Every five years a group of friends who met for the first time in Flagstaff during the early 1970s meets in that city for the "Old Main Reunion." Named after the iconic structure on the Northern Arizona University campus, the reunion is not only for those who lived in Old Main dormitory.
A large portion of the attendees never spent the night in the old building, and a few more never even finished their degrees at the school. A strange bond exists between the members of this loose organization, though, and most would overcome any obstacle to attend the event. (Indeed, one of our most cherished members came after he was given only weeks to live by his physicians. He was warmly received.) The first Old Main Reunion was held in 1991, about twenty years after the events we gathered to remember. Other meetings occurred in 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, and ... well, 2021 was during the darkest days of the pandemic so we postponed until this year, 2022.
Like schoolboys in an English boarding academy, many of our friends have nicknames; Stu, Zeke, Mambo, Burnt, and Crazy Dave to name a few. My own appellation has always been "Colonel," but I can scarcely remember if I named myself this in high school or in college. The title was certainly not bestowed on me by any of our group and I am sure my vanity in my college years inspired me to continue the nickname. Regardless, I am still addressed in this fashion today by my friends and as embarassing as it sounds, I haven't the heart to insist on dropping the rank. Many of the others in our group readily adopt their own nicknames once we are together again. It is amazing to see what became of this unruly band of 18-20 year olds after nearly fifty years. A livestock inspector, a banker, a postman, an electrician, and even an Arizona county attorney can be found in our circle (most of whom are now retired).
The festivities kicked off with the rollicking, backslapping gathering at the Monte Vista Hotel in downtown Flagstaff. This antique hotel was originally chosen by us in 1991 because it had a funky,
neglected vibe very much like our old dormitory. Since then, the Monte Vista has been rennovated more than a few times and has evolved into a nightlife hotspot for the NAU students and other young people. As a result, it is a noisy and boisterous place where sleep is sometimes difficult to gain, but it is ideal for a gathering point for our group. Situated in the center of downtown, the Monte Vista also has a couple of park benches on the sidewalk outside their auxiliary saloon. It is here than many gathered between the official events just to stand around and shoot the bull. After initally greeting one another at the hotel, we made our way to the campus where, surpisingly enough, the old student union adjacent to Old Main has now become a rather fancy restaurant, operated by students who are in the hospitality/culinary studies program at the university. The meal was good, but the company was better, with many attendees who were not staying at the Monte Vista showing up as the evening progressed. The "1889" Bar and Grill had set up our dining area on the patio directly facing Old Main. I doubt a more ideal spot for our opening venue could have been chosen. There followed, on a rainy, cool
Saturday afternoon, a picnic held at Buffalo Park, the same location we chose to film an amateur
silent western movie in 1974. In past reunions we have always gone to Hart Prairie, but most of the attendees were glad to switch locations after considering what wretched shape the dirt road to our usual spot must have been after days of rainfall. The barbeque was a great success, and everyone enjoyed watching the clouds drift slowly in, obscuring for a moment the spendid view of Humphreys Peak. By the time Sunday morning rolled around we were all again on the steps of Old Main to bid each other goodbye, but only after agreeing to do the event again in four years, 2026, to get us back on proper pre-Covid schedule.
You are likely now wondering what the title of this essay has to do with the bulk of its composition. Simply put, I arrived home with an active infection of Covid-19 after all this, but so far I have heard from no one else who has also fell ill. My own symptoms are quite mild, likely as a result of my initial vaccination and two booster shots, but I am also taking the anti-viral drug recommended for those who contract the disease. So, yes, after more than two years, and a long, hard fight with West Nile, the Covid virus finally said "gotcha" to me.
