Prom Memories

Prom season is on us again, and my thoughts go back to my high school days. I was fortunate enough to be asked to prom every year from ninth grade through twelfth, so that's four dresses, four corsages, and three nervous boys (my ninth-grade prom date, Gerald Kearns, made a return appearance as my senior prom date'"that's him in the picture).



The ninth-grade prom was held in the cafeteria of my junior high school. Attempts were made to transform the institutional look of the place, but it takes a bit more than crepe paper streamers to conjure a fantasy world. We kids had other things on our minds, though, snogging being the main one. The music was provided by one of the DJs from the local radio station who had dated my older sister, so there's a slice of small-town life for you. I discovered that my friend Tina was wearing the same pale blue dress, so I had a good excuse to ditch the matching jacket, although unfortunately that meant abandoning my corsage (white carnation). Gerald, or Junior as he was called, looked natty in his suit and mop-top haircut (he was a Beatles fan decades after the fact).



The next year I was in a separate high school, and as a tenth-grader, I was theoretically persona non grata at the prom, which was reserved for juniors and seniors; however, at the time I was dating Jack, who happened to be a senior. I was in! This prom was held at the Mountain Lair at West Virginia University, kind of an all-purpose entertainment center, which was never referred to as a student union; I guess because it already had a cool name like "the Mountain Lair". Jack, bearing an orchid and attired in a light blue tuxedo, showed up in his brother-in-law's matching light-blue car. I was wearing a cream-colored gown which happened to match perfectly -- to the cream-colored gown of the date of Jack's friend. Sigh. No jacket to remove, and this time the ignominy was multiplied, as we were sitting at the same table!



The junior prom saw me with Sean, who provided a wrist corsage (I'd learned that slow dancing smooshes the floral adornments when Jack's orchid lost a petal or two) and who bucked the pastel trend in a black tux with dark gold shirt. I bucked as well, choosing a cranberry-colored gown with an off-the shoulder ruffle. This prom was held in the ballroom of a Ramada Inn, which was as much of a step up from the Mountain Lair as the Lair had been from the cafeteria. and the live band did a great job. We had a good time, but I spotted'"yes, the same dress, although thankfully for once I did not know'"let alone sit with'"the girl who was wearing it, and although it was the same style, it was a different color: hers was black. Progress being made!



For my senior prom, Junior (which is a cute name for someone so big'"6'3", 230 or so; he wrestled in the Unlimited weight class) made a repeat appearance, and we finally had professional pictures taken at the prom, which was held at fabulous Lakeview Resort in Morgantown, West Virginia. So, we did the pictures right, the location was definitely the best one, but did I manage to finally pick an original outfit? Well, take a gander at my crowning achievement'"a dress that no one else had! My mother had driven me to Pittsburgh, PA, about an hour and a half away, to ensure that I would not have to deal with that particular embarrassment again. This shop actually had a dress registry, bless them, and the gown was a hit'"I ended up in the yearbook with some of my friends, so all's well that ends well. Hope your prom memories as just as fond!