I'm the only alumni now living in Indiana. Henry lives in Ohio. If you knew Henry, you’d know that’s close enough.

After a few glasses of wine, a very youthful looking Francine admitted she got some “work” done before the reunion. Funny, in high school she never got any work done before class.

Half of the attendees thought the men aged better than the women. Guess which half thought that?

No one left the reunion intoxicated. But Chuck and Bob arrived that way.

A few people brought their old yearbook and wanted me to sign it. All I could think of to write was: “Good luck in college.”

I asked the prom queen to let me know when it was 9 p.m. Just once, I wanted her to give me the time of day.

There was some talk at the reunion about sex in high school. Back in high school it was all talk.

Carl no longer has a neck.

My prom date Yvonne gave me a big kiss hello. It wasn’t the first time we’d kissed in 50 years, it was the only time—and that includes the prom.

A lot of people said things to each other like, "We sure had fun together,” but it was hard for some of us to come up with specifics.

There was very little interest in forming a 75th reunion committee.

🔥Billboard Year-End Hot 75 Singles of 1975🎸

1 "Love Will Keep Us Together" Captain & Tennille

2 "Rhinestone Cowboy" Glen Campbell

3 "Philadelphia Freedom" Elton John

4 "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" Freddy Fender

5 "My Eyes Adored You" Frankie Valli

6 "Some Kind of Wonderful" Grand Funk Railroad

7 "Shining Star" Earth, Wind & Fire

8 "Fame" David Bowie

9 "Laughter in the Rain" Neil Sedaka

10 "One of These Nights" Eagles

11 "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" John Denver

12 "Jive Talkin'" Bee Gees

13 "Best of My Love" Eagles

14 "Lovin' You" Minnie Riperton

15 "Kung Fu Fighting" Carl Douglas

16 "Black Water" The Doobie Brothers

17 "The Ballroom Blitz" Sweet

18 "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" B.J. Thomas

19 "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" Tony Orlando and Dawn

20 "At Seventeen" Janis Ian

21 "Pick Up the Pieces" Average White Band

22 "The Hustle" Van McCoy & the Soul City Symphony

23 "Lady Marmalade" Labelle

24 "Why Can't We Be Friends?" War

25 "Love Won't Let Me Wait" Major Harris

26 "Boogie On Reggae Woman" Stevie Wonder

27 "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" Freddy Fender

28 "Angie Baby" Helen Reddy

29 "Fight the Power" The Isley Brothers

30 "Jackie Blue" Ozark Mountain Daredevils

31 "Fire" Ohio Players

32 "Magic" Pilot

33 "Please Mr. Postman" The Carpenters

34 "Sister Golden Hair" America

35 "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" Elton John

36 "Mandy" Barry Manilow

37 "Have You Never Been Mellow" Olivia Newton-John

38 "Could It Be Magic" Barry Manilow

39 "Cat's in the Cradle" Harry Chapin

40 "Wildfire" Michael Martin Murphey

41 "I'm Not Lisa" Jessi Colter

42 "Listen to What the Man Said" Wings

43 "I'm Not in Love" 10cc

44 "I Can Help" Billy Swan

45 "Fallin' in Love" Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds

46 "Feelings" Morris Albert

47 "When Will I Be Loved" Linda Ronstadt

48 "Chevy Van" Sammy Johns

49 "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" Barry White

50 "Please Mr. Please" Olivia Newton-John

51 "You're No Good" Linda Ronstadt

52 "Dynomite" Bazuka

53 "Walking in Rhythm" The Blackbyrds

54 "The Way We Were/Try to Remember" Gladys Knight & the Pips

55 "Midnight Blue" Melissa Manchester

56 "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" Sugarloaf

57 "Poetry Man" Phoebe Snow

58 "How Long?" Ace

59 "Express" B.T. Express

60 "That's the Way of the World" Earth, Wind & Fire

61 "Lady" Styx

62 "Bad Time" Grand Funk

63 "Only Women Bleed" Alice Cooper

64 "Doctor's Orders" Carol Douglas

65 "Get Down Tonight" KC and the Sunshine Band

66 "One Man Woman/One Woman Man" Paul Anka & Odia Coates

67 "You Are So Beautiful" Joe Cocker

68 "Feel Like Makin' Love" Bad Company

69 "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" James Taylor

70 "Dance with Me" Orleans

71 "Cut the Cake" Average White Band

72 "Never Can Say Goodbye" Gloria Gaynor

73 "I Don't Like to Sleep Alone" Paul Anka & Odia Coates

74 "Morning Side of the Mountain" Donny & Marie Osmond

75 "When Will I See You Again" The Three Degrees

Here’s What We Were Watching 🎥 as We Headed Out into the World in 1975:

• Best Picture: The Godfather Part II – The first sequel to ever win Best Picture, and still a classic.

