I left Hernando High after my sophomore year in 1981 and finished school at Jacksonville Bolles. Some might remember my departure. Some might be surprised to know that I wasn’t even at Hernando those last two years. Some might say, “Who? Whatever.” But, ten years of familiar faces trump the other minor gig.
I remember the day I drove up to Jacksonville with my parents to look at this prep school where I would be living. I got a speeding ticket on 301 just north of Lawtey (AAA rated speed trap). That night in the hotel, the movie Apocalypse Now was on cable. I heard this powerful, hauntingly beautiful song. It starts ethereal, rises into frantic chaos, and ends in dark bliss. I discovered from the movie credits that it was The End by The Doors. Synchronicity burned this song into a lifetime favorite. It was a fitting tribute to a new beginning.
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again
Although we are the culmination of all our experiences, it is not necessary that a series of those experiences should define us. So our lives fill pages and chapters along the journey. Some pages are burned, some chapters lost, and some are forever tucked away in our hearts.
Unbridle the energy of youth and run wild for a while. Just beware of cell phone cameras, You Tube, and My Space or Facebook!
In 1971 on the first day of first grade in Mrs. Law’s class at Brooksville Primary, the Elliot twins, Ray and Jim, were dressed alike.
August 22, 1980. AC/DC Lakeland Civic Center. Back in Black had just been released. Brian Johnson had replaced the deceased Bon Scott. Bill Leahy and I were living some teenage rite of passage at this concert. Dazed and Confused meets Detroit Rock City meets Beavis and Butthead.
20 years later in 2001 during the week of 911, I moved back to Jacksonville where my wife Elina and our three children Gerald III, Teddy, and Isabella (ages 5, 3, and 1) are in constant motion. I will be in North Carolina during the reunion but do say hello to everyone. I send a special thanks to Cheryl Holley for keeping me in the H.H.S. loop.
Cheers … Gerald
Gerald Springstead
