I have always loved SE Hinton’s novel The Outsiders. I love the book, the movie and hope that I can get to Broadway to see the musical. The reasons I like The Outsiders are many, but I am especially fond of the way that it brought my attention to Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay”. In the movie, I was especially taken by the way that Johnny – a pre-Karate Kid Ralph Macchio, urges PonyBoy to “Stay Gold.” Like other works of art, both the poem and the novel are open to interpretation and serve as inspiration. I have alluded to the poem and the novel throughout my life. I used it as the framework for a high school graduation speech, I have used it as a running joke with a wrestling team I coached, and will at times use it as a farewell, telling friends to “stay gold.”
I graduated from Hamilton College in 1995, and while I have been back to campus on occasion, I have never returned for a class reunion. This spring will be my 30th Class reunion, and when recently asked by a fellow Continental if I was going back, I was dismissive. In general, I figured that returning to “The Hill” would only exemplify the idea that “nothing gold can stay.” Thus, I was confident that I would continue to pass on a reunion.
On the Monday before Thanksgiving, The Beech Hill School hosted its yearly young alumni night – a reunion, if you will. I was excited to welcome over 20 former Beech Hill School students and to hear about their lives. Moreover, it was such a pleasure to watch as the alums moved about the building, rekindling friendships and basking in the joy of connection. As I watched these “kids” at their old school, older and changed by their new experiences, it dawned on me that Robert Frost and Pony Boy were right, time marches on and the innocence of 5th and 6th grade gives way to the young adults that attended the event. But I also realized that Johnny was on to something too – that by attending to the connections that these individuals shared with one another, and the physical spaces that make up The Beech Hill School, the young alumni were “staying gold,” that is they were not recreating something old, they were honoring a shared experience and a bond that if cared for, could last a lifetime.
Following this event, I initiated a group text to a cohort of Hamiltonians and suggested that we go back for our 30th reunion. Within seconds, I was receiving a symphony of notifications on my phone, indicating a shared desire to return to Hamilton. Inspired by the BHS alumni, I realized that I am returning to see if somehow, I can recapture the “gold” that was my time in college – that “dawn” has not just “gone to day,” it is now in its twilight. However, by returning to campus, with those I hold dear, and honoring those that have passed, I will “stay gold.”