Grace and the Class of 2070
This is a story for my granddaughter, Grace Hesselbacher, and the New Fairfield High School Class of 2020 — and all graduates this year.
Although Grace will graduate in June, she will miss the excitement of her Senior Prom and the Pomp and Circumstance of the graduation ceremony. However, all that she has accomplished during her four high school years can never be taken away.
Two years ago I happened to witness the Bronxville High School Class of 2018 departing for their Senior Prom and wrote a story that appeared in the local newspaper. In the article I recounted a story that had been told to me by an old handball buddy, Bill Foss, and his senior prom. Bill was a member of the Theodore Roosevelt High School Class of 1942 in the Bronx, New York.
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the class was given a special option. If they joined the Armed Forces by April 1942, they would not have to take final examinations and would be granted diplomas. Bill and so many of his generation did the right thing and would become known as the “greatest generation.”
Fast forward 50 years. It is now 1992 and Theodore Roosevelt High School decides, since so many seniors missed their prom, there would be a Senior Prom as part of the 50th Anniversary Reunion. Although it was a long time coming, I believe Bill and his classmates appreciated it more at this time in their lives.
So I say to Grace, who has always epitomized both grace and class, although we are experiencing difficult times, I am confident that you and the Class of 2020 will rise to the challenge and will one day be known as the “next greatest generation!”
And maybe, just maybe, you guys will be dancing up a storm at your Senior Prom in 2070.
Ken Hesselbacher Bronxville, N.Y.