I live in a senior living facility with more than 50 high school friends. It feels like a reunion every day.

This communicative is based connected an question and reply pinch Carlene Jenkins, 89, a retired individual shopper from Austin. It has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Three years ago, it became clip for my husband, Robert, 90, a retired dentist, and maine to downsize and move from our location successful Austin.

A batch of group successful our business circuit different accommodation to find the correct one. However, it was a no-brainer for america to take Westminster Senior Living successful the metropolis center.

So galore of our friends were already residents, and we'd spell astatine slightest erstwhile a week for meal and different societal occasions.

Those friendships person lasted galore decades — 1 of the gentlemen, Russ Butler, 89, and I met almost 80 years agone successful sixth grade.

I went to the University of Texas

Then location is Mike Roche, 91, raised only 2 blocks from my puerility home, who, for illustration me, attended the University of Texas successful the mid-to-late 1950s.

In fact, location are excessively galore group to sanction astatine Westminster who stock 1 of the champion and strongest connections successful life. At slightest 50 of america — astir 10% of the full number of residents — went to the aforesaid school, Austin High.

For example, Russ and I graduated successful 1954, and Mike was the Class of '53. The others see Martha Vetrees, Class of '48, and Cynthia Lynch, 77, 1 of the youngest successful the group, who graduated successful 1966.

Cynthia organizes an charismatic reunion astatine the installation each March, but each time is simply a reunion for a definite halfway of us.

Mike and I were cheerleaders

We make a constituent of gathering connected Tuesdays astatine the bar, wherever we'll stock a gin and tonic or a citrus h2o earlier sitting down to meal astatine a large table.

We telephone the group "ROOL," short for "Rest of Our Lives," because we're ever location for 1 another.

There's truthful overmuch to drawback up connected because we've been friends forever. Mike and I were connected the aforesaid cheerleading team. They called them outcry leaders. Mike still has his aged uniform.

We'd beryllium astatine each the games that the boys played. It was a really bully time. Everybody successful our cohort liked each other, and location was ne'er immoderate unkindness aliases bullying.

Austin High was very big, and successful my inferior year, location were 1,200 people. Many of our parents either worked for the authorities aliases the University of Texas, truthful we had a batch successful common. It's funny, arsenic my mom was a erstwhile student, too.

We deterioration the schoolhouse colors

The uniforms were maroon and achromatic — an different combination. Still, we deterioration our colors astatine formal reunions, often bringing on our aged photographs and yearbooks.

We singing the schoolhouse song, "Loyal Forever," which includes the line, "Spirit Unequaled, Never Let It Die."

There's besides the conflict song, which is much risque, of course. Let's conscionable opportunity that it's about freshmen, beer, whisky, and rye, and time off it there!

We are truthful fortunate to beryllium portion of this nosy community. None of america gets lonely because we're among precious friends we've known each our lives.