Tattoo and the class of 1969 travel to Pasadena

Recently, I received an invitation to screen the documentary film A Tattoo On My Brain at my high school alma mater, Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California. Poly has it roots in what was initially Throop University, founded in 1891. In 1907, Throop discarded its preparatory school and focused on becoming a college of engineering and science, soon to be called California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The preparatory school continued as Polytechnic School, an independent entity, across the street from Caltech. The school originally taught students in kindergarten through eighth grade.  My mother was a student there in the 1920s. In 1959, an upper school was added with the first class graduating in 1962.  My sister Nancy attended from the seventh grade on and graduated in 1963. I transferred to Poly in fourth grade graduating in 1969.

Frankly, I was a little nervous about screening a film about Alzheimer’s disease to nearly 400 upper school students and faculty. All of the previous screenings have been done for older people, many with personal experience with the disease. I wondered if these students would have any interest at all in watching a film about dementia. I needn’t have worried.  One teacher told me after that “you could have heard a pin drop,” apparently a rare occurrence. A number of students approached me afterwards with really good questions, some about dementia in their own families.

After screening the documentary, I met with a student film class. I showed them a number of production stills from Tattoo prompting a lively discussion of filming techniques led by the film teacher. Lois and I had lunch with the editors of the student newspaper, a student-led tour of campus (much changed from my day), and a meeting with the school archivist to help identify old photos. In the evening, there was a reception and second film screening for thirteen of my 1969 classmates, a remarkable turnout from an original class of 53 students. We ended the wonderful day with dinner at Mijares, the oldest Mexican restaurant in Pasadena. What a day!