Dear On-Line Classmates,

We had a great reunion! By all accounts it was a great success. We started out Friday night at the football game at Enlow field where everyone occasionally glanced towards the game- if only to see the cheerleaders.

Okay, so we got trounced! To tell the honest truth I'm not sure what the final score was. 31-3? It was great fun just sitting there in the stands, poking the person next to you, and inquiring as to whether they knew who that person three rows ahead was. There was much changing of seats as people saw one another and went to sit and talk awhile. I think everyone from out of town also enjoyed seeing how truly beautiful the school is. They have completely restored the entire building so that it is in keeping with the original architecture. I dare say there isn't a prettier high school anywhere in the US- no kidding. Enlow field is just as you remembered it.

After the game we moved to Mr. B's in what used to be Mattingly's 23 (fame is fleeting) and enjoyed pizza, beer, and lots of great catching up. Herb Alvey had the foresight to bring his yearbook with him and I'll tell you, that was a hot commodity. We'd hear a name, look them up in the yearbook, and say, "Of course, I remember them." Bob and I finally made it home by about 11:30. Diane Schreiber sold raffle tickets for a framed Jerry Baum drawing of the school. This was an effort to raise money to make it possible to have our BIG reunion in five years. Yep, that will be the big 4-0. Our treasury is depleted and we really do need start-up money because it's expensive to find people and put out mailings. It was suggested that we start really looking for people in two years. That way there is plenty of time to locate as many people as possible---as long as everyone pitches in and helps.

Saturday night the festivities began at 6:30 down at the River House which is now a Quality Inn. Again Diane sold raffle tickets on the Jerry Baum print. (We were determined to raise some serious cash.) All 96 of us gathered in the atrium area and the deejay set up his music in the attached tent. That worked out great because those who wanted to talk could stay inside while the dancers could be right there where we could keep our eye on them, but not be blasted out by the music. Dinner was a buffet of salad, chicken, roast beef, twice baked potatoes, green beans and an assortment of cakes, cheesecakes, pie, and tarts. It really was delicious. (I had been worried because of the change in management!) Bob Faul said a wonderful blessing before the meal. (He must have been a minister in an earlier life.)

As we were finishing up eating Bob Becker assumed the job of emcee. He welcomed everyone including Paul Jennings, our principal, who is now 89 years old. He honestly doesn't look a day over 70. Kathy has inherited that trait for youthful looks as well! Bob then shared a few of the comments you had sent in and opened the floor to the class. The microphone was passed from classmate to classmate so each person could introduce himself or herself and say anything they wanted to share with the group. Bob Faul wins the prize for funniest. He apologized for having been a nerd in high school and said that he is doing everything in his power to rectify that now. (I never thought he was a nerd. Guess that means I was a nerd too.) Lois Jennings, Bob Becker's Aunt who married Paul 4 years ago, shared a story about Bob and Karen O'Neil when they were four years old and played together all the time. Bob's mother was giving him a bath and noticed that there were places in his hair that looked like it had been cut. Bob told his mother that Karen had cut it. Bob's mother, being a little disgusted, asked him why he would just stand there and let her cut it. He said he didn't just stand there--- he was sitting down! :-)

While we were eating Marcia Jeffers Jett arrived in her wheelchair. She has MS and is not able to walk so it was wonderful that she was able to come. Lots of us were able to talk with her. I think it meant a lot to her and it meant a lot to us as well.

Just as we finished passing the microphone around the room Bob announced that the Harrison class of '64 would be coming for the dance--- and here they came. They had had dinner at the Landmark just one block away and had walked over to join us. It was great fun seeing Cathy Wilson Suthard and Mike Suthard, Jane Gottman Royster, Julia Walton Georgeson, George Willison, and many others. (They also contributed a little money to the deejay which helped us raise money.) Diane started selling tickets on a half pot and raised another $136 dollars because the winner of the half pot, Kathy Jennings Pate, generously told us to keep the winnings. Thanks, Kathy. BTW Shirella Price, at her first reunion ever, was the winner of the Jerry Baum print. She had already left by the time we drew her name, but I bet she's happy to have it. It really was pretty--a black and white sketch of the school, matted in red and gray, and framed with a black frame.

It really was a great time for renewing old friendships and making new ones, too. Even the spouses seemed to be having a great time. We all hope the next reunion will be even bigger and better. Of course the most important thing to do is find all the missing members. And next time we'll try to make calls to the local people who don't show up. Believe it or not, we heard that one person didn't come because she "doesn't like the way she looks." Another said he didn't come because "he wasn't in the 'in' crowd." Believe me, noone at the reunion cared about those things in the least.

Whether you're in town or out of town I hope a lot of you will help with the next reunion. It would be great to have a web page. We need lots of help locating people, possibly through the internet. Both of those are great jobs for you out of towners. Please write if you're willing to help. And speaking of writing, if you retire or change e-mail addresses for any reason, please send the change to me. If for some reason I change providers I'll e-mail all of you. I'm including here the names of all the lost souls again for you to look over. Surely we can find some of these people. I'm also sending you the list of all e-mail addresses that I have as of this date. We did pretty well, but there are sure a lot we still need. Please send me any additional ones you have.