Trying to waking up sleepy old friends

The folks that were my comrades at the École Nationale d’Horlogerie, in Cluses, France, used to be a congenial group, but as all of them turned over 70 in the past few year, they have begun to retreat into hibernation.

As the disruptor and type A personality that I am, I couldn’t let that happen without at least bringing up a fight; so about four weeks ago, I initiated a Q&A contest to elicit some responses or, at the very least, some tangible proofs of life from my old buddies.

To my surprise it’s been hard, heartbreaking and disappointing, as participation and responses have been tepid, at the very best. Only a handful that always were the best and brightest showed their true colors.

Once more, this experiment of mine goes to show that it’s indeed impossible to bring a dead horse back to life!

My buddy, the writer

A few days ago, I received a brand new book, in French, titled “The Improbable Ulysse”, written by one of my countrymen who also happened to have been my buddy during high school in that French, highly regimented technical college that was supposed to turn us all into mechanical geeks.

I had read the manuscript several years ago, found the story excellent as well as very well written, and was amazed to finally see it turned into a real, fresh-from-the-press book.

I've threatened to write several books in the past and still have nothing to show for it. while my friends has put his own inspiration into a tangible volume that I plan to devour as soon as I'm done with the book I'm currently trying to read.

Kudos, Bill!

Claude Mérandon 1946-2016

Yesterday, as I checked my emails, I learned that my Cluses schoolmate from the early 60s had passed following a short hospitalization, just shy of his 70th birthday.

We only spent a couple of years in the same class, and while we were never particularly close, I learned to appreciate him a lot as we got together again during class reunions in recent years. Throughout, Claude made very good choices and had a successful life.

From the get go, Claude was a mature, quiet and driven individual who seemed to have the gift of knowing where he was going while most of his classmates were still adrift, figuring what next move ought to be. His career was deeply involved into mechanical construction in the Cluses Valley and took him into management and owning his own company.

Once retired in 2006, he remained very active with cycling, skiing and hiking and became a very talented woodworker. A family man, Claude was married to Mireille for almost half a century and together had a boy, a girl and two grandsons.

At the time of his death, Claude was busy organizing our 50th school reunion slated for early June. We will all miss him a lot!

Fifty years ago today: The “percent”

It happened just 50 years ago today and it was just a French high school celebration which took place one hundred days before the end of the school year and what was the baccalaureate. “Perecent” was the phonetic writing for “Père 100” or “Father 100”.

On this occasion, my buddies students kind of dressed up and paraded through the streets of Cluses, my High School. We then boarded a bus and went to Thonon, on Geneva Lake's south shore, to enjoy a copious lunch with more wine than we could handle and most of us were all blasted by the end of the afternoon.

We also carried with us a symbolic casket meant to hold the corpse of “Father 100” that we threw into the lake and watched it float away in the sunset before returning to the dreary Cluses boarding school...

At last, an official reunion!

I've been waiting for sometimes to that day when a bunch of my former classmates would get together and I'd be able to retrace some of my long-forgotten steps inside “L'école d'horlogerie de Cluses” my French Alma-mater.

That day has come and gone now and while I'm happy to have fulfilled that fantasy of mine, I'm not sure if I will return to the 50th reunion. For one thing, I'll be five year older and I may have other issues or desires on my mind. I certainly enjoyed seeing some good buddies like Gérard Bétend, but my tomorrow is likely to be made of new and undiscovered adventures!

Forty-five years later

Our all-boys, high school reunion which was held in Cluses, France, this first weekend of October reflects a common odyssey that started there fifty years and for which we were celebrating today the 45th anniversary of the graduation that followed. We all had the chance to live in the midst of a technological, cultural and social revolution and all our time was marked by an easy economic life filled with a vast array of opportunities.

Today, our group consists of about thirty former students who came from all parts of France and even Germany, Tunisia and the United States of course! We all took pleasure in visiting our alma-mater, while our wives had to patiently go through the the endless visit of a variety of workshops and other facilities. Today, the drawing boards have disappeared and given way to the computer with all its might. There is just machining operations that aren't quite virtual yet, although robots will soon be doing everything. 

