Weekend Synopsis

 

50 YEAR REUNION WEEKEND, AUGUST 15-17, 2014

 

Friday evening (August 15, 2014)

Hyatt House at the Monument, Pleasant Hill

The PHHS Gathering Room at the Hyatt House was opened under guidence of Bill Jacobus by 3:00 PM Friday afternoon, and was fully operational by 4:30 PM.  Amazingly, and blessedly, our Hyatt contact Kayla Rister opened their full three-section set of flex rooms into a single large room for us, even though our contract only called for them to give us two of the rooms.

Memorabilia appeared out of nowhere to cover two tables. Silent Auction items spread to fill an entire wall.  And the fabulous "Lost Significant Others" table was ready with puzzles, games, and old novels for any lost significant others.  (Randy Milliken was the only person seen to use it all weekend.) 

Bill Jacobus' able assistants Jennifer Friedenbach and Barbara Norris Demartini soon began handing out name tags to begin the registration process for Saturday night's dinner.  This ran pretty smoothly until Gene Goselin, our former biology teacher, rolled in with his daughter Beth McCoy, and nobody could find their nametags!  Turns out someone had left them in a car; who knew the teachers would start arriving Friday evening?

Dinner Groups in Downtown Pleasant Hill.  This website really needed a social editor in the field to interview PHHS alums as they stepped out in groups of various sizes to head over to Jack's and other downtown PH eateries for dinner throughout the evening.  I do not think we had an organized cocktail hour over there, but maybe we did.

 

Saturday (August 16, 2014) 

The PHHS Gathering Room

The Gathering Room at the Hyatt House was open by 8:00 AM and remained open until 5 pm, with registration desk staffed by Barbara Norris Demartini. (Through the day others helped her, most notably Jennifer Friedenbach and Van U'Ren, aided by a wild group known as the Hospitality Girls.)  Leisurely smoozing in the Gathering Room will be looked back upon by many as the highlight of the weekend.

The Golf Event at Boundary Oaks was First-Class

THANKS to organizer GARY BUSHMAN

The Boundary Oaks Golf Outing got off to a disorganized start at 9 AM, when some of the players waited a few minutes for others who had already left for the venue. Once out there, players found that our golf pro Gary Bushman had set up a first-class event, with bottles of wine for the players, free golf balls and tees, and a general feeling of welcome. Three groups of individuals (with varied levels of expertice) set out, starting at 10:30 AM, to play 18 holes, best ball format, forward tees. The first group of three were low handicappers Bob Webber (classmate thru soph year) and Lee Barton (spouse of Connie Britt), with Gary Bushman. Next out were Steve Gallanthine and Bill and Peggy Rose, another group of three.

The infamous last group, Jim Turdici, Bill Moler, John Hill, and John's guest Ruby Wight, proceeded a bit slowly, the expressed reasons conflicting from one reporter to another. Suffice to say they were "thrown off the course" after seven holes for proceeding too slowly. Although Gary considered it unfair of the course management, the players took it in good stride and headed in for a jolly time at the club house. 

At the end of the event a separate disaster was averted when Bill Rose gave Lee Barton (spouse of Connie Britt) a ride back to the Hyatt House after he "missed his ride" with (some might say "was abandoned by") the group that had been thrown off the course. All in all, a good time was had by all.

The Bicycle Tour of PH Neighborhoods

was a great success THANKS to Leaders JOHN DOTSON and CAROLE POERTNER

 Lucky Bum Bicyclists Ready to Rumble

     John Dotson and Carole Poertner led the Lucky Bum Bicycle Tour of 14 stalwarts through some of our PH neighborhoods. The group met in front of the Monument at the Hyatt House Pleasant Hill, our reunion hotel headquarters, at 10am Saturday morning. After a pause for photographs (and a massive sun tan lotion bath by Doug Hauser), the group set off in a generally southward direction through the Pleasant Valley Drive and Via del Sol vicinities.  They looped back north to the old high school (past the lot that was once Oak Park School), over to Patterson Blvd, to the PHI area and other noteworthy (but unknown to the writer) zones.

    Co-leader John Dotson reports, "Riding lazily through our old stomping grounds was a highlight for many, especially finishing off at Casper's for a hot dog." Riders included Dennis Clemens, Marian and John Dotson, Gary and Linda Garren, Doug Hauser, Jennifer Friedenbach Konecny, Rick and Kim Nobles, Carole Poertner, Barbara and Sher Takahashi, Van U'ren, and Greg White. 

