Our 52 Reunion and 70th Birthday
By Judy Bixler
I don't even know how to describe the reunion weekend....... I don't think there is a word to describe it. It wasn't a word, actually,it was an emotion.
Friday night classmates started coming down to Amen about 5:30 just as the rain started coming down in torrents with lightning and thunder . what a start to our get together. We had a full house though with lots of laughing, gabbing, picture taking and all that fun stuff. I think there were four or five of us that remembered to wear our GHS shirts from the 50th.
Well, the game was postponed until 8pm because of the lightning so we just partied on. So when the diehards that braved the weather left I didn't they'd be back , but most of them came back (Girard lost in the last second of the game, JFK threw a hail Mary pass) and believe it or not we didn't leave Amen until 11:15.
I found out that night that people do read my email.... Anthony Carderio (all through St Rose he was Anthony and will be Anthony forever to me) said he read my email and decided to come down and we were all glad to see him. We ended up with 55 people there Friday.
And Saturday everyone who said they were coming did and a few we didn't know were coming paid at the door so I'm guessing our final total was at least the 66 we were hoping for.
One of the highlights of the night was that Carole Martin was able to attend, how great it was to see her. Her cousin, Joanne Raggozine, brought her. I think her table was the busiest of the night with friends wanting to talk with her. Some of you might know Joanne, she went to St Rose but chose Ursuline over Girard.... hmmmm, go figure. Bet they don't have the reunions we do.
We had the Girard Dixie Band ( part of the community band) they played for about a half hour .... when they were just about finished they played those famous notes that got our attention...... you know the notes to "hail Girard all hail" then Ron invited all of us to stand and sing the Alma Mater (the words were on the back of their program book) and I think everybody sang.. There were some tears .. I know I teared up ... then they went right into the Girard Fight Song.... it was great it was like being back at the stadium and singing "hail, hail the gangs all here, so let's beat old Ni iles now-ow-ow" At least Pat Planton and I sang Niles and I betcha most everybody else did too.
Jim Smythe had set up a sound system (I don't describe well) and showed the cd's that Jim Santagata had made of the 50th and the class picnic . Before dinner the pictures were taken of the class and separate pics of those that went to Washington, Maple Ave, North Ave and St Rose. Bob Anderson gave the invocation then while we were eating Jim Smythe's music was playing in the background and they played a sorta waltz tempo song (forgive me Ed if I'm wrong on the waltz part) and Judy and Ed Raney got up and danced ... they are great ballroom dancers. But then we all knew Ed could be a good dancer when we watched him on the basketball court during that championship year of 59-60. After dinner we danced "the stroll" and a lot of other songs from our past.
The program was next and Pat Zalac and Ed DeChant did a fantastic job... they were so calm, cool and collected and did a terrific job of playing off each others words. Jim Ward gave the toast with wine from his vineyard....now, he tells us he doesn't have a winery that he just grows some thousand grapevines and gets dirty, but Jim you'll always be our classmate that has a winery no matter what you say.
Joe Concannon got up and did a guessing game..... giving the little descriptions that were under our pictures in the reflector and we had to guess who they were.... the only one I got right was Big Steve... it was easy.
Pat Godec went to the podium and thanked everyone for the many cards she received from classmates during her serious illness. She told us how the cards and knowing we were thinking about her and praying for her during this period kept her spirits up. She told how with her husband by her side and our cards she got her through the time in ICU and the long recovery period.
Ron Robinson then finished up the evening by thanking everyone who helped put the weekend together. For the final event of the night we took the balloons outside and after some words from Larry Lewis and a reading of the names of our classmates who've passed we left the balloons go. ...the balloons went straight up... I think that means something.
The food at Amen Corner and Vernons was very good and the service at both places was top notch.... they couldn't do enough for us. I didn't deal with Vernons personally , Ron did, but Rhonda, at Amen, was very helpful and she didn't even throw us out Saturday night when we showed up and went straight back to the room we had Friday and sat down at the table (already set up for a Sunday shower). She just laughed when Butch and I came in and she told us where our class went we asked her if she wanted us to move everyone back into the restaurant but she said no that they'd just fix it up again. So that's my story of the reunion, I just wish all of you could have been with us for it. Talk to you soon. gabby Judy
Click here to begin with GHS Class of 1960's 52nd reunion and 70th birthday party.
Click here for an important message from one of our classmates
Judy Bixler reflects on the weekend
Home page Program Sat Night Ed's meeting with Miss Schumm about the word UP
Photos from Amen Corner on Friday Night
Photos from Vernons on Saturday Night