The rest of the day was spent eating non-stop from the little town of Thiez through the medieval village of Yvoire, on Geneva Lake, and we all had plenty of opportunities to share our memories and bring a lot details back that many of us had long ago forgotten. A smaller contingent left the next day for a lake cruise to Lausanne. A tight travel schedule did not allow me to participate, but I'll make a video to capture this wonderful gathering!

I missed the 42nd

Early October, I could have flown to France for yet another high-school reunion. This one would have marked the forty-second anniversary. Since this was hard to justify for just a day of festivity and that I didn’t want to get there without my spouse, I simply decided not to go. Not that I didn’t care and didn’t value the scarcer numbers of future opportunities that are left to see all these guys again in one single setting. They were quite graceful however to let me talk at their dinner via a video that I pieced together at the last minute and that, from what I heard, was well received. Yesterday, I saw the first pictures taken on the occasion and, to my dismay, I only could recognize a little over half of my former school mates. The last time I had seen many of them was in 2003, at the previous reunion. Just like me, most of them have changed a lot and we’re all now “sixty-something…” A bit depressed, I made a promise to myself that by hook or by crook I won’t miss the 45th birthday. To make it more palatable, we’ll have it at a nice, sunny resort somewhere in the world, or perhaps, as some of my old buddies offered, right here in Utah!

If it’s built, will they come?

My high school was no an ordinary one; it was indeed quite special to those of us who attended it. First, it was a boarding school and second it was highly technical in its orientation as it taught watch-making and related micro-mechanical technologies. At any rate, we’re a group of students who have kept close ties, have reunions now and then and now that most of us are retired, or are about to be, we’ve got plenty of time to reminisce. This led to the idea of creating an interactive platform where we could all share thoughts, memories, current events and, of course, pictures. I suggested a blog and two nights ago I just started to build one. Now that the tool is built, will they all come and actively participate? My wife is a bit skeptical and I - as always - remain very, very hopeful and as of this writing two (out of ten invited) signed up…

Francis Huissoud 1946 – 2008

On June 11, 2008, Francis, a former school mate from the ENH in Cluses, France, passed away following a long illness; he is survived by his wife Christiane, daughter Nathalie and many other family members and friends. Nangy's City Council Member since 1989 and serving on the Arve river management board (a stream that flows down valley from Chamonix before joining the Rhone in Geneva,) tirelessly attending board and committee meetings, Francis was totally committed to his work, always trying to learn from the experts in all areas including water works, chemistry or finances. He believed in public service and has given his all to the river, his community as well as to future generations. We’ll miss you Francis, and just as postscript and a way to say “goodbye” with a smile, here’s a translation of your stanza from our School’s yearbook:

"Jesus"
Long-legged philosopher, skillful politician
Always hard worker and fine car technician
Loving reading as much as partying
Of all crashed-car salvagers will be king
Future calling: Fiat-Abarth racing team’s chief salvager

Jean-Luc Descombes 1946-2008

Yesterday, my friend Mychel Blanc emailed me that Jean-Luc, a former school mate had just passed away. I called him up and he sounded very upset. Jean-Luc had suffered from lung cancer and Mychel had seen him regularly and just when he was about to visit him at the hospital he was told that his friend was “gone.” In talking with Mychel, I learned that at about 30, Jean-Luc took painting lessons and became an artist. His most recent work was in part inspired by Jackson Pollock. His struggles are now over and he’s rejoining the stardust we all came from. I had fond memories of him and remembered that he looked just like Mick Jagger. Every time I heard or saw the Rolling Stones, I couldn’t help but think of him. What’s a more fitting tribute than the the song “She’s a Rainbow” by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to accompany Jean-Luc into his bright and colorful odyssey through the deep universe:
She comes in colors ev'rywhere;
She combs her hair
She's like a rainbow
Coming, colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors...