Humorously in many cases, eyes darted first to name tags and then to faces, as people sought to make sure of the identity of the person they were greeting. You would think that this would appear somewhat awkward, but nobody seemed to mind at all.  In fact, the comfort level which was present throughout the entire evening, was a true testimony to the depth of the relationships shared by old friends, current friends, and former acquaintances, started so long ago at a place called “Bergenfield”. 

They say that “spirit” is something that cannot be seen, but I disagree. I “saw” this spirit of friendship demonstrated time and time again throughout the evening, and when the current school marching band marched through playing the old fight song, not only could you see the spirit, you could “feel it. For me, it was the emotional highlight of a great night that included seeing the old “Guerra’s Sport Shop labels on the old jackets, to the pictures, to the presence of our former teachers sharing the night with us as equals. Of course one cannot write of the experiences of this evening without giving thought to the memories of Mites and Bears no longer with us.
Mites or Bears? Who really cares! 

As I wrote once before, 
“We were Bergenfield, and “We were Young”.