CONGRATULATIONS BRYAN! ANOTHER GRADUATION

Bryan in black tie rather than cap and gown

That's Bryan, my grandson who lives in New Orleans.  Jesuit High School graduates do not wear cap and gown for graduation.  He looked so handsome in his tux.  I had to help Bryan with his cuff links and studs, as no one else knew the trick.

At the ceremony, the group of boys were well-rehearsed and moved individually and as a group like military men in formation.  When I was in high school in NOLA, Jesuit boys wore military uniforms.  The Jesuits ran a tight ship then.  I don't know about now, but the graduates toed the line.

My grandson did not know all the words to the fight song, which is sung at sports competitions, but I did, because my high school friends and I attended the Jesuit football games.  I sang the fight song for the family after a couple of glasses of wine and embarrassed them all.

Jesuit graduates on the stage

We were seated in the nosebleed section at the Pontchartrain Center, since none of us were interested in arriving two hours early.  I never found Bryan in the group until his name was called, and he went up to get his diploma.  Yay Bryan!  Shouting or applause for individuals was prohibited, and the audience mostly heeded the rule. These days, graduations move along rather quickly, which is a relief from the long ceremonies which I remember from days past.

Bryan will join his cousin Joey at LSU in the fall. 

Grandpère and brother Andrew

A rather nice photo of Grandpère and Andrew, Bryan's brother.  How 'bout Andrew's red bow tie?  An unflattering photo of the ladies, my daughter and me, is not included in the post.

Bryan was known as "the antiseptic baby", because he was the first child in the family, and his parents took very seriously the doctor's caution not to let anyone touch him except the parents and me, who was there to help.  I remember a young neighbor coming to visit, and Bryan's Dad told him at the door, "We're not letting anyone touch the baby."  The young man walked over to the bassinet to see Bryan with his hands in the air, as if to say, "Look!  I'm not touching."  When the next two boys came along, the rules eased up, as there's nothing like having another little one in the house to spread germs, so the Mom and Dad gave up.

Bryan walked at the age of 7 months, but I think his brain was not developed enough, because he walked into walls and banged himself up at an alarming rate.  His crib had to be padded, because he pulled himself up to stand at an even earlier age, and he would then let go and bang his head against the side of the crib.  His parents missed the big event of the first steps, as I was taking care of Bryan at the time.

Anyway, all's well that ends well.