• Best Actor: Art Carney in Harry and Tonto – A heartfelt performance that surprised many at the time.

• Best Actress: Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore – A powerful role that later inspired the TV show Alice.

• Best Director: Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather Part II – Coppola was on fire during this era.

• Other big films that year: Chinatown, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and The Towering Inferno.

And if you were lucky, maybe you caught some of those at a drive-in or at the local theater downtown. Or maybe you had to wait until they aired on network TV a couple of years later!

BUT, did you know there’s ONE Film released in 1975 that is STILL PLAYING in theaters TODAY?

This film, flopped when first released, receiving negative reviews and a poor box office performance ($450,000). But, like the movie itself, something strange occurred. The movie found a second life as a cult midnight movie and the rest is, well… history!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show holds the record for the longest running theatrical release ever and has an earned box office of $175,000,000.

In Honor of October and Rocky…

Hot Patootie, Bless my Soul! I Really Love that Rock N’ Roll! 💃🕺

Our 50-Year Reunion is creeping up in November, and

It’s just a jump to the left…

And then a step to the right into Nostalgia.

Class of ’75, ‘74 and ‘76, this isn’t a Time Warp you want to miss. You survived disco, bell bottoms, guys and gals with crazy hair and Senior English — you can survive one more night of dancing, stories, and seeing what 50 years has done to all of us (spoiler: You’re A Shining Star!)

So, dust off your fishnets, your tux, or your orthopedic shoes and Log In and Sign Up Now: TucsonHighClassof1975.com

Because unlike Rocky Horror, this Show only happens Once in a Lifetime.

What Current Day Coveniences weren't around in 1975❓

Major advances in digital technology since 1975 have created conveniences that are now central to daily life, most notably the internet and mobile devices. A person in 1975 would find the following modern conveniences to be unimaginable.

Communication

Smartphones and cell phones: In 1975, the only way to make a call away from home was with a landline or a public phone booth. Pagers existed but were a limited form of communication, and there was no way to be constantly reachable. Ahhh, the Good Ole Days!
Instant messaging and texting: While early email was invented in the early 1970s, it was not in widespread use. As for instant messages and text messages, those conveniences simply did not exist.
Video calls: Face-to-face communication over long distances, which is now possible with services like FaceTime and Skype, was a futuristic concept in 1975. Although the Jetsons had it!

Information and media

The internet: The internet as we know it, with the World Wide Web and search engines like Google, was not available to the public. Doing research required going to a library to look through books and encyclopedias. Remember that library of books at home?
Social media: Facebook wasn’t a thought. No one was posing for Instagram and tweeting was for the birds. I AM SO GLAD WE ESCAPED THIS IN OUR YOUTH!
Streaming entertainment: The concept of on-demand entertainment was nonexistent. Viewing a movie meant watching it in a theater, and watching a TV show required being home at the scheduled time to catch it live. We did have Screaming entertainment, though!
Digital photography: Taking a photograph in 1975 required a film camera, with no instant preview. You had to wait for the film to be developed to see your photos.
Digital music: Music was consumed through physical media such as vinyl records, 8-track tapes, and cassette tapes. The digital convenience of carrying thousands of songs on a single device or streaming music on a phone did not yet exist. But NOW everyone wants Vinyl again!

Shopping and services

Online shopping: All shopping was done in a physical store. There was no way to browse catalogs or order groceries for home delivery from a computer. I do love getting ALL my Christmas shopping done in an hour, at home!
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs): Before ATMs became common, banking outside of business hours was not possible. For drive-up transactions, banks used pneumatic tubes.
24/7 convenience stores: All-night convenience stores were rare in the 1970s. Businesses, including supermarkets, typically closed early, especially on weekends. 7-11 opened at 7am and closed at 11pm.

Navigation and travel

GPS: Global Positioning System technology, which is now in cars and on every smartphone, was not available for public use in 1975. People relied on physical paper maps and map books to navigate. Might be the greatest invention EVER!
Ride-sharing services: Services like Uber and Lyft are now common in cities, but this concept didn't exist. Hitchhiking was a more common and accepted practice for getting rides. No reason to Drink at Drive at the Reunion!

Other daily life changes

Flexible work: Remote work was not a possibility for most people. Working from home while remaining connected to a company network is a result of widespread internet access. Everyone loves working in their underwear…or is that just me?
Waste management: Curbside recycling, a routine convenience today, was not yet standard practice and only began to be adopted in 1976. But what kind of World are we leaving our Grandkids?

WHAT WE PAID 1975 AND 2025! 💹