Have you saved your high school or college yearbook?

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Have you saved your high school or college yearbook?

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Started 2 years ago by pammyfay
Latest reply from themusiclivez
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pammyfay
Member

My eyes happened to spot my high school yearbook on a shelf in my basement (where there are other books and VHS tapes (hey--don't mock me! They still play fine!).

Why am I keeping it, I asked myself. High school was where I first got a taste of my career, but other than that, I'm probably like half the population: High school was no spectacular time for me. I'm not in therapy because of some horrid experience there, but those are difficult years for many people.

I think I can count on one hand how many times I've flipped through the book. I have my parents' yearbooks (but in addition to their photos in them, they have a beautiful art deco look, as was the style many, many, many years ago), but I can't really think of why I'm keeping my own yearbook. Not like I have children, who MIGHT want to flip through it once or twice before putting it on their own shelf in the basement. I suppose I could e-mail my home town's library and see if it wants it; journalists are always looking for the graduation mugshots of the latest person arrested for trying to smoke a cigarette in an airplane restroom.

Do you still have yours? Why? Or why not?

Posted 2 years ago #
trillie
Member

There was a post on Unclutterer.com a while ago, here: http://unclutterer.com/2008/10/06/yearbooks-worth-keeping-or-clutter/ and there are quite a few interesting comments on the whys and hows of keeping yearbooks.

Where I went to school in Germany, there aren't regular yearbooks, but yearbook-style magazines made by the graduating grade every year (so the contents are mostly their pictures, their fun field trips, their teachers' freudian slips). So needless to say, I only kept our year's magazine. I never look at it, but I keep it because I think my future kids might like to look and giggle at it, after all it features my cool 90's hairstyle ;o)

Posted 2 years ago #
chacha1
Member

I never bought the yearbooks; high school was something to be endured. I do have scrapbooks, which are on this year's to-do list: am planning to go through, select only the most meaningful bits (there will be few, I'm sure), scan them, and make a book on Blurb. Then have a bonfire with the scrapbooks and my painful, idiotic adolescent journals.

I don't have kids either, so there is no one following behind me who would have the remotest interest in this rubbish.

Posted 2 years ago #
JuliaJayne
Member

I've been thinking about yearbooks recently. I have looked up a few people over the years; it was a convenience. If I should ever want to do that again the libraries keep year books in the reference section.

Posted 2 years ago #
jsights
Member

A few years ago my mom gave me my gradeschool and high school yearbooks to take. I've had them stored in a closet ever since then, and I think I've flipped through them once. I just gave them back to my mom to do whatever she wants to do with them. I don't have room to store them in my new place, and I agree, high school was something to be endured. it wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. The good memories, I don't need a yearbook for.

Jen

Posted 2 years ago #
djk
Member

I have mine still (I only bought one in Grade 12) and when it was time for our 20 year reunion one of my digitally-inclined former classmates scanned the whole thing and put it online et voila! I guess I can toss it. Liberating thought!

Posted 2 years ago #
themusiclivez
Member

After graduating high school (10 years ago) and once I was in college (and happy) I decided to toss all of my yearbooks except for two. I tossed all six of the others (my parents had always warned me that it was a waste of money and they weren't kidding!)

Looking back, I don't regret getting rid of them. I love the Elementary School yearbook because that was a really good time for me. The Senior Yearbook was signed by some of my best friends and I love having those memories. I really wish that I didn't waste my money on the college yearbook, however. I don't have any interest in that one at all!

Posted 2 years ago #
RJ
Member

I have my junior high and high school yearbooks. Even though the times were not great for me, I kept them, along with the tassels from graduations.

I found a mobile file box for these items, and they all fit perfectly into this box. (Measure the stack of yearbooks before you go shopping so you know they'd fit.) This is the one I have: http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/656096/Office-Depot-Large-Mobile-File-Box/?cm_cat=2000000351

Along with the yearbooks, I was able to include all elementary school class photos, certificates I received for sports, and other things.

The tassels are stored in the lid's storage, with pins and other awards I received, along with Girl Scout badges. There is a handle, so you can grab this quickly in case of emergency.

This box takes up such small space in a spare closet that it was worth keeping these items.

Posted 2 years ago #
Sky
Member

I tossed mine this year when I went through my childhood box of stuff. I kept my teddy bear, stuffed cat and a couple other things. The rest went in the trash. I don't miss any of it.

Posted 2 years ago #
ArtGal
Member

I have mine. Hubby and I are high school sweethearts and I did the artwork for it...too sentimental for me to toss and we do get it out once a year on our anniversary and have a good laugh! :) A REALLY GOOD LAUGH!

