Rolf reports his high school reunion is coming up soon. It turns out my class is having reunion this year as well.
Rolf included a link to High school reunion shocker: They’re dying off! Which is interesting. The number from the article are:
To estimate the statistical death-rate norm for any class size, Polasky provided the following rough figures:
- 10 year reunion — 1 death per 100 graduates.
- 20 year reunion — 1 death per 50 graduates.
- 30 year reunion — 1 death per 20 graduates.
- 40 year reunion — 1 death per 10 graduates.
- 50 year reunion — 1 death per five graduates.
Even though his is not this year, I was talking to a cousin of mine a few days ago about reunions and he was saying about 40 or 44 percent of his class was gone. And while I don’t have the most current numbers for my class the number is uncomfortably high with another couple dying in the last six months. And I know the numbers from my last reunion are about 50 percent higher than this. In part, this is probably due a high percentage of logging and construction type jobs my classmates went into. That area of Idaho is also known at a “cancer belt”. I don’t think anyone knows for certain why, but the cancer rate in that area is higher than normal. The speculation I have heard discussed is:
- Being downwind from Hanford
- Toxic chemicals from the pulp mill
- Farm chemicals
- Outdoor activities and exposure to high levels of UV
I have enjoying the reunions but there is also a fair amount of sadness is seeing how many are now gone.
Coming up towards my 30th. There’s a Facebook page dedicated to the lost alumni of my high school. Of course it has some varying levels of reporting bias. Just looked at it and my class is just slightly below the rate you posted.
What I found very interesting is that the years immediately on both sides are almost double my year. Weird, and no explanation.