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The front of the Memory Book reads:
....keep your friendships in good repair.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
The SHHS Class of '67 30th Reunion was a 2-day affair held over the July 4th weekend, 1997. We met first up at (what used to be called) Byron to watch fireworks on Friday, July 4. At 6 p.m., I drove past the school where I blossomed from a goofy 12 year-old kid into a goofy 14 year-old kid, and it was pouring rain; reminded me of the Shaw football game when I was a junior, where only idiots were in the stands to watch the sloshing of mud-soaked football players. Dutifully, I was one of them. In six years, I never missed a Shaker varsity football game - not one. But on this wet Friday night, the evening was headed for a washout. But by 7:30, the skys had uncharacteristically cleared. (Was this really Cleveland?) The rest of the evening was terrific.
I saw the banner identifying our group, but didn't recognize most of the balding, bearded, beer-belly old foggies standing around. (Was this the class of '67 or '37?) This was a disturbing theme that was to prevail throughout the weekend. Bob Barber lumbered over from his home in Oregon. He was taller than I remember him, and looked like the abominable snowman. But he had a smile on his face, and seemed less imposing when you talked to him. Jack Thornton brought along his dog, who weathered the fireworks and the crowd just fine. Frankly, she was more interested in what Eileen Tatar had in her cooler. About 40 people from our class were on hand.
| After the fireworks, we took over the lounge at the Beachwood Marriott. We were larger in number and much more active there. We showed that we clearly had perfected that art of drinking. Some of us showed that we had learned how to smoke, too. "Rude, crude, and unattractrive," as Miss Jones used to say. That lasted till well into the morning. I called it quits around 2 a.m., when the party was still in full swing. |  |
| The next day, our home-grown "reunion band" rehearsed at the Play House from about 1 to 4. How they all managed to show up by 1 p.m. is a mystery to me. About 20 people wandered in and out to see the preview. Bill Hoffman took control of the band... as much as possible, under the circumstances. That's Hoffman in the middle, Jay Perry on his left, Bob Pekoc and Barry LaChance on the right. |  |
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That afternoon, I went down to what used to be Euclid Beach Park, at 160th and Euclid. After we graduated, they tore the place down and built a series of high-rise apartments. I suppose that somebody made some big money on the deal. Twenty-five years later... it is clear that it was a big mistake. The place looked just sad. |
I drove around with my windows up and doors locked. Some guy flagged me down and offered to sell me something... I didn't stick around to find out what. Another drifter offered to buy my car. About then I decided it was time to make a fast exit. At least he gave me an option. It was very sad; this beautiful park on the edge of the water, turned into Beirut on Lake Erie. That was unmistakably the low point of my visit to my hometown.
| By 7:30 on Saturday evening, people from our class were arriving at the Play House at 80th and Carnegie, a beautiful old building just down the road from the new and ever-expanding Cleveland Clinic. In this picture, you can see part of Steve Bonchek, Jeff Slavin, Marilyn Heiser, Nancy Reiches' right ear, Ford Harris' left ear, Kim Vactor, and Rick Saltzman. I think that may be the back of Paula Rubin in front of Jeff on the left. |  |
Reunion coordinators Terri Soloman and Nancy Nehman passed out the reunion memory book, my official BB Qualifying exam (prepared especially for the reunion), and a neat red and white T-shirt. There were pictures - old pictures - from our yearbook posted at the entrance - just to remind us of how good looking we used to be. I am told that about 200 people showed up, including about 140 from our class. (The rest, I guess, were gate crashers, probably from Euclid Beach apartments.) There was a fully stocked cash bar, but only two bartenders on duty. Obviously, the management seriously underestimated our capacity to embibe. What were they expecting? I mean, at our age, what else is left?
| But the buffet meal was delicious. Roast beef and something that looked and tasted... very much... like chicken. And the dessert was fantastic. I stuffed as many chocolate-covered brownies as I could up my sleeve, and was set for days. |  |
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Before our live band played, there was music from the sixties on
records. But the music really took off when the reunion band took
center stage. Vocals were done primarily by Bill Hoffman, who can still
carry a tune, and Jay Perry, who... relied on some strong
backup.
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The award for the longest marriage went to Louise Berke, who has been happily married for 27 years. The award for the shortest marriage... went unclaimed. (We do have some honor, you know.) The award for the youngest offspring went to Jack Drewy, who showed that he's still got it... and knows what to do with it.
Barry LaChance claimed to have the most grandchildren - I don't know whether he was bragging or complaining.
