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Southside High School,
Selma, Alabama
2005 Composite Profile:
Prepared:
June-2005
This is a composite profile based on the data taken from those that responded to
the Personal Data Questionnaire in mid-2005. This sampling may or may not
fully represent The Friends and Class of 1975… nevertheless, it is provided as
the best we could do with the data available at the time. Although not
fully scientific in our approach, we still feel the analysis is meaningful and
fun to read…A total of 30 people responded.
MARRIAGE: Of those that responded to the questionnaire, 76% reported they are currently married. Of those currently married, the average number of years is 21.8. Note that 78% of those married have been married for over 20 years; and of those married for 20+ years, the average is 25.8 years. The longest marriage reported is 31 years (two couples reported 31 years) and the lowest number of years reported for being married is 2. 44% (near half) of the respondents said they have been divorced at least once, while the average number of times married for those having been divorced is 1.5 overall.
CHILDREN: When asked if they thought it was a good idea to have children, 96% said they recommended it. 92% said they have children, with the average being 1 boy and 1 girl. About 85% have 1, and 15% have 2, of any given gender (boy/girl each). 46% of our classmates have reported they have grandchildren. Of those, 65% are boys and 35% are girls, with 2 being the average number of grandchildren per classmate with grandchildren.
ATTEND TRAINING PROGRAM: All but one of our classmates attended some sort of post-high school training program of some sort (including college). A little better than half reported they completed their program. Here is a [partial] list of disciplines in which people received training/education:
- Business Management or Admin - Math and Sociology
- Nursing - Biology
- Respiratory Therapy - Health care
- Criminal Justice - Counseling
- English Education - Secretarial
- Accounting - Communications
- Banking - Chemistry
When asked, “What is your current profession?,” here are some of the answers provided:
- Software Engineer - Nursing Assistant
- Teller Manager - Engineer
- Immigration Specialist - Biomedical Trainer
- Geek - Book keeper
- Accountant - Banker
- Correction Probation officer - General Manager
- Child Support Case Worker - Retiree
MY CAREER—IF I COULD DO IT OVER: Our classmates were given the opportunity to tell what they would pursue as a profession given the opportunity to “do it all over again.” Here is a sampling of the answers they provided:
- Author/Writer - Christian Ministry
- Nurse - Teacher
- Physical Therapist - Physician
- Radio Personality - Rock Star
- Forensics - Documentary Film Maker
- Lawyer - Millionaire’s Wife
- Interior Designer - Dentist
COLLEGE: 84% of our classmates attended college since leaving high school. 20% completed an associate’s degree, 28% completed a bachelor’s degree, and 1 in 10 completed an advanced degree (master’s and/or PhD).
WHERE I HAVE LIVED AND WILL LIVE: 46% of our classmates currently live in Alabama while 21% live in Florida. A total of 71% currently live in the AL/FL/GA region of the Southeast; almost three-fourths. Other states where people reported living at present: Kansas, Virginia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Washington, Arkansas, and two overseas locations (Guam and Germany). On the average, we have lived in 3 places each since leaving high school. The most is 9 places and the least is 1, which is also the most frequently seen number reported. When asked what their favorite state was, the winner was Alabama with Florida coming in second. Others reported were: Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington and Texas. When asked where they would live [in the world] if they could, again the #1 answer was the state of Alabama. Other responses: Australia, Tennessee, Germany, Colorado, France, Guam, Texas, North Carolina, Hawaii, Florida.
COMPUTERS AND EMAIL: All but one classmate reported they have a personal e-mail account. Two thirds reported they have e-mail for work. And two thirds claimed they felt they were computer literate.
FAVORITE TEACHER: When asked who their all-time favorite teacher was, the overall winner was Mr. Ollis Grayson; Mr. Waller came in second. Other teachers listed include: Coach Campbell, Lois Minor, Mr. Freeman, Jane Parker, Mr. Willis, Mr. Blevins, Sharon Hardy, James Strickland, Mrs. Gantt, Bill Minor.
FAVORITE MEMORY: When asked what their favorite memory was from high school, there was no clear-cut winner. The following were the most popular answers provided:
- Skipping class - Football games - Choir
- Pep rallies - Prom - Band
- Skipping pep rallies - Cheering - Assemblies
IF I COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN: When told they could do high school over again, this is what they said they would change:
- Be less shy - Be outgoing
- I would get to know people better - Stayed and graduated with my class
- I would have taken chemistry - Become involved in more associations
- Played football - Taken the GED in 11th grade and got out
- Studied more - Have a better attitude
WORK IN PUBLIC SERVICE: 46% of our classmates reported that they have worked in public service at some time since leaving high school. The average number of years served is 14.3 with the high being 29 years and the low being 3 years.
RETIREMENT: When asked if they had retired from at least one job, 1 in 10 of our classmates indicated they had (includes military). 1 in 10 also reported they had retired from the work force altogether. When asked if they plan to retire in 10, 15, 20, or 25 years, half indicated they plan to retire in 10-15 years while half indicated they plan to retire within 20-25 years. One does not even see retirement on the horizon, ever. 42% indicated they plan to stay where they are when they retire, which means 58% plan to move to another locale. Of those that plan to move, these are the most often reported locations where they plan to move: Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Australia, Arkansas, Mexico, Undecided.
OWN/OPERATE A BUSINESS: 20% reported they currently own and operate their own business while 50% say they have had a business of their own at some time since leaving high school. Here is a sampling of businesses owned:
- Christian Daycare - Coffee Shop
- Fun Room (bowling, movies, etc.) - Scrap Booking Store
- Strip Club - Internet Web Site Business
- Day Care - Photography
- Catering - Wedding Planner
- Restaurant (most popular) - Car Dealership
FUTURE REUNIONS:
When asked if they would like to attend Southside High School Reunions in the
future, only 2 said they would not be attending and that this was their last
reunion. 56% said they would be willing to attend a reunion every 2 years while
26% said they would like to attend every 5 years.
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CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES: Our classmates were given the opportunity to answer questions regarding controversial issues. Some responded and some did not. Some answered all the questions and some only answered select questions. The results are below:
SAME SEX MARRIAGE: 73% of our classmates are opposed to same sex marriage while 9% are for it and 18% just don’t really care one way or the other.
POLITICS: An overwhelming number of classmates have stated they are associated with the Republican Party (76%). Note that 24% claim to be Independent….and NONE have claimed to be associated with the Democratic Party. 90.5% of our classmates support President George W. Bush and two thirds support the war effort in Iraq. When asked whether they support the environmental issues of the day, 92% said they did.
THE BEST GENDER TO BE: When asked on the subject of gender if it was better today to be a man or a woman, 56% reported that it is better to be a woman these days.
COKE OR PEPSI: When asked whether they prefer Pepsi or Coke, 65% responded they prefer Coke and one indicated no preference at all.
OPTIMIST/PESSIMIST: 64% of our classmates consider themselves to be optimists, which means 36% consider themselves pessimistic in general.
THE NEXT GREAT INVENTION: When asked what they felt might be “the next great invention,” our classmates responded with answers such as:
- Personal hovercraft - Personal space travel
- Flying cars - Bionic implants and body parts
- Aliens giving us space travel
WORRIED ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY: Regarding Social Security in light of information which tells us that we, as Baby Boomers, may not even get Social Security, our classmates were asked if they were concerned about Social Security in general. 86% said their level of concern was medium or high while 14% responded that their concern level was low or virtually nonexistent.
PLAY THE LOTTERY? 50% of our classmates indicated they play the lottery (not sure how often or for how much though).
WITH $10 MILLION I WOULD… When asked what they would do if they suddenly had $10 million, our classmates said they would do the following with such a windfall:
- Vacation - Pay off house
- Pay for college - Give money to church
- Open Christian Daycare - Travel
- Pay off dept - Give to charity
- Help family - Start trusts for grandchildren
- Invest - Buy a house at the beach
- Spend it all - Pay for the next reunion (on a Caribbean island)
ARE SCHOOLS WORSE NOW: When asked if they thought schools are better off, about the same, or better nowadays, as compared to our time in high school, 60% feel schools are worse while 25% feel they are better.
OBEY DRIVING LAWS? Regarding driving and following the “rules of the road,” 60% of our classmates said they try to obey the rules all of the time. 30% went on to report they follow the rules most of the time. And 10% said they hardly ever follow the rules.
WHAT AUTO WOULD YOU BUY? When asked what kind of automobile they would buy if they could have their choice of all makes and models, here are the results:
- Ferrari - Jaguar - Red Mercedes convertible
- Lincoln Navigator - Hummer (yellow) - Honda Accord
- VW with sunroof - Mercedes SUV - Ford Expedition
- Toyota Sequoia - Monte Carlo SS - One that flies
- Ford 350 4-door diesel - Dodge Viper - Prowler
DRINK ALCOHOL: Regarding the drinking of alcoholic beverages, 36% said they drink occasionally and 26% said they drink socially while 15% reporting drinking lots and 23% reporting that they don’t drink at all.
SMOKE TOBACCO: Regarding the use of tobacco, 45% of our classmates reported having never smoked while 35% reported that they do not currently smoke and 20% said they smoke today.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENT: When asked what they would do different if they had a chance to do it all over again, these are the most popular responses received:
- Have more faith in my abilities - Marry Bill Gates
- Stay the same, and keep the great memories - Do some things different
- Continue with college after high school - Take better care of myself
- Spend more time with friends and family - Spend more time with grandparents
- Stay in the military - Had more children
- Think longer before reacting - Not get married until I was 30
LIVE WITH BEFORE MARRIAGE: When surveyed whether it was okay to live with someone before marrying them, the results show that 47% feel it is not recommended and 21% say it is recommended. Also, 26% say it is okay while 5% say it is unthinkable.
SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE: When asked if it is permissible to have sex with your fiancé before getting married, 43% reported that is it not recommended and 52% felt it was either recommended or okay to do so. 5% felt it was necessary.
IS THE WORLD COMING TO AN END?: When asked if they felt “the end of days are near,” 36% felt it was not so while 27% felt it was true and 32% were undecided at this point in time.
MEN AND WOMEN LIVE SEPARATELY: In the survey, our classmates were asked if they felt men and women would be living separately within the next 200 years. 74% said no and 16% said yes. 10% were undecided on the issue.
PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN? When asked if they felt proud to be an American, all of the respondents indicated YES except one. And that one person answered with “sometimes.”
FAVORITE COLOR: When asked what their favorite color was, our classmates provided the following:
- Blue - Yellow - Crimson red
- Purple - Green - Orange
WHICH CAME FIRST: THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG: Here is a classic survey question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg.” ALL of those surveyed answered, “Chicken.”
ALIENS—ARE THEY OUT THERE?: When asked about aliens, 39% said they feel aliens don’t exist and 61% felt they DO exist. Now that's interesting, don't you think...makes you wonder if those 61% (almost 2/3s) know something the rest of us don't...
Webmaster: Jeff Maddox,
jeff@southsidereunion.com
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