As to “long ago”, yes, it has been a while when you measure it in terms of years. However, when you measure time in terms of wives, husbands, sons, daughters and grandchildren it was not long ago at all. There have been accomplishments and failures, happy times and sad times, feel good times and hurt like heck times, but here we are together looking for the next road.
What about “far away”? Well, since 1953 most of us have found that this old world is full of people just like us. They are happy and sad and their needs and desires are not too different from our own. As we have come in contact with them we have said “HOWDY!” and have made them part of the Plainview High School class of 1953.