 

Reunion Dinner at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant, Pleasant Hill

was fabulous, thanks to negotiations by Judy Furlong Demartini with Carole Poertner and Paul Cohune

Set up: Our dinner at Zio Fraedo's restaurant began at 3:30 pm, when Judy Furlong Demartini arrived to work on room set-up with the Zio Fraedo staff. She was immediately confronted with the fact that the 28 tables-of-eight we had planned could not fit in the ballroom together with a dance floor! Judy went to plan B, 22 tables of 10 place settings. (Some of those tables were really packed later, but what the heck, it helped to generate that warmth and friendliness of the evening.) 

By 4 pm two of our registration staff were on scene, Carole Poertner's daughter Anna and her friend Jeff Chernovetz. And Toni Hayes Lewis arrived with husband Mike to lay out the unique decorations that graced every table. Some time around 5 pm the Silent Auction item transfer from the Hyatt House began, led by Diane Sewell Hulsey and Jim Turdici.  Denon & Doyle DJ Tim Phelps (PHHS Class of '70?--Hudson Ave) arrived with his equipment in the 5 o'clock hour, as did registration staff member Louie Jacobus and photographer Rob Perry (Alhambra HS, Class of '72). Andy Conroy arrived to help Anna place all the teachers in good locations. All was in place before 6 pm.

6 PM Cocktail Hour:  As people poured in, we were saved from long lines by the fact that pre-registration for many of us had taken place back at the Hyatt House. By 6:20 the parking lot was full and Zio Fraedo staff was directing people into the Walgreen's lot next door. The evening began tentatively, as people searched for their old friends.  But by the time late-comers arrived, up thru 7 pm, there was an intense buzz in the room with light oldies background music. One committee member who initially felt a bit claustrophobic stated, "We have been too successful." 

7-8:30 Dinner: Evening Master of Ceremonies Mike Ipson called the group to semi-order at 7 pm, made an announcement about the Silent Auction, introduced the presence of six teachers and their escorts, recognized the reunion committe members, and offered a moment of silence in gratitude for all who were able to attend, for those who could not attend due distance or other commitments, and those who have passed away. He then invited people to join the buffet line. The meal itself was an amazing mix of choices that must have included something for everyone. Special shout out to Dan Norville's sister, Francyne Dawkins, for bringing Jim Farrant his dinner and preparing it for him (Jim had a stroke three years ago and his left side does not work). 

8:30-8:55 Program:  MC Mike Ipson began the after-dinner program with a welcome and reminder that the Silent Auction would soon be closing. Mike then gave the floor to Committee Chair Randy Milliken, who gave a certificate of recognition to Barbara Norris Demartini for being the first to purchase a reunion ticket (check by mail March 9). Randy then called up the nine people who had come from over 1,000 miles away for a group photo, and gave certificates of recognition to Dale McKay for "Longest Journey", to Carol Bryant Fritch for "Most Fraught Long Journey", and to Jim Natland for "Most Complicated Long Journey". Next Mike introduced Jim Turdici, who took the floor to talk about the history and the future of our Class Website and gave examples of its value as a communication tool. Jim led a round of applause for our classmates who served in the military. Jim also presented Randy Milliken with an "Extraordinary Ram Spirit" plaque for his work as Reunion Committee Chair. 

Mike Ipson accepted back the microphone and shared words that expressed the meaning of the event we celebrated. He quoted Garry Garren, "The Class of '64 has left many fine and proud trails" in reference to the achievements, small and large, private and public, of all our classmates. He also quoted Jennifer Friedenbach, "I am grateful for a wonderful life, even if it wasn't the one I expected in 1964" to emphasize that, while some followed paths clear since high school, others struck out on entirely new paths. Mike then closed the program and turned the microphone over to our DJ to start the music program.

9:00-11:00 Dancing, Silent Auction Wrap, and Conversation:  DJ Tim Phelps began the first dance set with a swing number, and Connie Britt and her husband Lee Barton were first onto the floor. By the end of the first set there were plenty of dancers. The Silent Auction winners were announced during the first break; Diane Sewell Hulsey had worked tirelessly through the first set to control the Silent Auction paperwork, and she spent much of the rest of the night collecting money and ensuring that the winners picked up their items (see the separate Silent Auction page on this website).

