Re: there's a word for this

[Rich Thomson <rthomson@ptc.com>]

Fraternity?  Hmmm... never thought of it that way exactly, but I guess
you're right!  I went to my 20 yr. high school reunion, it wasn't so
bad.  The geeks in attendence were successful and the "popular folks"
were just leading rather ordinary uninteresting lives.  One got the
definate impression that being at the top of the high school clique
was the high point of their lives.

People at my h.s. reunion had a surprised reaction to what sort of
person I had become -- but they never really knew me anyway.  In high
school, I remember sitting at my desk during free time reading RSTS/E
user manuals and BASIC-PLUS manuals and so-on which just freaked out
all my peers.  I know at the time my parents were concerned that I was
spending too much time at DELTA.  (I really doubt they would have been
concerned if I was doing something "normal".)  At one point my parents
were away for the weekend and I had an opportunity to pull my first
"all nighter" in Willard Hall.  The cleaning woman came into the room
in the morning -- I was asleep in that big white vinyl chair -- and
promptly called security on me since she assumed I must have runaway
from home.  Naturally security couldn't call my parents (they weren't
home) and my security pass (didn't have a key yet) gave me 24hr access
to the building, so they eventually acquiesced.

I think it would be fun to have a DELTA reunion, with all the major
principle characters from DELTA's many phases in attendence.  Naturally
the reunion would be held in Newark.  I think that this summer would
be a great time to do it, but it might be too soon for folks to work
into their plans, especially considering that we don't even know where
some of the main characters are -- who knows Ed Jones' whereabouts,
for instance?   We haven't heard from Karl Fraser, Anne Dreizler (I
think she got married and may have changed her last name), and so on.

Whatever the particulars, I think we should do it soon!  If not this
summer, then next summer, or perhaps some other time of year.  Everyone
dies eventually, better to have a reunion while most of us are still
capable of remembering DELTA :).
--
                                               Rich Thomson
                                               rthomson@ptc.com