Prom Season Through the Years

This great picture greeted me one Sunday morning a couple of years ago and it brought prom season to mind.

I noticed he was surrounded by two cute girls with tiaras but our sister Judy talked about getting his picture taken with all the girls from his class at the prom and I thought that's what this was.  Until I saw the crown.  Way to go King Matthew!  This is a GREAT picture and will bring warm wonderful memories for many years to come.  Proof positive of that right here in this post.

Poor Mom and Dad with 5 girls and all those proms!  They weren't quite the EVENTS they sometimes are today with limos or after-prom all night parties, but they have always held a special place in high school memories.

I had one prom experience in high school during my senior year in Walton.  My grandmother made my dress for me, bless her.  I thought the green/yellow paisley pattern would be different enough from the typical prom dress that........I don't even know.  I just wanted it to be different.  I think it was.  Looking at it today, I don't know WHAT kind of impression it must have made.  What I do know is that my parents did not like my date Glenn one bit.  I think they were somewhat relieved when my sister Kathy got asked to go with Jim Grotevant, a classmate of ours.  If I recall, Kathy had to make her arrangements late in the game.

 Ruffled shirts were quite the style at the time.  Look how long my hair is!  This was taken outside the school.  Dad attended the prom, supposedly as part of his duties in his job but I know 100% that he needed to check the whole thing out (mostly Glenn).  About an hour after we sent Amy off on her first prom, I sat bolt upright panicked and wondering "How could I send my daughter off with some guy we don't even know?"  I'll give Dad the benefit of the doubt and assume his concerns were similar.  Consider it an early Father's Day gift to him.

This is a classic from 1976.  These are my sisters Paula, Mary Jane and Kathy. Of course, I don't have any personal memories of this but isn't this a great picture?  I think that dress Mary Jane is wearing made the rounds for various events.  I think I wore it to a wedding once.

Prom season 60+ (yes, more than 60) years ago.  I think you've seen this before. This is our mother Anne Flynn Ryan.  This was probably taken in Olean NY. No ashtrays these days. Proms were a great deal more formal at the time--there are several dance cards left over from her dancing days.    I don't even know how kids today would fill out a dance card with those group "dances" out in the middle of the floor during today's dances.  Can you imagine? 

I've arranged several proms for Harpursville students and it's a big night for everyone--a tradition I hope lasts for many more generations of students.  Picturing our grand nieces Delaney, Tessa and Tylee right now......(see 1976 picture above!)