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| Jason Wingreen guest stars on a 1977 episode of Happy Days. |
I sympathize with all the kids across America who don't get to have a real graduation ceremony this year because of the pandemic. They may feel they're being denied an important milestone in their lives, and maybe they're right. Truthfully, though, I don't think they're missing out on anything too spectacular. My own high school graduation ceremony in May 1993 was a dull, hollow experience for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, my mother had died a few months earlier, so my family and I were still very much in mourning. I was only a middling student in those days, so I wasn't receiving any special accolades or awards. I remember sitting glumly through the monotonous ceremony, noting that the underachieving goofballs who had done as little schoolwork as possible were getting the exact same diploma I was getting. I felt like I'd been duped, like all those years of schooling -- all the book reports and pop quizzes and gym classes -- had been a colossal waste of time. When I graduated from college a few years later, I didn't even bother attending the ceremony.
This week on These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast, my co-host and I are covering the episode "Graduation (Part 2)" from February 15, 1977. As the title suggests, the show's plot centers around a high school graduation ceremony that's much more entertaining than my own. Mine definitely didn't feature guest appearances by Pat Morita, Dick Van Patten, and Jason (original voice of Boba Fett) Wingreen! And the whole thing moves by so quickly that you don't have a chance to become bored, depressed, or disenchanted. Have a listen.