If you are trying to place a classmate from the past in your mind, you may want to locate him or her in an old yearbook. You can locate the person's photo even if you do not remember the name. This activity will require, however, a little time. The more information you have, the more quickly you will be able locate the photo. Be prepared to conduct an online search and visit your public library if you are not able to locate a yearbook through traditional methods -- such as looking in a box in one of your closets.
When You Have the Yearbook
Write down information you remember about your classmate. Most obvious is the person's name. But if you do not know the name, write down things you remember about the person. When did you first meet the person? Did he or she play a sport or act? Was she involved in student government? Did he play an instrument? This will help you discern which pages to look at in your yearbook.
Turn to the index in the back of your yearbook and look up headings that relate to the activities you remember your classmate participating in.
Turn to specific pages, and look for the photo of your classmate in group shots or individual photos.
Turn to the pages displaying individual photos of your classmates. Slowly move across the rows and down the page to see if you recognize the photos.
When You Do Not Have the Yearbook
Visit your public library. Ask the librarian if there is a section with local yearbooks. If you live in a small town or city, it is likely that your library is archiving yearbooks throughout the years for a variety of schools -- grade school through high school.
Locate a college yearbook in the library of your college.
Contact the alumni association for your high school or college. Some grade or middle schools may have association groups, as well, but this is more likely for the first two kinds of schools. An alumni association representative will be able to help you locate an old yearbook or classmate.
Search on social networking websites for association groups. Many schools have "fan pages" or "online groups" that you can join if you are an alumni of the school. You can ask about yearbooks or search for classmates through these sites.