High School Buddies--49 Years Later

Larry, Jay & Ted at WWII Museum

We recently got together with two of Larry's high school buddies, Jay Field and Ted Moore, and their charming wives, Laura and Linda.

Over the years, we have visited with one or the other, but thanks to Jay's perseverance and determination, the three finally reunited all together in New Orleans.

(We were in NOLA to attend the wedding of Lesley Simpson, the daughter of our old and dear friends, Lois and Martin--we are working on a posting about that great party.)

Larry, Jay and Ted graduated in 1966, almost fifty years ago, from Norview High School in Norfolk, Virginia.  From a class of over 1100, not one of the three have managed to maintain contact with any of their other classmates.

The Norview Boys and wives.

Best friends during their junior and senior years, they went their separate ways upon graduation: Jay to Virginia Tech, Larry to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Ted to the US Army. All too quickly, the years seemed to pass with long stretches of being out of touch.

Since only Jay had family and ties to Norfolk, the other two never had reason to return or get together there.  Twenty-five years ago, Jay and Larry, along with Sue and Laura, attended the 25th Class Reunion which was held in Virginia Beach, VA, but Ted, unfortunately was absent.

New Orleans Street Car

With the help of the Internet, Jay finally found Ted a few years ago in Columbia, SC where at the time he was Provost of the University of South Carolina.

Jay tried to pull our disparate schedules together and plan a reunion several years ago, but it never seemed to work.  But 2015 was to prove the year we succeeded in getting the three back together.

Iconic NOLA water meter

Although we had only a couple of days in New Orleans, we managed to catch up, reminisce and share events from our lives during the past half century.

Our AirBNB Home

The boys enjoyed a day at the WW II museum, while Sue, Laura, and Linda had a day of exploring Magazine Street, an area of shops and restaurants.

Food, per usual in New Orleans, was a big part of the get together. The first night we all took the street car (not the trolley) to the French Quarter for dinner at the Acme Oyster House, one of Sue & Larry's favorite dives.  After more than a half hour wait in line we all enjoyed some typical New Orleans delights.  Acme Oyster House has been operating in the same location for over 100 years and should not be missed on a visit to NOLA.

Jacques-Imo's, a NOLA favorite

Our AirBnB accommodation was on Dublin just off Oak Street, a happening area in the Uptown Neighborhood. Besides sleeping all six of us comfortably, it had plenty of communal space, including a lovely patio, for visiting and imbibing.

The Live Oak Cafe, just around the corner from the AirBnb house, provided a great breakfast experience,  but the gustatory pinnacle proved to be Jacques-Imos: a not to be missed restaurant in the same neighborhood that features "Nawlins" style dishes. Wow!

The wait staff were incredibly good and knowledgeable--they didn't blink when we all wanted to share our entrees--and all came separated and on their own dishes.  At the end of our sumptuous and delicious meal, we ordered one dessert--bread pudding. What a nice surprise when three desserts (the bread pudding, creme brulee and a brownie/blondie plate) showed up, and we were charged for just one.

Our breakfast headquarters

After successful careers, all three of the high school buddies are now retired, and we are looking forward to more opportunities to get together.

Jay and Laura and Sue and Larry think that an Alaskan or Mediterranean Cruise would be just the ticket; Linda, Ted's wife, does too.  Now all we have to do is convince Ted.