Another one of the fellows I went to high school and college with just “obitted”.
He didn’t die. I wasn’t there. I just read his obit. Makes it a little less unbearable.
He and I were always in different “sections”.
In my small Catholic high school, the sections were sorted by “smart” and “dumb”. It didn’t take us too long to figure that out! Might as well have put stickers on our foreheads. That established an unhealthy tension between the sections. With testy laden guys! But, he was one of the people I liked. From what I remember. I hated high school. All I can say is I survived it!
In college, it was alphabetic by last name. Equally dumb! But, not as demeaning.
He and I interacted mostly around the computer lab. Even in those days, I was a nerd’s nerd. I took to the computer as duck to water, … or a pig to s….!!! He used to joke that he had special influence with the College data center operators, cause he knew me, and always dropped my name to get of the front of the next input tray of keypunched cards going into the computer room. Sometimes, especially at crunch time, there’d be up to 40 trays waiting. After 40 the good Brother would “close” the window. That was fun! But, getting into the next tray in, meant he’d get his results quicker. And, in those days, I had “stature”, I was the Number TWO student systems programmer. AND, I had a real job in industry; even #1 didn’t have that. Would you believe that in those days, I was “somebody”. Any way, he and I used to laugh about that. I had the power to make operators miserable since I had input, or made all sorts of decisions. That was in the day when people !decided! things, not held a meeting to form a consensus about what to have for lunch. Any way, he’d drop my name — put fear into the heart of the input clerk (the lowest job in the computer center, short of the janitor and he was a real College employee!) — and get fast turn around. In those days, fast turn around meant leaving a reasonable hour, or not getting your class work done. It was a giant game! And, we laughed about it.
I didn’t even know he was in my geography.
I notified anyone in those circles of interest. Updated my high school alumni page and “his” page on the site. Messaged our college’s alumni office.
I am saddened by this.
Bummed out!
Reinke Faces Life 