| CHS 45th Class Reunion Recap |
Where to begin .... So much going on at one time ... guess Friday is a good place to start. Well, maybe the week before is better. I
kept getting phone calls rright up to Friday morning. "Can I still come?" was the most important question of the week and of course
I wasn't turning anyone down!!! The more, the merrier is my motto.
Friday night arrived, complete with storm clouds (which I forbade to rain on our parade) and lots of anticipation. Sara Setzer
Whitekettle and I were the first to arrive at Bubbalou's with Marie Crawford Parkman and her husband Richard right behind us. Then
the committee members, Linda Hubmaier, Beverly Schiffer Guest (and where Bev is you'll find her very patient husband, Bob), Phil
Finlay, Bob Prudhomme, Ethel Crouso Fenton, Natalie Delcamp Fitzgerald, trickled in ... setting up the T-shirts and the money raffle.
Bubbalou's was gracious as more of our group arrived and we, in turn, supported the economy with food and lots of drink orders.
Janet Young Cressy arrived with her family, including her mother.... what a great sight to see. Carol Hankins Geiger, Diana Belue
Lloyd and JoAnne Pope Tweed had many, many years to catch up on! As did Ronali Anderson Wood, Starr Foster, Diane Cope, and
Carol Sellers Lambert, with Ronali's and Carol's husbands joining in the conversation. Pat Geddes Weiss was a late arrival, but
everyone managed to visit with her and her husband, Mike (who's looking more like Alec Baldwin each year.) Our 50/50 money
raffle was a success with Janet Young Cressy taking home $47 that night. I wasn't sure exactly how many would show but we ended
up with 46 people sharing stories on the first night of our 45th class reunion.
As Sara Setzer Whitekettle and I sat "people watching", the party swirled around us. I caught snippets of conversations, most
consisting of comments about what everyone was doing now and of course, have you seen ?? And where are they now, but the big
one - can you believe how much we've changed? I kept my notebook close at hand to give out email and street addresses to those
who asked. That book never left my side all weekend!!! Yearbooks were passed around so one could pick out the people as they
arrived. I've "worked" with the yearbook for so long, I can recognize most everyone, but there were 3 people I didn't recognize...
Jay Townes, Ronali Anderson Woods, and Carol Hankins Geiger.
It was hot, but not too hot to prevent a good time being had by everyone. The evening wore down with everyone looking forward
to Saturday .... and who would be at the Reunion dinner.
Saturday morning brought out the sun in full strength. The men were left to their own devices as the "ladies" were all off to a
luncheon being hosted by Lynn Thompson. Introductions, or should I say, re-introductions were handled by lining us up and, in 20
words or less, giving a synopsis of what we've done in the past 45 years!!! I remember some of the telling, but my shorthand was
never good and the memory is totally shot, so I'm having to write to everyone to tell me again, what they said.
But what a lunch it was ... of course, more yearbook looking, great food prepared by Lynn and fantastic friendship renewals. Some of
those who came were a great surprise to see. Janice McCann Powell looks as great as always... as did Patsy Lochstampfor Alderson,
Judi Gibson Awsumb, Mary Beth Ward Campbell, and Peggy McPherson Lang. Lynn outdid herself as a hostess with the mostest!
Afterward, she said she was sorry she hadn't done one of these luncheons before, especially since quite a few who attended are
"locals."
The big event finally arrived!!! Saturday night at 5:00 pm found us setting up the check-in, T-shirts and raffle ticket tables and
people checking in early!!! Doug Kucklick, Class of '62 and his friend, Pat McDonald, were the first to arrive and were immediately
commandeered to work! From then on, controlled chaos reigned, with everyone talking at once. Hard to believe, but you can carry
on more than one conversation at a time and still understand it.
Happy hour, excuse me, social hour proceeded and finally everyone found a seat. After a thoughtful prayer given by JD Lang, dinner
was served to the great background music of our era. I tried to take as many pictures as I could, bouncing from table to table, as did
many others. I was hoarse on Sunday because of so much talking. David & Doris (Class of '67) Jones, Jay Townes, June Clark Barone
with husband, Tony, were attending a reunion for the first time.
DJ, Bob Jaeger kept us supplied with the tunes and trying to get everyone on the floor. What happened to the dancers we used to
be???? I guess conversation was the main idea of this night, although couples took to the floor off and on all night. See the Reunion
pictures to find out who did!!!
Thanks to Linda Hubmaier and her nimble office staff, everyone got a little remembrance in the form of a paper rose. From gift
baskets provided by Rochelle Hare Loring and Beverly Schiffer Guest, beautiful hand-painted glasses provided by Diane Cope Phillips,
a red/black golf bag from Ethel Crouso Fenton, and gift certificates, many of our classmates went home with additional "goodies" to
remember the night. Our T-shirts were provided by Earl McMullen who owns/operates Uniforms for Sports. And the winner of our
hugely successful 50/50 money raffle was .... Janet Cressy Young!!! Yes, again. Talk about a lucky person and I didn't pull the
winning ticket either night!
