One of the typical connections on Facebook, one would think, is to schools you used to attend. For me, I’ve been tracked down by a classmate or two, but I have to admit that this is not the source of most of my contacts. I did not enjoy going to my High School, and didn’t ‘fit in’ with any crowd there to speak of. With the sole exception of my Choral Teacher, Richard Disharoon, I can’t remember very many teachers there who made much of an impression on me. At the first chance I could get to take courses at the local college where my mother taught (Towson State University), I leapt at the opportunity, and was thrilled to drive out of the parking lot at mid-day to attend classes, most of them in Music, which would be my major in College.
Now, I’m beginning to see even more why I didn’t fit in. Yesterday, at the invitation of a former classmate, I joined the group online that represents the graduating year from my High School (Pikesville High School, 1978). Connected to that group page was some information about the school, etc. including a Wikipedia Entry with the history of the place, and a few notable students who had attended the school. I saw a list of a few names, including :
- David Felinton — Mayor of Huntington, West Virginia (2001 to present).
- Jeffrey Kluger — author of Lost Moon: the Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, the basis of the movie Apollo 13.
- Mark Platt — producer of Legally Blonde
- Mike Sager, — best-selling author.
- Bert Vogelstein, M.D. — oncologist who has been nominated for Nobel Prize in medicine.
- Ellis Weiner — author and humorist for National Lampoon and Spy Magazine
So far, so good. No serial killers or child molesters. Then, one jumped out at me, like a bolt of lightning:
- Ken Mehlman — former chairman of the Republican National Committee (2005 to 2007).
I didn’t attend Pikesville High School at the same time as Mehlman, but I remember seeing him on TV as one of the poster boys of the GOP, and he was particularly memorable as someone who was clearly a closeted gay man with a significant degree of self-loathing (how could one not be to be the head of the extremely homophobic Republican National Committee?) He managed the Bush presidential re-election campaign in 2004, which was a pivotal event, at least in my lifetime, because the outcome was the ‘straw the broke the camel’s back’ for us, leading to our departure from the US. If Ken Melhman was a product of Pikesville High School, then it’s pretty clear to me why I didn’t take to the place. I hope nobody holds my having attended there against me.
I think producer for Legally Blonde is almost as bad.
I share my birthday with Romania’s WWII fascist creep, Ion Antonescu. Nobody has ever held me to scrutiny because of my tainted pedigree.
By the way, I wasn’t a big fan of high school either. I was too shy to even say “hi” to anyone much less look them in the face. So, aside from one or two friends, I have no idea who these people trying to add me as a friend on Facebook are.
They must think I am snobby, when really I was terrified of everyone. (Mind you, I had reason to be — this particular high school had Carrie-esque qualities: ie. I found a pig’s heart in my locker. I was also kicked or hit by the students on a near-daily basis. So glad when I transferred high schools after we moved.)
I went to high school with Bill Maher (yes, we were in the same graduating class, and yes, I knew him).
Now, if a conservative like me can be in any way, shape or form associated with Bill Maher and emerge more or less undamaged, David, then you should survive your “association” with Mr. Mehlman!
Hi Pete,
LOL! So I get Mehlman and you get Mahr! How ironic!
You’re right, guilt by association doesn’t come into play here.
Was Bill Mahr as much of a smart-ass as a student? (As you’d expect, I do agree with his politics, but still think he’s a smart-ass).
Maher was actually a nobody. We had three huge cliques in our high school and nearly everyone belonged to one of them: Jocks, freaks, and greasers. Nobody wanted Maher to hang around, although we freaks at least didn’t beat him up when he dared to show his face. That was mostly because he was just plain annoying.
He did say one thing I remember, though: “I’m going to be a comedian, because with an Irish father and a Jewish mother, what else could I be?” You gotta admit: He made good on his pledge. And he’s by far the most successful member of our graduating class, so I guess you could say he got the last laugh on Pascack Hills High School.