Class of 1971

 
Greetings From Alaska:  Becky Bunn Ward

Class Page:
   Go to 1971

Bolsa Home:
   Bolsa Grande High School

Contact:
Becky Bunn Ward: 
warzan95@hotmail.com

Classmate Personal Web Pages:
 

 

Class of 1971:  Welcome!
     First, to say hello to all the crazy people I went to school with. Life has been a confusing journey - I don't think any of us ended up where we just KNEW we'd be back then. It has been rewarding, full of friends and work, and, for some of us, children. We were all so passionate about how we'd raise them different, more open, more aware, and not so sheltered (mushroomed). I think I succeeded on that count, and I couldn't be more proud of them. Let us all know how YOU did. 
     Some of us went to college, and became successful in our carreers. But I haven't heard of one that ended up a millionaire yet. Dang! We were gonna, by age 30. Seems it's a bit harder than it looked back then!  I was determined to go into politics, and save the world from itself. I just knew I was going to Washington, D.C., and fix everything. Zero Population growth, the Environment, and the dishonesty. Instead, I ended up a bookkeeper, and mother of three. Maybe, I "fixed" things by helping to create a new generation, who aren't so gullible, and who vote. I hope that they will never be so gullible as to swallow another Vietnam.
     I ache inside, still, and I weep when I see the Wall of Honor, for all the lost young men & women of our generation. One of my goals now, is to go and see that memorial, to touch it, and maybe ease the pain that 
lingers. We believed so deeply in our country, and both sides cared so much about what was "right".
     To Micky, we all miss you so much. You were the sun, bringing warmth, and light, into any place you were. Of any that we could have lost, you were the saddest. We miss you, and hope you are happy where you are. God Bless you, Micky.
     To all the young men of 1971, thank you. You helped us learn to lighten up, to have fun, and we have watched you grow from gruff, unsure, posturing "cool dudes", into men of character, strength, and dignity. We learned, over the years, that you were human, too - you made mistakes, and yet never seemed to stop caring. You have struggled to learn this "sensitivity" thing, to show your feelings and to learn real communication skills - things you were NOT allowed to do when we were in school. YOU, too, have come a long way, baby. For the most part, you have succeeded, and should be proud of yourselves. Thank you, for all you have given us.
     To all the young women of 1971 - wow! This was a hard one. To take the Gloria Steinham/Bella Abzug path, and forsake the traditional path of home and family - knowing that path was a lonely and bitter struggle against injustice; or to take the path of tradition, and to make a difference, anyway. Those of us who took the path of tradition vowed silently to not "cop out", and leave the challenge to others. In my own quiet way, I have struggled to learn to accept no less than respect for myself. Struggled to learn how NOT to be that doormat, that "pretty, empty, head" that decorated executive parties that got pat on the head and sent home to the kitchen. Somewhere along the way, I think we found a balance. Our daughters, and their generation, seem to have alot more choices, and make alot more informed decisions, than we were ever able to. Hooray for us! I think we did good.
      To the counselors, who struggled with me and my mechanical and math aptitudes (trying so hard to help me find a carreer path that would fit a traditionally female role - I still giggle when I think of poor Mr 
Logan saying "Well, you could go to school to learn, um, drafting?") thank you for trying. 
     To the teachers; some of you cared so much, and tried so hard to teach us to question, and study. To invoke in us the passion for awareness that you had, yourselves. It was like you called to us, "Wake UP! the 
world is happening; be part of it or you will be left behind to wonder what happened!" Some of it really did stick, cause when I got a little older, and that world began to intrude on my awareness, I found that I knew how to handle it, what to do, because of you. Thank you.
     Please post your messages on the board, and let the rest of us know how you did. It doesn't matter that you didn't make "millionaire", or "president". This page is about our lives, the struggles we ALL faced, 
and our own victories achieved. From Homemaker to Engineer, every one matters. 

Thanks,  Becky (Bunn) Ward
Class Page Administrator