Thursday, October 23, 2008
Class Reunions Bring Friends Together
by Julie Scarano, Alumni Communications Director
Throughout the Summer of 2008 and into the fall season, over 500 Little Falls High School and St. Mary’s Alumni, family and friends came back to Little Falls to celebrate class reunions, sharing time and memories with classmates and friends.
Class years holding recent celebrations included: 1948, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988 and 1998. Each event was unique in its own way with alumni traveling from New England states as well as Colorado, Wyoming, Florida and California to name a few. Most of the events took place over the Canal Days festival weekend – leveraging a full slate of community events to add to the reason for out of town alumni to return home.
Marking ten years since their commencement, the Class of 1998 gathered together at the Knight’s Inn in Little Falls for their very first reunion. Twenty-one classmates arrived and were surprised to see their senior photos hanging from the ceiling of the banquet room. Stacey Snyder Jantzen served as the Reunion Coordinator and looks forward to building on this initial event to bring other classmates to the next reunion in five years.
The Class of 1988 held their reunion at the Bella Vista with 40 classmates in attendance, 69 in total attending the event. According to David Zilkowski, “It was a great night with good drinks, good food and great laughs.” He said he thinks that all would agree the time was too short.
The Class of 1983 celebrated at the Elk’s Club Canal Days weekend. Twenty-seven attendees were from Little Falls, 17 traveled from out of town and information cards for 18 alumni who were unable to attend were displayed. Pins with senior class pictures on them were handed out to all classmates and photos from past reunions were exhibited as well as the class yearbook. Assorted hors d’oeuvres, desserts and punch were served as the alumni, family and friends spent time renewing acquaintances.
The Class of 1973 held their celebration at the Mohawk Valley Country Club. Thirty-two classmates were in attendance with 21 additional guests. Following a reception and a delicious meal served by the Country Club staff, an open microphone time was held in which many chose to share past memories, whereabouts of classmates and remembrances of those no longer with us. Martin Babinec shared some insights about a new program created by LFHS Alumni Network called Career Perspectives. This program brings accomplished alumni back to the high school for a structured presentation and interactive program that has been well received by the junior and senior classes.
Master of Ceremonies, Rocco Scarano, entertained 39 classmates, 22 guests and 5 teachers of the Class of 1968 at their Bella Vista Reunion with historical and class trivia, top songs and movies throughout the years, a tribute to the class’s deceased members and an article from AARP entitled, “1968: The Year that Rocked the World.” Additionally, Richard Buckley’s recently released book Unique Place, Diverse People, a story about the history of Little Falls, was introduced to the class by Jeff Gressler.
Most recently, the Class of 1963 celebrated 45 years on October 10-12. On Friday, a mixer was held at the Knight’s Inn. The Crystal Chandelier hosted a dinner on Saturday where deceased classmates were honored with a memorial table, Coach Charlie Young was remembered, and all had a fabulous time just reminiscing together. A small group also gathered one last time on Sunday for breakfast, already looking forward to their 50th.
The Class of 1958 celebrated their golden 50th reunion with 37 classmates in attendance, the majority from out of town. Former teachers Mr. Donald Mussella and Mr. Stanley Tucker also made guest appearances. Alumni enjoyed the music of DJ Mike Boslet of Palatine Bridge and a video entitled, “Lost in the 50s,” put together by classmate Judy Gray Hall’s husband, but according to Judy, “The bulk of the evening was spent just visiting.” She noted, “I have never seen so many people so happy to be together.”
While it was not an official reunion year for the Class of 1957, alumnus Peter Adasek arranged an informal gathering for 26 members of the class at Moreland Park. It was a catered affair with 1950s music courtesy of David Blovat. Adasek also held an open house pot luck dinner at his home in which over 100 friends from LFHS and St. Mary’s from all over the US came to chat, eat, drink and celebrate the famous Canal Days.
The Class of 1953 and guests, 50 in total, also gathered at the Bella Vista on September 6th. Magnificent door prizes were given away and according to Josey Kovac Smith, “It was just so great to see everyone. We danced and sang and just had a great time catching up on things from the last five years.”
Finally, 35 members of the Class of 1948 rallied to celebrate their 60th reunion at the Knight’s Inn in Little Falls. Perhaps the highlight of the evening included when classmate Ann Brown Rossi, unable to attend due to a recent stroke, played the school song all the way from Florida for all to enjoy. Additionally, Mike Guidice, who was instrumental in filming the Civic Club’s DVD, Little Falls, A Renaissance City, was present for a showing of the short documentary about the city and why so many have fallen in love with it.
For more information about the reunions of 2008, photos, recaps, and ideas and tips for planning your next reunion, please visit the Little Falls High School Alumni Network at: www.lfhsalumni.org/reunions. The Alumni Network is a resource available to help any class make a reunion event both well attended and memorable. The Network, now host to over 1650 members, ranging over 80 years from the Class of 1928 to the Class of 2008, is an excellent way to stay connected with old friends and classmates not just during reunion years, but at all times. As this free and secure network continues to grow, so does the potential to favorably impact the school and community. Visit the website also to learn more about our goals and the possibilities of an active network.
As time passes, alumni of Little Falls may find themselves nearby or many miles away from our community. But whether near or far, we can all agree that in coming together to get reconnected with friends - there is truly “no place like home.”