Posted 2 years ago #
chiwi
Member

i used to have 3 middle school & all 4 high school. middle school was hell so i trashed them but kept the page with the teacher photos. as for high school i trashed all except the senior book. somehow i can't part with it and i don't know why. i had no friends, didn't participate in anything, never talked to anyone. as far as i know nobody knew my name. i was happiest hanging out by myself in the library on the internet yet i still keep the book LOL.

Posted 2 years ago #
chacha1
Member

Here's an uncluttering grudge I've been holding for a long time ... I have all this high-school paraphernalia that I really couldn't care less about, but my elementary-school scrapbook, which I WOULD have liked to have, got tossed by dear Mom after I moved out for collect. Along with my adored Steiff lion. Thanks Mom!!

ArtGal: LOL The pictures of *my* high-school sweethearts just make me gag!

Posted 2 years ago #
paperdog
Member

I still have all 4 high school yearbooks. I went to a very small school so, consequently, small yearbooks. I know/knew everyone in them and the personal messages are priceless. Besides, I was editor, so they are my "babies."
The college ones, however, I tossed a couple of years ago. They were huge (but did make very good large weights and we used them several times for that purpose) I did cut out the pages that had pictures of me and my DH, as well as some close friends. I agree that paying the money for those college yearbooks was a waste because at such a large university the percentage of people that you actually knew is so small, I would have been better off spending the money on a scrapbook and film/developing (it was before digital, OK?) and made my own memory book of MY memories.

Posted 2 years ago #
Amy
Member

Most of the pictures I have of my mother are from after I was born, so when she passed away, I took a few pictures from when she was younger. I don't know what happened to her yearbooks (probably mold from being kept in the basement), but I found an old scrapbook from her college days. I don't know who most of the people are, but it's my mother acting goofy with her girlfriends, and it's nice to think of her as once being young and having fun. Sentimental stuff like this always gets me. I have her old home movies, too.

My high school yearbook and my baby book and my kid's yearbooks and even my ex's yearbooks are all in rubbermaid totes in the garage, waiting for the day my children have to clean out my stuff as they sell my house and move me into assisted living.

I figure it's the least I can do for them for leaving it all with me to begin with.

Posted 2 years ago #
Claycat
Member

If you don't want your yearbooks, some of them are selling on eBay for surprising amounts. I sold a Texas A&M yearbook, 1944, for $53! I was in shock!

I have some others that haven't sold for as much, but I have a 1942 Lamar High School (Houston) yearbook that should sell well. I just wish I had put it on eBay before they raised the fees so much.

I know those are old yearbooks, but there are fairly recent ones that are selling, too.

Posted 2 years ago #
nhbowden
Member

I can't find my high school yearbook. It's safely tucked away in a box ... somewhere ... :-/

Posted 2 years ago #
javamonster
Member

My high school yearbook made it through basement floods, and other indignities. I do have some good memories of high school. Not great, but good, and I do still have some affection for the people in my group that I remember. It does smell of mildew though.

I don't have any yearbooks from college though. Ironically, college was horrible for me, and I left one school after two years, and then transferred to another one that didn't have yearbooks at all! (phew!) I kind of wish that second school DID have yearbooks, because my husband and I do keep in touch (well, he does more than I do) of the friends we had back then. And I remember I also had a "yearbook" from Junior High, but I don't know if it's survived the years. Now, that was hellish as well. I'm not so sure I miss that one at all, but I do wonder where it is from time to time.

Posted 2 years ago #
trillie
Member

@Claycat, ooh, I wonder if there is a celebrity in there, with very unfortunate hair... Hee hee :o)

Posted 2 years ago #
Gypsie
Member

I have every year book K-12 and DH has his high school ones. We are from different parts of the country and both went to relatively small schools so we use the books to point out people that we come across or reminisce about to each other. I am pretty sure my mom has her high school year books and I did enjoy looking at them as well. I will keep mine but they fit in a small space.

Posted 2 years ago #
lahope
Member

I'll never get rid of my yearbooks although I noticed in the last UCLA alumni magazine the university needs one of the years I have for its official collection. I'll let someone else donate it because I do use mine occasionally when I come across a name in the news that sounds vaguely familiar or I get a facebook friend request. Most of the women are using different names from when they were in high school/college, so I need to be able to compare photos and google both last names to make sure I'm adding someone I actually knew, not some random person. I especially love my high school friends. I've stayed in touch with many but I've lost touch with just as many that I would like to know today. I envy the younger digital media generation. The members never have to lose touch with one another because it's so easy to stay connected!

Posted 2 years ago #

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