Class Reunion Surveys Don't Lie: Someday, Coffee Might Look More Appetizing Than Beer

As they have every decade for the past 30 years, the members of Edison High School's Class of 1979 reunited last month. And as they have at each of these occasions, Kathy Lund Hackshaw and Joe Budzinski peppered their classmates with questions.

Every 10 years, they ask fellow graduates of the Fairfax County high school to fill out a survey, curious to see how their tastes have evolved since senior year. The results show the inevitable maturation of proto-grown-ups as they put away childish things and settle into middle age.

For example, when Edison seniors were surveyed about their "Favorite Pastime" in 1979, "Sex" came out on top, so to speak. In 2009, the Favorite Pastime was "Sports, playing or watching." ("Not tonight, dear. I have an 8 a.m. tee time.")

There was a new Favorite Drink this year: Coffee replaced beer for the first time. And in 2009, the Bible displaced such earlier Favorite Book titles as "Salem's Lot," "Roots" and those "Chicken Soup" for the [Fill in the Blank] Soul tomes. Approaching 50? Time to start praying.

The Favorite TV Show category illustrates the evolution of American television, from the laugh-track hijinks of "Mork & Mindy" (Where have you gone, Pam Dawber? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you), through the yuppie domesticity of "Thirtysomething" (1989), the sitcom domesticity of "Everybody Loves Raymond" (1999) and the sci-fi escapism of "Lost" (2009).

Joe said his biggest surprise is how tame everyone has become.

"We mellowed pretty seriously between the 10th and 20th reunions," said Joe, who lives in Sterling. "Since then, I think we're just a bunch of normal, well-adjusted adults."

Not that they're monolithic. Joe and Kathy, who lives in Fairfax City, dated in high school. Today, she works to get Democratic candidates elected; he runs the conservative blog Nova Townhall.

"We realized about 10 years ago that we were about as far apart politically as two people can get," Joe said. "And right around that time we stopped discussing politics and as a result of have remained very good friends."

Come Together

These area schools are reuniting in the coming months:

John F. Kennedy High Class of 1979 -- Aug. 1-2. Contact JFKClassof1979@aol.com.

Wakefield High Class of 1989 -- Aug. 1. http://www.capitalreunions.com.