Sorry for the hijack. One of the first things lost to Alzheimers it the function of transferring information from short term memory into long term memory…from ram to disk in computer terms. Thus NEW long term memories can’t be formed, but the information already in long term memory is fine. (untill later in the progression of the diseasease) Again in computer terms, it becomes a CD-ROM rather than a HD. The fact that short term memory also works makes the disease seem very strange. Person has all those old memories in-tact, speaks clearly and coherantly, and has NO clue that they have told you the same thing every 5 minutes for the last hour.
In my mother’s case, it was clear that the oldest memories were the last to go. Toward the end, she recognized me, but as her (dead) brother. She stopped asking about my dad (gone ten years at that point) and started asking if we’d heard from her parents (30 years gone).
Again sorry for the hijack…evil f’ing condition I wish I knew much less about.
I remember 33 out of 38 kids in my grade 1 class, and that was 41 years ago. Mind you, I had to look at the photo, but the names came back without any hesitation. It did help that it was a rural school, and most of us were together from Prep-Grade 6.
Funny how I forget names of people I met just last week though.
That’s really cool. Any idea how many of them are still living? I got a booklet from the last reunion my HS graduating class held a few years ago and a whole bunch of them have moved on. A lot more were just unaccounted for, no known address and the like. Forty-one years is a good while. How many do you stay in touch with?
About 10 or so years ago there was a celebration held at the school to mark its centenary, and a big reunion was planned. I thought I would finally get the chance to catch up with old friends and playmates, but alas, I had mistaken the date and turned up a day late.
I have no idea whatever happened to any of those kids. We moved to the city when I was in Grade 6, and life took on a different course. I kept in touch for a few months (letters and stuff) but they soon dropped away without any common ground to talk about.
However, I might go Google some names while I am here.
Mrs. Maiden’s class, Lewis Sands Elementary, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, 1964-1965. I remember lots of them (20/30), because I went through 8th grade with most of them before moving away.
One of them went on to author Calvin and Hobbes, which means that I could probably put my first grade class picture on eBay and, pathetically, someone would probably buy it.
Not that I ever saw. He was a quiet, good-humored kid who drew well. He did insist on riding the one-cent mechanical horse ride in front of Woolworth’s to celebrate finishing eighth grade, though… :dubious:
