MY dinner partner to the left was almost completely deaf, and every few minutes opened with the same conversational gambit. “I was in the Battle of the Bulge, but I can’t talk about it,” he kept shouting. The dinner partner on my right, mercifully, was my father, who spoke in lower tones and was not using the occasion to review his own similarly traumatic memories of World War II.
There were, however, many other reminiscences. The event was my dad’s 60th college reunion, and I was his date for the weekend. My father and I share an alma mater — Williams College, a small liberal arts school in New England known for its strong alumni devotion. He was in the class of 1946; I graduated 32 years later, in 1978.
It’s a special bond to have — something we share outside of the family connection. Of course, I’ve attended my own reunions over the years, too — as a newlywed for my 5th, pregnant for my 10th, with toddlers in tow for my 15th. When I celebrated my 25th, I left the teenagers at home, focusing instead on reconnecting with old friends and especially taking pleasure in making new connections with people I hadn’t spent much time with as a student.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/nyregion/education/generations-reunions-offer-a-glimpse-ahead-as-well-as.html