This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Check out these two pictures taken 40 years apart. If you knew me in 1971, you'd never recognize me today.
Time isn't this horrible to everyone. People who haven't seen my wife in years immediately recognize her when they meet. After three kids and 36 years of marriage to a head case, she hasn't changed much.
The years have been much kinder to her because she's had far less to live down. Teenage pictures of her feature a girl every bit as wholesome as the woman she is today.
Conversely, the 1971 photo makes me look like I was discovered passed out in a public park, which, truthfully, I had been just an hour before.
Sadly, the 2011 mug shot is of a guy worn down by years of marriage, church attendance, job holding, mortgage paying and other soul-grinding responsibilities. Small wonder that the people I went to high school with don't recognize me today.
It's an important consideration given that I'll be attending my 40th high school reunion this month. On Aug. 19 and 20, the Skyline High School class of '71 gathers to celebrate — well, I'm not sure.
I've never been entirely clear about the point of high school reunions for people like me, who did their best not to go there in the first place.
If I had to guess — and I do — it probably has something to do with seeing whether time has been equally cruel to others, or to pretend that it hasn't been to you.
I visited the Skyline '71 reunion website to see if anyone I remember plans on being there — and whether I'll recognize them. Some classmates have posted then and now photos.
In most "now" shots it's still possible to detect the younger version through the effects of time. The "then" photos are like looking at pictures of their kids.
Case in point, Chris Frenette. In 1971, Chris was the Skyline student body secretary. We didn't know each other then, but I remember the short, highly attractive brunette I occasionally passed in the hall.
A "today" picture of Chris Frenette Tate posted on the website shows a happy, attractive, older version of the girl I remember. The long dark hair is lighter and shorter now, but I probably would have recognized her.
Not everyone is OK with such comparisons. In fact, most people avoid letting others see photographic evidence of now versus then.
NOTE: This is especially true if "then" had any connection with disco.
Wrinkles, gray hair and weight gain are the physical price of time. It's not something people consider much when we're young and lithe and clueless.
If any thought is given to the effects of aging by kids today, it's that you'll be just as cool 40 years down the road, that all the piercings, tattoos, and skunk hair won't serve as indictments that you were once a raging dork.
Trust me, it goes faster than you think. The day isn't far off when your kids will be looking at pictures of you and wondering what the hell happened.
If you're Skyline Class of '71 — and you can stand letting others see what time has done to you — check out the website at http://www.skyline71.com or contact Trisha Snarr Beck at trishbeck8@gmail.com.
Robert Kirby can be reached at rkirby@sltrib.com or facebook.com/notpatbagley.