My Wish For The Class Of 2015 From The Class Of ’80

Thirty-five years ago I graduated with the Totino-Grace Class of 1980. We had just survived the disco era and the bad clothes that were in the '70s. Elvis died in 1977 and the space shuttle was becoming a reality. We used Apple IIe Computers in school (they needed a floppy disc to operate. If you don't know what these are, ask your parents or grandparents). There was no Facebook, no internet, no cell phones, some people had pagers, (again ask your parents or grandparents). The federal minimum wage was $3.10 per hour. Gas was a little over $1 per gallon (but that was about double what it was in 1979). The average cost of a new home was $77,000. And there was not a lot of talk about LGBT citizens.

The class of '80 had many of the dreams you do -- becoming doctors, lawyers, computer programmers, auto mechanics. I was predicted by my class to be the manager of the Metrodome that was under construction. Good thing that did not pan out since the building is now gone.

You are our future leaders. You will take care of some of us as we continue to get older. Some will build our future retirement homes. You will give us grandchildren or great-grandchildren. You will be doing our jobs, with better technology. Most you will own a home but probably never pay off a mortgage unless you sell a home, but then you will get another one.

I wish you all of the best. I know right now it's a scary world. Many of you hopefully will enjoy the summer and be moving away from home for the first time to go on to college and a great career. I wish you all the success in the world. Not everything may come out as you planned, but sometimes changes in the plan can be a good thing. Good luck.