ABSTRACT
Reconnecting with students in 2000 demanded intensive investigative work. Through the phone book, I was able to track seven of the students. Through calling them, I began to piece together the whereabouts of the class of 1987. Of the original twenty white males interviewed in 1985, I was able to locate all but two of them; four of those I located declined to be interviewed. Larry, voted “most likely to succeed,” let me know, “If you had called me two years ago, I was doing well [he was selling cars in Texas]; now it’s just not good for me.” Larry lives with his grandmother in subsidized housing on the “white” side of town. Though he had boldly asserted in 1985 that “I want to own a home. I don’t ever want to use the term ‘make ends meet,’” his dreams, at least for the moment, have not materialized. Vern, a popular student at Freeway High and president of his junior class, was involved in an embezzlement scandal. He refused to be interviewed, despite my numerous calls and letters, as well as his brother’s intervention on my behalf.