The award for the most bald head... was a draw. There were just too many entries to be able to declare a winner. The award for most hair went to Chris Uni-Frolking, who continues to die his hair and beard red just so he won't be mistaken for Ted Kaczynski.
Although an honorable mention should go to John Thiel, who had his long, straight hair tied in a ponytail. And he was sporting just the cutest earring you ever saw! Just adorable, John!
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The award for the person who has lost the most weight went to Clint
Krislov, who is but a shell of his former chunky self. Good for you,
Clint. Clint plans to run for attorney general in Illinois in 1998.
His role model is Ted Kennedy, who also loses weight before an election.
Best get a driver before the campaign heats up, Clint. No sense taking
chances... or passengers either, for that matter. The award for the person who looks most like they did in high school went to Judy Benson. Honestly, she never ages... it is simply disgusting. (Does anybody have a recent close-up of Judy so I can show you a comparison? Fred, help me here.) Somebody (I'm sorry, I was trying to get a refill when the winner was announced - does anyone remember?) came all the way from France for the reunion. Let's see how a conversation about that might have gone. Pierre and Frank are sitting at a cafe at the foot of the Eifel Tower. Pierre asks, "Where you going on your vacation, Frank? Cannes? London? Geneva?" "No, Pierre; I think I'll fly all the way across the Atlantic to spend a couple weeks in Cleveland." Works for me.
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Rick Saltzman (and many others) let their beards grow. Rick didn't think that I would recognize or remember him. But I recall that, when he was 15, Rick "appropriated" his parents' car one night while they were out, and was caught crashing a red light over in Brecksville. (Sorry Rick; there's a reason why I am the class historian.) Today Rick owns two Honda motorcycle dealerships in Ohio, and is planning to open a third. He claims to have the largest inventory of new and used Hondas in the state. Why does this not surprise me? A word of advice, friends: while visiting the state, lock your car; take your keys! Saltzman is on the loose.
Ken Unger had grown about six inches. Unfortunately, his hair had not kept pace, and is now distributed liberally over his face.
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The award for most loyalty goes to the group from Sussex Elementary
School, of which I am proud to say, I am a member. That's all of us, in
1961, over there on the right. How many of your classmates can you still
name? I have the class roster
here. For the reunion, there were at least 18 of us on hand; we beat out the Moreland crew because we remembered our school song ("Sussex Will Shine Tonight") - and sang it very well, I might add. |
Sussex School Now |
I am not sure if there was any new and exciting "romance" at the reunion. If there was, I missed it. Some things never change. I saw the girl who I adored from afar in fourth grade. She still looked terrific. I told her I had a horrible crush on her back then. She said she never knew. Forty years later, I was still hiding my affection for her. Some things never change.
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The next morning, I took my little girl, Princess, down to one of her
favorite places, Squaw Rock, in the beautiful Cleveland Metropolitan
Parks. You have to look hard, but you can see the squaw etched into the
stone in the background here. Pictures don't do this place justice.
You just had to be there. Next time, we'll spend a little more time
there. "These woods are lovely, dark, and deep; but I have
promises to keep."
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A lot of people have no interest in their high school reunions. I can understand that; it's a personal thing. But when I was three years old, my parents moved to 3665 Traynham Road so that my sister and I could go to the best school district in the city... in the state... in the country. They unpacked their bags, settled down, and stayed forever. They sacrificed for 20 years so we could have a consistent and stable environment. I grew up there, along with 60 other kids my age, who experienced many of the same things at the same time. My parents' sacrifices paid off. I am forever richer for the experiences of growing up in Shaker Heights. And I was thrilled to see so many of the folks who had such a significant and positive impact on my life. Our parents can be proud (except for that piece of jewelry in Thiel's ear).
I know I have left out a lot of names, and even more stories about the reunion. Heck, I am only one guy. So tell me your stories; I'll add whatever you've got to the commentary here. I especially need pictures. You can scan and e-mail me your pictures - the more embarrassing, the better - or send them to me at P.O. Box 11611 Tampa, FL 33680. I'll scan them and return them to you within 24 hours.
"Keep your friends close... and your enemies closer."
We have many, many more memories of Shaker Heights. Click here to return to the BBHQ SHHS home page. Or, take the SHHS edition of the BB Exam. (We have many more pictures there.)
Copyright © 1997-2007 BabyBoomer HeadQuarters: WWW.BBHQ.COM - a division of Miracle Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.
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