Dateline Dayton — As the song goes “It’s a small world after all,” and that struck home a few times this past week.

Last Friday, I opened a new account at a local bank. My present bank is merging, and I will lose access to some of their out-of-state branches. When the question is asked, where do you work, I always say CUC. We develop software for credit unions. The gentleman who was establishing my account told me, “I just had another person in from there this week.”

On Saturday, we had our regular class breakfast. About every seven weeks, old high school classmates get together. This one was actually held in Piqua, the location of our high school that now is gone. The Piqua (PICK-wa) setting prompted a couple classmates who haven’t been to hopme previous breakfasts to attend.

After we had eaten, George invited us to his and Kathy’s home. My wife Pauline graduated with Kathy the following year. George said he had something for the women, and besides, it would be more conducive to continuing our conversations.

As conversations do when guys are present, ours turned to sports. George wanted to show us his Ohio State collection, so off we went to the basement. He was pointing out items around the room when he came to the bar. He had replaced what the previous owner had in the bar’s location, and he proudly showed the displays behind and around the bar.

When I walked over for a closer look, I noticed a jar of Silver Strikes on top of the bar. Could George collect strikes? He then began telling me of how on trips to Las Vegas, he would always try to win one strike from each casino where e could find a silver Strike machine.

I told him about my collection and how I went about collection strikes. Who would have imagined that I would find another strike collector in the area, even a classmate?

By the way, the breakfast was great and we had a good time visiting at the restaurant, and continuing at George and Kathy’s home.

On Tuesday I had a luncheon meeting, with a gentleman who works for the accounting firm we use at CUC. He was interested in volunteering, and the executive committee of the Learning Tree Farm’s board felt he would be a good candidate for our board. He is from the same accounting firm as a previous member, who served for almost twenty years.

I told him where I work and that we use his firm as CUC’s accountants. He said that he knows Brad from CUC, but didn’t realize that we were clients.

Turns out he and Brad are good friends, even roommates in college. He is presently on the ball team that Brad coaches, although he does question Brad’s coaching ability since they have lost every game.

It is a small world, isn’t it?

Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net