Let a 1000 Flowers Bloom.......

Without waving a little red book, Milton says let a 1000 flowers, well at least 600 bloom on Facebook, which has become a defacto meeting place for the class, with dozens of classmates present. Now I'm not a Facebook junkie, except for hunting for classmates there, two sets actually, I don't post every little thing I do;  sometimes my days are just boring, and why would I want to bore everyone else and just increase the burden on the Facebook servers straining to account for every proud grandparent photo (I'm a little guilty on that count) so the rest of the family can see, etc., etc.

Now I know that some of the Facebook pages of classmates are constructs created by their children and grandchildren. "Grandma, get with the program. Everybody has a Facebook page!".  And little by little, people get dragged in, and then they start worrying about privacy, wondering if an identity thief is hiding behind those male or female silhouettes that they show if you don't post a profile picture. Conversely, they friend the friends of friends who suggest friends and pretty soon, you've got 1200 friends of whom you actually know 15. Eventually the pendulum stops in somewhere in the middle. The really tough thing about classmates and Facebook is marriage. If the maiden name is not embedded in the name, it can be tough unless you're up on your old friends' marital (blissful or otherwise) status. Or like someone we located recently, you have a very common name.

Earlier this week, or was it the weekend, I was talking to Rich Burgess, in Nashville, about an old friend of his, John Tuttle, who provided a support network for him during the war years. Well, in the course of events, we found John in a different place than on the listings we had, operating a marine supply in Vineland. I had John friend me, since there was only one of me and many John Tuttles. There was also a John Tuttle who passed in 1978. After my shock in discovering the tragic death of John Chichin in 1975, I actually hesitated a day or two to call the contact number I had for John Tuttle because getting confirmation of his passing would have been tough back to back.  But my relief quickly overspread that anxiety and John was aware of this other Tuttle (not related). So its good news on two counts; first everyone is okay and John and Rich are reconnected; two, both will participate in the directory.

The other thing Facebook simplifies is getting decent recent photos. With the exception of Dave Spae who has the cartoon dog as his profile pic. That is an important part of this crazy monster directory I'm talking about. So if you're on Facebook, part of the Wayne Valley Class of 1967 and I don't know about you being there, invite me to be a friend, I'll friend ya. Enrich my life again, and be a part of the directory too.