When the evening ended, many of us women stayed in the lobby continuing to talk while we waited for Virginia deGuehery Bruton
to get off from work. We tried to call Chan Bostwick who was unable to make it, but he must have gone out for the evening. Al
and Hal Blakely were 2 others who couldn't make it due to constraints caused by their growing business. We'd also hoped to see
Lynn Shuler Seigler, Donnie Harrelson and Joanne Rush Sasser but things came up that prevented them from attending.
Sunday morning's "Goodbye Breakfast" was the hardest part of the weekend. Saying so long to friends is always difficult, but
knowing you won't see some of them until the next reunion makes it extremely poignant. I must confess, I had tears on my
cheeks....
Thanks to Marie Crawford and her magic "communications" box, all my postage expenses were covered and we are covered for quite a
while on the website.
An answer to "Why do we return" was penned by Sara Setzer Whitekettle and I thought I'd share it with you...
As I waited for my ride to the hotel to attend our 45th class reunion, I found myself wondering just why do we
do this every five years? For some this meant travelling hundreds of miles or spending hundreds of dollars to fly
back, often for a single night's gathering and yet they come.
Someone said that maybe we were like the swallows of Capistrano, instinctively returning, but I felt there had to
be more. It wasn't going to spoil my weekend, but in the back of my mind the question was still there. I
decided to sit back and observe people reacting together, hoping to search out my answer.
As the weekend progressed, we laughed, ate and partied, while talking continuously; all of which could have
been done among friends at home. I still had my question of "why?"
It would take all the way to Sunday morning's farewell for me to recall lines of a poem I'd written many ears ago
for some very dear friends. There were lines that read "The bonds are not of blood or bone, but fibers of
experiences shared. Stronger than a band of steel, purer than a diamond clear ... unbreakable." There lay my
answer.
For the most part, we were not of the same bloodline, nor were there any initiations or secret handshakes. What
we were ... was kids who shared our youth, which for the most part was a time of worldly innocence.
We had the best band, the best football team and we had each other to share our experiences. So every five
years we renew our unbreakable bond and we return.
For no one else but ourselves will ever be ... The Class of '64.
While we didn't make money on the Reunion, (that wasn't important to us committee members) I believe all who attended had a
fantastic time. And a lot of "us" want to do this again sooner than 5 years. It's OK with me, but can I have a few months rest
first......
kept getting phone calls rright up to Friday morning. "Can I still come?" was the most important question of the week and of course
I wasn't turning anyone down!!! The more, the merrier is my motto.
Friday night arrived, complete with storm clouds (which I forbade to rain on our parade) and lots of anticipation. Sara Setzer
Whitekettle and I were the first to arrive at Bubbalou's with Marie Crawford Parkman and her husband Richard right behind us. Then
the committee members, Linda Hubmaier, Beverly Schiffer Guest (and where Bev is you'll find her very patient husband, Bob), Phil
Finlay, Bob Prudhomme, Ethel Crouso Fenton, Natalie Delcamp Fitzgerald, trickled in ... setting up the T-shirts and the money raffle.
Bubbalou's was gracious as more of our group arrived and we, in turn, supported the economy with food and lots of drink orders.
Janet Young Cressy arrived with her family, including her mother.... what a great sight to see. Carol Hankins Geiger, Diana Belue
Lloyd and JoAnne Pope Tweed had many, many years to catch up on! As did Ronali Anderson Wood, Starr Foster, Diane Cope, and
Carol Sellers Lambert, with Ronali's and Carol's husbands joining in the conversation. Pat Geddes Weiss was a late arrival, but
everyone managed to visit with her and her husband, Mike (who's looking more like Alec Baldwin each year.) Our 50/50 money
raffle was a success with Janet Young Cressy taking home $47 that night. I wasn't sure exactly how many would show but we ended
up with 46 people sharing stories on the first night of our 45th class reunion.
As Sara Setzer Whitekettle and I sat "people watching", the party swirled around us. I caught snippets of conversations, most
consisting of comments about what everyone was doing now and of course, have you seen ?? And where are they now, but the big
one - can you believe how much we've changed? I kept my notebook close at hand to give out email and street addresses to those
who asked. That book never left my side all weekend!!! Yearbooks were passed around so one could pick out the people as they
arrived. I've "worked" with the yearbook for so long, I can recognize most everyone, but there were 3 people I didn't recognize...
Jay Townes, Ronali Anderson Woods, and Carol Hankins Geiger.
It was hot, but not too hot to prevent a good time being had by everyone. The evening wore down with everyone looking forward
to Saturday .... and who would be at the Reunion dinner.
