Our annual Andover High School reunion always follows the Andover Fourth of July celebration, a patriotic observance commemorating our fight for freedom and independence. It took a war to achieve this goal. Who would guess that other wars would follow to protect these rights and freedoms?

In 1944, we were three years into World War II, and students at AHS were well aware of the war effort and all it entailed. The Blue and White Banner, our newspaper, was full of war-related articles, including a plea to buy war bonds, rationing, news of alumni who were serving, editorials about letter-writing, keeping up the troops’ morale, and war in relation to the church. There were fictional accounts about soldiers, one called He Did His Duty. Our little paper was a reflection of what students heard at home, on the radio, or read in the local and national newspapers.

Poetry was a large part of each of The Blue and White Banner issues. Several pages were often devoted to this subject, with poems written by the boys and girls. Here is an interesting poem written in a spring issue of ’44 by Ruth Cookman ’44. It was titled If.

If he can leave his home so dear,

If he can leave his loved ones without a tear,

If he can enter the fight with a brave eye,

And never the fear of death in his heart,

Why can’t he vote?

If he can break off all of his cherished plans,

If he can keep the never-faltering victory stand,

If he can keep his courage while others lose theirs,

And restore it in his comrade’s heart,

Why can’t he vote?

If he, through all the blood and strife,

If he can keep his grand outlook on life,

If he can die for something he knows is true,

Why can’t he vote?

How times change, or do they? Seems like we are still having problems about who, where, and what kind of ID you need to vote, and this is 70 years later.

Come to the AHS reunion on Saturday, July 6 at 10 AM. It will be held at the Ordway Recreational Area on Walker Brook Road in Danbury. The blue and white balloons will mark the spot.

Bring your chair, memorabilia, and something for the pot luck lunch. Lemonade and coffee will be provided. We can visit with friends, talk over old times, and ponder the changes that have occurred since our school days.

This past week I attended two granddaughters’ graduations. I listened to the speeches and thought, “That is what we hoped for or planned to do.” I hope both of them achieve their dreams, and I hope all you alumni did, too.

See you in July.