The music icon Prince recorded his famous song 1999 when I was a baby, yet that song became a defining tune for my generation. Further, as a member of Patterson High School’s Class of 1999, it became an unofficial anthem for our class. However, despite the awesomeness of Prince (which was f#$%ing indisputable), it must be said that his song still came in second in our hearts to Survivor’s smash hit, Eye of the Tiger.

If you play that song for any Patterson Tiger graduate from the last 30-odd years, our heart will race. Our pulse will quicken. And you can pretty much get us to agree to do anything. And I mean anything. Are we wavering from jumping out of a plane? No problem— just play Eye of the Tiger for about twenty seconds and that’s all it takes to make us change our mind. The tune is imprinted in our souls and instantly brings us back to the musty smells of the PHS gymnasium when hot dogs only cost $1 and all hair scrunchies had to be crimson and grey.

In just a few weeks, my class is celebrating our 20th PHS reunion. It’s hard to believe that this much time has passed— yet, life is so different now than it was then. In 1999, cell phones were the size of bricks and email was simply the most efficient way to send jokes and annoying chain letters. And, if that wasn’t enough, in 1999, presidents could actually be impeached for lying about extramarital affairs. So, yeah, it was a weird time.

Twenty years later, though, and we’re all getting a little older now. We’ve got kids, mortgages, and if you’re like me, you’ve got some secret grey hair, too. Now we listen to Eye of the Tiger to get pumped up for other, more ordinary things— like negotiating a good deal on a new car, convincing our boss to give us a pay raise, and telling ourselves that a life-saving mammogram won’t hurt our boobies as much as we fear it might.

We are trying to reach out to members of the PHS Class of 1999 to invite them to our reunion on August 16th. We’ve located many classmates via social media, but considering we’re alleged members of the Millennial Generation (which I heartily contest, however!) our class’s digital footprint is decidedly small. So, if you’re reading this and you know someone that graduated from PHS in 1999, let them know we’re looking for them. If they balk, and claim disinterest in the reunion, just play Eye of the Tiger and watch what happens.

The song works wonders.

For information, visit the reunion Facebook page, or the event link on Eventbrite.