What a ride it's been
Editor, The Commercial:
Fifty years have passed since the graduation of the Historic Pine Bluff High School Class of 1971. How do you capture 50 years?
We've gone from Nixon/Agnew to Biden/Harris and from Vietnam to Afghanistan. Technology has advanced from audio tapes to music downloads, from soft contacts to helicopters on Mars.
Fashion sense has progressed from miniskirts to lab coats, and from Afros to anything goes. Classmates who were once young hippies are now old hippies. We no longer cruise Cherry Street; we drive Wall Street. We've traded our cleats, clubs and racquets for coaches' whistles, and our caps and gowns for uniforms and vestments. We have gone from part-time jobs to retirement checks. From student leaders to political leaders.
While we will always be sons and daughters, we now have our own. We've gone from teenagers to grandparents. From carefree to fiscally responsible. But hey, sexy never wanes.
A wise woman once said the greatest thing any generation can do is raise the next generation. We have shared our history and our wisdom as the future of '71 lives on. Life isn't about the past. Though fond memories make life so much sweeter, and recollections of surmounting adversity yield confidence and hope. The class of 1971 has never been a monolith of ideas and intentions. Diversity created us; it's at our core. Whether you honored the Confederate statue on campus or rallied at its base to celebrate Dr. King's birthday, the constant through the years has been spirit.
Zebra Spirit resides in the friends we made ... the ones who remained and those who passed through. It's in the love and sorry that's shared. You can't capture 50 years any more than you can capture our wild Zebra Spirit. You live it as laughter, through heartache and in smiles. You can find Zebra Spirit in a wink or in a tear. And we've felt the spirit, we've lived that spirit, for 50 years.
And the pride of '71 shall not perish. The PBHS Class of 1971 Zebra Foundation will support the lives of others for many 50's yet to come.
Zebra Spirit reigns! Go Zebras!
Michael Parker
Pine Bluff High School Class of 1971
Fort Worth, Texas