FAREWELL TO IRONDEQUOIT HIGH

I am at the high-school senior banquet where they’re reading the predictions for the year 2000, though it’s more interesting to see how good everybody looks. Guys in vests— guys in white jackets—guys in red shoes —and the girls—I’ve tried to count the number of backless dresses, but after running out of fingers, toes, eyes, ears, and teeth, my mind wanders back to the predictions. “And Heimie Alpert will be supplying the Israeli army with kosher pickles (laughter) . . . And Jack MacKenzie, who was completely mature in sixth grade, died 15 years ago of old age (much laughter) . . . And Rick Brookhiser has bought the National Enquirer to further the spread of his political views . . .”

And the prediction gets its laughter, and they move on to other predictions while I lose the thread again, and muse on the strangeness of their choice, on the three years that lie between now and my First Political Act.

About the Author

Richard Brookhiser

Historian Richard Brookhiser is a senior editor of National Review and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.

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I am at the high-school senior banquet where they’re reading the predictions for the year 2000, though it’s more interesting to see how good everybody looks. Guys in vests— guys in white jackets—guys in red shoes —and the girls—I’ve tried to count the number of backless dresses, but after running out of fingers, toes, eyes, ears, and teeth, my mind wanders back to the predictions. “And Heimie Alpert will be supplying the Israeli army with kosher pickles (laughter) . . . And Jack MacKenzie, who was completely mature in sixth grade, died 15 years ago of old age (much laughter) . . . And Rick Brookhiser has bought the National Enquirer to further the spread of his political views . . .”

And the prediction gets its laughter, and they move on to other predictions while I lose the thread again, and muse on the strangeness of their choice, on the three years that lie between now and my First Political Act.