Calling All Dukes
Alums Diane and David Armstrong rethink the structure of York High School reunions
A lot happens in high school. The four years that transpire between middle school and college, or the start of your adult life, are significant. Friends from that period of life are the ones who get to see you start to become who you are today. They’re worth finding.
“Life gets so busy when you’re raising a family. At this point, though, our careers probably aren’t taking up our whole lives anymore, so we have more time to reconnect.”
– Diane Armstrong
And some of the people who made high school so memorable weren’t even your classmates. Teammates, club members, and siblings of friends in other classes share a lot of the same memories. But we don’t see them at our class reunions.
Diane and David Armstrong are working on changing that. This month, they are launching the first-ever Dukes of Every Decade event. York alums from any class are welcome to an all-class reunion.
“Life gets so busy when you’re raising a family,” said Diane. Those years are hectic. “At this point, though, our careers probably aren’t taking up our whole lives anymore, so we have more time to reconnect.”
There are no better two than the Armstrongs to demonstrate the value of reconnection. The pair themselves reunited at the 40th reunion of the Class of ‘81 five years ago. While they had known each other as classmates, from as far back as grade school, they had different friends at that moment in time. They got to know each other again at their 20th and 35th reunions.
Diane was teaching a pickleball clinic as one of the events leading up to their 40th. Dave contacted her a few days before to reserve a spot. “I had hoped he was single,” Diane confessed. “He had always had a gentle spirit that I noticed.”
The two had a chance to catch up properly at the events leading up to the dance at the Drake Oak Brook. That night, a classmate accidentally knocked Diane in the nose on the dance floor! Dave caught her just before she fell.
The rest, as they say, is proverbial history. One year later, they were engaged in the very same room as the reunion, which later also held their wedding celebration after formal nuptials in Key West. There are five sons between them from their previous marriages, and the family recently welcomed their first granddaughter.
The Class of 1981 celebrates its 40th reunion. The success of that gathering inspired Diane and David Armstrong to expand the tradition into an all-class York reunion.
The importance of reconnection resonates as they continue to weave their lives together. So much of who Diane and Dave became started at York. “York was, and still is, a wonderful place with great structure,” said Diane. “I made many friends on the pom-pom squad and student council who helped springboard my real estate career. We’re all still close.”
Dave had the opportunity to take an aviation science class taught by retired Air Force pilot Chuck Henninger. At the end of the class, students were invited to take the Federal Aviation Administration exam. He was also able to secure a student pilot license and learn to fly. It directed his life, as he later earned an aerospace engineering degree, followed by a wildly successful career at McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing.
These days, the Armstrongs continue to live locally, with time out of state split between Wisconsin and Florida. After their great fortune at the last reunion, “we were ‘voluntold’ by classmates that we would be planning the 45th reunion of the Class of ’81,” said Diane as she smiled.
That’s when they decided to change the format and extend the invitation to Dukes of any age and graduating class. “When you think about it, you’re in the same halls every day with kids from other classes,” said Dave. “Some of us have friends from other classes that we know from sports teams or clubs. Families had several children there at the same time who all became friends.”
The Dukes of Every Decade Reunion will be held at Stage 119 in downtown Elmhurst on Saturday, September 26, which is York’s Homecoming weekend. Come ready to dance – a DJ that specializes in throwback mixes will be spinning tunes from past decades that evening. Line dancing lessons will also be offered, along with trivia and raffles. A cash bar and hors d’oeuvres will be available, with several à la carte dinner options from which to choose. Each decade will have a designated area to gather.
High school classmates are worth catching up with, so if you graduated from York, get thee to The Dukes of Every Decade Reunion later this month! Come out and reconnect with your classmates on a beautiful fall weekend. These were friends from a distinct moment in life. They’re worth finding again. Even if it’s been a minute, what have you got to lose? Time and space seem to separate us, but a reunion is a great opportunity to have some laughs and reconnect with lost friends. Take a chance! Who knows what could come of it?
For more information, or to order tickets, please visit myevent.com/dukesthroughthedecades