By the end of the evening there had been at least two dance numbers where you could not find room on the dance floor. And just like in our school days, some of the boys would not dance at all and some of the girls had a great time dancing with each other!  We have yet to download our scores of photos taken by our photographer Rob Perry. Rob, who has worked conventions, weddings, and reunions for 30 years, summarized the night as "fun, inspiring and warm." Rob actually thanked us for the opportunity to work the event!

ALL IN ALL A GOOD NIGHT

 

Sunday (August 17, 2014)

All-Class Picnic at Pleasant Oaks Park, 11 AM-4:30 PM

A Great Success, Thanks to Janet Betz, Becky Mitchell, and Toni Lewis

The Yearly PHHS All-Class Picnic took place on Sunday.  Our Picnic Sub-Committee of Becky Darrow Mitchell and Janet Annereau Betz arrived by 10 AM to begin setting up our Class of '64 Encampment. They brought canopies and chairs, which were augmented by more of the same brought by our Decorations Chair Toni Hayes Lewis and her husband Mike.  Staff assistant Louie Jacobus, John Dotson, and others were there early to help with the setup.

 

Becky and Janet had shopped til they dropped at Kosko Costko and other places in the days before.  They set up tubs of cold drinks on ice and laid out an array of snacks. Turns out we really needed all of the many canopies set up for our encampment. Our class had a massive attendance, clearly more than any other class. This is not surprising, given how many of our class was in town for the dinner the night before. Also, Bill Taylor brought his family, and Laverne Abfalter arrived for the picnic. Both had other commitments the night before.

Smokin' Hot Bar-b-que was set up to sell lunches over near the entrance to the park.  Gail Gayer Turpen's registration table was near the bbq truck, and great smells from that direction wafted by us all day.

 

The area under the few trees in the park was taken over by many alums from earlier classes, i.e. older folks. Us young folks, having been raised well, were glad to give them that nice area.

 

Over at our encampment, some wonderful musical entertainment was provided by Harry Liedstrand with his wife Cindy, Bonnie Robertson with husband Jerry, and John Dotson with his nephew. They had everyone singing along.

 

Having a relaxing picnic allowed many of our classmates some special visiting time with each other and with friends from other classes. People came at all different times of the day to find their friends and start their own mini picnics. There was no wind in the morning, but a breeze came up in the afternoon. At one point a gust grabbed all of our canopies and lifted them from the ground. We are really fortunate that nobody was injured.

It being a warm day, the crowd started thinning around 2pm. Around 3pm, alums of the cross country and track teams returned from their gathering to honor Coach Bob McGuire. The picnic ended around 4:15pm. Everything was dismantled by 4:45.  All said, it was a good ending to a long, and at the same time oh-so-short, weekend.


 

Thanks to All Who Attended the Reunion Weekend

Your presence was a gift to everyone else who attended. We all felt like we needed more time, wanted to talk to more people, learned someone was there that we never saw or recognized, want a "do over" on at least some aspect of the weekend.  It was meaningful and it was memorable.

A Special Thank You to everyone who helped complete the sometimes-harrowing transition moments over the weekend. Those moments included:

  • the shift of Silent Auction materials and humans from the Gathering Room up to Zio Fraedo's on Saturday evening.
  • end of night clean-up at Zio Fraedo's on Saturday night.
  • removal of our memorabilia from the Gathering Room on Sunday morning.
  • set-up of our location at the All-Class Picnic Sunday morning and its breakdown at the end of the day.


 

We Raised $1,467 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation over Reunion Weekend 

THANKS TO YOUR GENEROSITY AND THE HARD WORK OF JIM TURDICI AND DIANE SEWELL HULSEY

(Our initial goal had been $800)

Learn more about our silent auction, the items donated, and about MAKE-A-WISH itself at the Silent Auction page under the "50 Year Reunion 2014" menu.

