When I left the Bronx in 1966 to begin college at New Paltz, I never turned back. I was off on a new new adventure, a new life. There'd be new friends, new experiences and, in my case, precious few lingering inter-personal connections to my formative years. That last part is something I've come to regret now that I've reached an age when you start thinking about where you've been and how far you've come, and you wonder about what happened to those who grew up with you.

Some of you may know that former Ulster County Legislator Laura Chasin and I were junior high school classmates. The joke between us was that for several years after crossing paths professionally when Laura still lived in this area, we didn't remember each other from the old days. Then, at a social function when she was chatting with my wife, it clicked. Laura Chasin was Laura Goldman. (There were other things I subsequently remembered about Laura, but I always promised her I wouldn't tell.)

A couple of weeks ago, out of the blue, I received an e-mail from another of my old classmates. Alexandra and I exchanged notes, brought each other up to date on our lives, jobs and families and dropped some old names. She's still in the city and has kept in touch with a handful of our friends. One of them, Irwin, wrote me this morning, no doubt having heard from her.

I must tell you, I'm surprised at how glad I was to be contacted by both of them. I don't consider myself a sentimental sort; after all, newspaper people build a shell around themselves. But thinking about people and places and situations from four or more decades ago has struck a chord in me.

Maybe my fellow baby boomers are experiencing the same emotions. Reaching ages 40 and 50 didn't mean much to me. Sixty (in my case in July 2008) says we're beginning to make the turn for the home stretch. There are plenty of good years left, we hope, but Irwin tells me one of our old friends died three years ago. It gives you reason for pause.

Anyway, if my friends from P.S. 106 or Junior High School 127 (at which we had a particularly special and close class) or Columbus High School happen upon this missive, drop me a line at ifusfeld@journalregister.com. I really would like to hear from you.