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John Henry Sebastian didn't show up. But about 40 graduates of the Everett High School Class of 1973 did -- including yours truly -- and they had a great time reminiscing about teachers and each other at the 35-year reunion held Aug. 30 at a local restaurant.

Now, John Henry had indicated he would attend the reunion, but at the last minute, he had to attend to business instead -- at least, that's the spin from our fearless leader, Susan DeLozier Johnson, who was responsible for the reunion planning along with Diane Welch and Debbie McKinney Spears.

According to his profile on the Everett73.com Web site, John Henry lives in Saudi Arabia with his eight wives and 27 children and is the CEO of an oil company. I should have guessed there was more to John Henry than meets the eye, though, when jokester Bobby Bradley talked to me at length about our "classmate." Frankly, I could recall little more than the name, but in a class as large as ours, no warning bells sounded about that. Then, Sandy Smith Dockery, who is changing careers to become an investigative reporter, posted a message to the Web site about her findings on the shadowy Sebastian.

"My husband and I were talking about this Web site," Sandy posted. "I told him about John Henry Sebastian's profile ... I also told Charles, my husband, that Mr. Sebastian listed several wives and many children.

"The oddest thing I found in his profile was his comment about his favorite funny story was that he was in the annual. Look him up, folks! He has three listings in the directory but no photographs. That's when my husband said, wait, that name sounds familiar. Of course, it sounds familiar to all of us because John Sebastian is a performer (The Lovin' Spoonful) that had some great songs out while we were in high school. ..."

Yes, folks, John Henry Sebastian is a figment of the annual staff's imagination. Getting him in the Hilltopper under the eyes of the teacher who oversaw it was quite a feat -- and, from what I understand from an anonymous source, one that didn't set well when Mrs. Cook discovered it after the annuals were published. Good job, fellow classmates! Even now, 35 years later, many of us didn't even know about John Henry's lack of existence.

I really enjoyed catching up with people I hadn't seen in 35 years, even if it did mean leaving my hermit cave for the evening. It was especially nice seeing our principal, Bob Davis, again. I had a moment of shock, though, when classmate Mike Thomas called him "Bob." Isn't it funny how most of us, even in our mid-50s, just can't bring ourselves to call former teachers by their first names? I actually looked for lightning to strike.

I did pick up a few tidbits from former classmates that I won't share here -- some regarding "alleged" incidents aimed at Everett's arch rival, Maryville High. Your secrets are safe with me, folks.

As promised on the message forum on the Web site, blackmail notices will be mailed shortly.

Linda Albert is Women's Times editor and a staff writer for The Daily Times. Her column runs every Sunday in the Women's Times section. You may contact her at 981-1168 or e-mail linda.albert@thedailytimes.com.