The Spirit of '76 in 2001

I really must tell you that this is a blast
Rekindling old friendships and remembering the past

I remember the year…The "Spirit of '76"
Over 400 students - we were quite a mix

We cheered for the Indians, our lacrosse team sensation
WIRQ was our high school radio station

The musical "Sugar" was the I.H.S. play
Our yearbook had a name that no one quite knew how to say

I looked through that book just the other day 
Stirring memories of hair and thoughts long hidden away

A great many things happened in that Bicentennial Year
The world went through changes as our lives went into high gear

Gerald Ford was the President of the United States
Before we ever heard of Bill Clinton or even Bill Gates

"All In The Family" was the #1 rated show…
And Laverne & Shirley was just one step below 

Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors were atop of their game
And Patti Hearst had become a household name

Alex Haley's "Roots" taught us about Civil Rights
And Rocky Balboa gave us the first of five amazing fights

On Broadway "A Chorus Line" captured our hearts
While Paul McCartney's "Silly Love Songs" topped the Billboard charts

The Olympics were on …and Dorothy Hamill was the champ
We mailed our letters using a 10-cent stamp 

We didn't have PCs… we didn't have CDs
We didn't have VCRs… we didn't have DVDs

Kids today can't imagine how we managed to survive  
Especially in those clothes we wore before they were alive

What we DID have was the ambition to help this world advance
High school had ended and this was our big chance

As we sat in the Eastman Theatre on Graduation Day
Our lives would soon change as we each went our own way

We sat there as mere children with diplomas in our hands
Our friends and families all around - they were our biggest fans. 

A new journey began with our sights set on winning
Now 25 years later, we've come back to the beginning

The beginning of our adulthood, the beginning of our success
We can trace it all back to our days at I.H.S.

So we sit together again, reflecting on years…
Of ups and downs… of smiles and tears.

We are older and wiser but we still love to have fun
It's sure great to be together in the year 2001. 


David Comisar
IHS Class of '76