It is time for a class reunion. I have attended every 5- and 10-year reunion from the NYU College of Dentistry. Now it seems that my classmates are not too excited about our "golden reunion." Many are no longer with us and many have retired from the active practice of dentistry. Many are divorced and others have married their office assistants.

Some are in the sunny climes of Florida and others are scattered throughout the 50 United States. A few say, "I saw enough of those people 50 years ago. I don't have to see them again."

Others say quietly, "I don't believe in living in the past." Some are not well and do not relish having their classmates see them in a debilitated condition.

No one wants to take the lead in putting together a reunion party with all its problems and kinks. A couple of guys are itching to have a party to show the world what they have accomplished.

Our last reunion was fabulous. On top of the World Trade Center, in tuxedos, looking over the entire Metropolitan area. It was a night never to be forgotten. Unfortunately, it is gone and doesn't exist anymore.

As for me, I just can't believe it.

It has been 50 years since I graduated from Dental School at New York University. To ask a clichéd question, "Where did the years go?"

I know and remember where the first two years went, the United States Army. In August, 1959, they shipped me to Korea on the other side of the world. I was only a 27-year-old "Bronx Boy" and quite naïve. The 13-month tour took care of that.

Next, I went to Fort Mead, MD. I requested Maryland because it was close to the Bronx, but not too close. I met my lovely wife, Lorraine, and we were married in Washington, DC on July 1, 1962.

In February 1962, I opened my first and only dental practice in Jamaica, Queens, NY, after much searching. I stayed there for 38 years until I retired on Nov. 4, 1994 (a day that will live in infamy). I have been retired for 14 years. Wow!

Right now a 50th class reunion has two chances - slim and none!