 


Look Who Came To The Reunion Dinner 

(classmates who picked up their name tags August 16)

0-30 mile distance   ( 21 male, 27 female )  

Randi Allred (Lindenau)   -   Janet Annereau (Betz)   -   Earl Baca

Robin Barnard    -    Frank Brazeal    -    Paula Brown

Charles Carlson  -   Bill Cawley    -    Sandra Clark (Dayton)

Paul Cohune     -     Tom Cox     -     Becky Darrow (Mitchell)

Trisha Fead (Meikle)  -  Barbara Fehliman (Gregory)  -  Sandy French (Kent)

Judy Furlong (DeMartini)   -   Rick Giessner   -   Martin Harper

Keith Harris     -    Toni Hayes (Lewis)     -     Pat Heide

Gary Holmes     -     Lock Holmes     -     Bill Jacobus

Jerry Kergan    -    Sharon Lee (Goldsmith)   -   Harry Liedstrand

Bernadette Linteo (French)  -  Nancy Loss (Huseby)   -   Clarice Malta

Doug McLeod     -     Darrell McClure    -    Jacque McDonald (Ahern)

Kerry Moran   -   Susanne Murtey (McClure)   -   Barbara Norris (Demartini)

Claudia Nunnally (Thomas)   -   Linda Pierce (Guma)    -    Carole Poertner

Bonnie Robertson (Cahill)   -   Rose Marie Romeo   -   Diane Sewell (Hulsey)

Sandi St. Germain (Bonnel)     -     Steve Stark     -     Diane Sutch

Rick Walsh     -     Greg White     -     Doris Wolf (Dahl)  

31-100 mile distance   ( 21 male, 12 female )

Rick Begell    -    Lorna Belcher (Hunt)    -    Gary Bushman

Sandra Clark (Stefani)   -   Pat Coffey   -   Pat Dougan

Pam Dowell (Layfield)    -   Jim Farrant    -   Jim Frerking

Jennifer Friedenbach (Konecny)  -  Steve Gallanthine  -   Bart Hendrix  

Bob Higgins     -     John Hill     -     Mike Ipson

Mark Layfield    -    Karen McClelland (Medlock)   -   Randy Milliken

Bill Moler    -    Mike Muccigrosso    -    Randy Newcomer

Rick Nobles   -   Nanci Pearson (Palmateer)   -   Sue Prall (Wilson)

Sharon Prater (Wagner)   -   Diane Ray (Baxter)   -   Dan Richards

Walt Roth     -     Barbara Schmidt (Sloan)     -     Fred Schwarm

Van U'Ren    -    Fred Wagner     -     Dorine Waidtlow

101-300 mile distance    ( 9 male, 5 female ) 

Tom Clark    -    Dennis Clemens     -     Jeff Dunstan

Mike Hayes   -   Barbara Geary (Klaubert)   -   Denise Hansen (May)

Cathy Kreiberg (Maggard)   -   John Martin   -   Marilyn Martin (Ditmanson)

Colleen Miles (Reynolds)   -   Dan Norvelle   -   Bill Rose

Don Stephens     -     Bob Webber

[Cami Spurgeon (Wilkinson) after her dtr's 40th birthday dinner]  

301-1000 mile distance    ( 14 male, 6 female ) 

Laura Andreen (McDonnell)   -   Norm Andreen   -   Larry Barton

Connie Britt (Barton)    -    Jim Bruce    -    John Butler

Barbara Cannady (Cunningham)   -   John Dotson   -   Ron Duplanty

Gary Garren    -    Tom Grice    -    Maryl Heyn (Cipperly)

April Hillbun (Herschbach)   -   Terry Julin   -   Guy "Skip" King

Caroline Lamb (Lucas)   -   Jim Lind   -   Sher Takahashi

Charlie (Tompkins) Tossavianen

1001 miles and farther    ( 7 male, 2 female )   

Carol Bryant (Fritsch)   -   Andy Conroy   -   Jeanie Ernst (Swan)

Rob Goff     -     Doug Hauser     -     Wiley Martin

Dale McKay    -    Jim Natland    -    Jim Turdici

 


 THANK YOU TO THE TEACHERS WHO CAME TO OUR REUNION

Six Teachers Helped Make Our Reunion Dinner Special

Nan Andrews (English)   -   Joan Frantz Vesper (English)

Gene Goselin (Science)    -    Bob McGuire (Math, Track)

Lyle Palmer (Aviation, Dr.Ed., Baseball)

Art Poulin (P.E., Basketball) 

[John Shumway really wanted to be there, but was on cruise in the Baltic in August]

You can see most teacher pictures and a list of years they were at PHHS with us at the pages under the Teacher/Staff Info tab on the Nostalgia Pages menu along the left column of this Home Page.