35th Reunion


Not sure if you got a chance to read our 35 Reunion Wrap-up article written by our  friend and fellow classmate Tom Tolen.  He will be dearly missed at our 40th Reunion and hope this brings back memories to those that attended.  You can just imagine Tom getting such a kick out of writing this up for us...

 

35th Reunion Wrap-up

By Tom Tolen

Approximately 60 members of PGHS Class of 1974 gathered on the Peninsula over the Labor Day weekend for their 35th reunion. This was the 7th such reunion for this tight-knit class. The highlight of the weekend had to be the appearance of at least thirteen first-time attendees. Some participants, travelled from as far away as Hawaii and the East Coast. Many attendees thanked Cheri (Fisher) Schmidt and the rest of the Reunion Committee for designing the newly-launched Class of 74 website, which allows class members to stay informed of upcoming events, as well as keep up with what classmates are up to. This undoubtedly contributed to the appearance of the “newbies,” as well as to the overall high participation.

Reunion activities kicked off with most of the attendees attending the Jamboree on Friday evening at brand new, beautiful Breaker Stadium. A large class banner showed everyone where to go. In honor of the event, the new snack bar featured a special deal on either a Polish sausage or Portuguese linguica (paying homage to the athletic abilities of our former school President and Vice President, respectively). One highlight of the gathering was the entrance of first-timer Edwin Carson, resplendent in a stunning red and gold ensemble that included red snakeskin shoes. Also notable was the fact that so many were able to squeeze into vintage block jackets and letter sweaters. These accoutrements came in handy when the fog rolled in later in the evening, reminding some of us of how cold that place can be on football Fridays. One note to the snack bar: bring back the baked potatoes!

Following the Jamboree, about 50 attendees invaded Sandi Dix Eason’s beautiful home a few blocks away for adult beverages, snacks and more reminiscing. This relatively mellow affair gradually picked up steam, eventually escalating into a good old fashioned party, marked by a post-midnight visit from Pacific Grove’s finest, who delighted the old farts by asking if they could please turn down the noise. Competing theories have emerged to explain how a gathering of middle-aged baby boomers could come to require police supervision, but the consensus seems to be that a preponderance of exotic blue tequila and fine California vintage wines served as the catalyst. Unfortunately, there were casualties on the evening, as at least one attendee was unable to participate in the next night’s dinner/dance event due to feeling “under the weather.”

After spending most of Saturday recuperating, about 60 class members and a few brave spouses and significant others reconvened for the main reunion event – a dinner/dance at the Monterey Elks’ Lodge. Arriving participants were greeted by a large photo montage comprised of old yearbook photos of the Class of ‘74. Surprisingly included was a photograph of the 1970-71 PGHS Freshman basketball team, quite possible the worst athletic team in school history. Pre-dinner entertainment was provided by our very own Dr. Karl Rubrecht, piano virtuoso and Assistant Professor of Music at Grambling St. University. Dr. Rubrecht performed a number of classical and blues pieces, along with some of his own original music. He also was kind enough to provide all attendees with a CD of his work. Following a fine dinner of salmon and flank steak, Class President and Reunion Chair, Teri Kier, recognized first-time attendees. Along with Rick Rodewald, she also presented some of the attendees for extraordinary feats, including longest marriage, most children graduated from PG High (the winner of which also can claim the most kids still living at home), youngest children (two have seven-year-olds!), and oldest children. Thanks to Irene Takasaki Oshiro for contributing boxes of macadamia nuts to the awards and gifts packages. The after-dinner dance was marred by a war over the IPOD playing the music. The class was about evenly divided over listening to disco music or contemporary blues. The evening ended more with a whimper than a bang, long before midnight. The Elks’ Club bar saw light traffic throughout the evening, and it was apparent that most folks had “broken the bank” the previous evening. Guess we’re not that young anymore, eh?

Many thanks to the Reunion Committee for continuing to organize such special events for the Class of ’74: Teri Kier, Cheri (Fisher) Schmidt; Charles Clark, Sandi Dix Eason, Mary Grisin Draper, Sylvia Hernandez Newton, Terri Ishizuka Ikeda, Doree Hyland and Rick Rodewald. Many attendees agreed that this was the best reunion yet, and are looking forward to the next one. Special thanks to Cheri Fisher for the hard work she put in on the website, which everyone agreed, significantly contributed to the success of this reunion. And most especially, thanks to our first-time attendees: John Brady, Jodi (Bruno) Calloway, Edwin Carson, Fred Flatley, Ginny (Hammond) Carroll, Dan Hodson, Chery (Marr) Akaba-McComber, Jeanne (Penney Mileti), Kerry Peterson, Karl Rubrecht, Frank Schwab, June Sugiyama and Bonnie (Vining) Jacobsen. See you in five years!

 

By Tom Tolen

 

 

 

35th Reunion Dinner Dance - September 5, 2009

Monterey Elks Lodge

 

 

Jamboree After Party - September 4, 2009

  Sandi Dix Eason's Home

 

 
 
Doree Hyland's Pictures
Jamboree After Party
 
I didn't have time to identify everyone in Doree's Pictures - but the same nuts as before....
 
If you would like to view any slideshow in "full screen" click on the "View all" button at bottom of slideshow. This will take you into the Photobucket website, then select SlideShow in the upper right hand corner - it will open up full screen and you can stop and look at each picture, save to your computer, order prints etc.
 

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