Saturday morning brought out the sun in full strength. The men were left to their own devices as the "ladies" were all off to a
luncheon being hosted by Lynn Thompson. Introductions, or should I say, re-introductions were handled by lining us up and, in 20
words or less, giving a synopsis of what we've done in the past 45 years!!! I remember some of the telling, but my shorthand was
never good and the memory is totally shot, so I'm having to write to everyone to tell me again, what they said.
But what a lunch it was ... of course, more yearbook looking, great food prepared by Lynn and fantastic friendship renewals. Some of
those who came were a great surprise to see. Janice McCann Powell looks as great as always... as did Patsy Lochstampfor Alderson,
Judi Gibson Awsumb, Mary Beth Ward Campbell, and Peggy McPherson Lang. Lynn outdid herself as a hostess with the mostest!
Afterward, she said she was sorry she hadn't done one of these luncheons before, especially since quite a few who attended are
"locals."
The big event finally arrived!!! Saturday night at 5:00 pm found us setting up the check-in, T-shirts and raffle ticket tables and
people checking in early!!! Doug Kucklick, Class of '62 and his friend, Pat McDonald, were the first to arrive and were immediately
commandeered to work! From then on, controlled chaos reigned, with everyone talking at once. Hard to believe, but you can carry
on more than one conversation at a time and still understand it.
Happy hour, excuse me, social hour proceeded and finally everyone found a seat. After a thoughtful prayer given by JD Lang, dinner
was served to the great background music of our era. I tried to take as many pictures as I could, bouncing from table to table, as did
many others. I was hoarse on Sunday because of so much talking. David & Doris (Class of '67) Jones, Jay Townes, June Clark Barone
with husband, Tony, were attending a reunion for the first time.
DJ, Bob Jaeger kept us supplied with the tunes and trying to get everyone on the floor. What happened to the dancers we used to
be???? I guess conversation was the main idea of this night, although couples took to the floor off and on all night. See the Reunion
pictures to find out who did!!!
Thanks to Linda Hubmaier and her nimble office staff, everyone got a little remembrance in the form of a paper rose. From gift
baskets provided by Rochelle Hare Loring and Beverly Schiffer Guest, beautiful hand-painted glasses provided by Diane Cope Phillips,
a red/black golf bag from Ethel Crouso Fenton, and gift certificates, many of our classmates went home with additional "goodies" to
remember the night. Our T-shirts were provided by Earl McMullen who owns/operates Uniforms for Sports. And the winner of our
hugely successful 50/50 money raffle was .... Janet Cressy Young!!! Yes, again. Talk about a lucky person and I didn't pull the
winning ticket either night!
When the evening ended, many of us women stayed in the lobby continuing to talk while we waited for Virginia deGuehery Bruton
to get off from work. We tried to call Chan Bostwick who was unable to make it, but he must have gone out for the evening. Al
and Hal Blakely were 2 others who couldn't make it due to constraints caused by their growing business. We'd also hoped to see
Lynn Shuler Seigler, Donnie Harrelson and Joanne Rush Sasser but things came up that prevented them from attending.
Sunday morning's "Goodbye Breakfast" was the hardest part of the weekend. Saying so long to friends is always difficult, but
knowing you won't see some of them until the next reunion makes it extremely poignant. I must confess, I had tears on my
cheeks....
Thanks to Marie Crawford and her magic "communications" box, all my postage expenses were covered and we are covered for quite a
while on the website.
An answer to "Why do we return" was penned by Sara Setzer Whitekettle and I thought I'd share it with you...
As I waited for my ride to the hotel to attend our 45th class reunion, I found myself wondering just why do we
do this every five years? For some this meant travelling hundreds of miles or spending hundreds of dollars to fly
back, often for a single night's gathering and yet they come.
Someone said that maybe we were like the swallows of Capistrano, instinctively returning, but I felt there had to
be more. It wasn't going to spoil my weekend, but in the back of my mind the question was still there. I
decided to sit back and observe people reacting together, hoping to search out my answer.
As the weekend progressed, we laughed, ate and partied, while talking continuously; all of which could have
been done among friends at home. I still had my question of "why?"
It would take all the way to Sunday morning's farewell for me to recall lines of a poem I'd written many ears ago
for some very dear friends. There were lines that read "The bonds are not of blood or bone, but fibers of
experiences shared. Stronger than a band of steel, purer than a diamond clear ... unbreakable." There lay my
answer.
For the most part, we were not of the same bloodline, nor were there any initiations or secret handshakes. What
we were ... was kids who shared our youth, which for the most part was a time of worldly innocence.
We had the best band, the best football team and we had each other to share our experiences. So every five
years we renew our unbreakable bond and we return.
For no one else but ourselves will ever be ... The Class of '64.
While we didn't make money on the Reunion, (that wasn't important to us committee members) I believe all who attended had a
fantastic time. And a lot of "us" want to do this again sooner than 5 years. It's OK with me, but can I have a few months rest
first......
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |