60th BIRTHDAY PARTY

Bottom left: Peggy DiPaola, Melverta Townend Turek, Daryl Lussen Wilkinson, Bill Shorts, and Diana Taliaferro Huntley.

Second row left: Mike Reynolds and Denny Haney.

Third row left: Jim Fleming, Kenny Porcase, Pam Summers Lee, and Betty Litsinger.

Fourth row left: Ricky Lyon, Nancy Drugan Koehler, Sam Shipley, Heather McEwen Fleming, Susie Akers McCarrell, Ruth Potisuk Ludwick, Angie Petty Toncar, Jane Kleinsmith Roop, Becca Lyon.....(How did she get in our class photo? LOL!!), Mike Marquis and Gary Livengood.

Top row left: Denver Lovejoy, Matt Cristino, Debi Johnston Williams, Jim Canterbury, Linda Edwards Helleckson, Joe Salamon, Eric Courtney, Mark Bowen and seated, Joanne Wise Heinz. Attended but not pictured are Danny Barber and Chris McVay.

As you can see, we had a nice little turnout. The weather was a bit warm, but with a nice little breeze and a lot of shade, it was absolutely perfect. Those who were not able to attend, we missed you! You missed a fantastic party. The hours were 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM, but we had so much fun, several classmates did not leave until about 11:00 PM.

I would like to personally thank Peggy, her sisters and their families for hosting such a wonderful party. With all their hard work, the party was awesome! THANK YOU DiPAOLA FAMILY!!!

I had many classmates ask if we are going to have a 45th class reunion. I obviously do not have the answer to this question, but it is worth thinking about and discussing. We had 267 classmates; 21 of whom are deceased. In the last 15 months we lost Bob DeSimio, Bill Crist, Rick Romito, and we just heard that Larry McCollum passed away on 1 August due to a blood clot traveling to his lungs. Please think about whether we want to have reunions every 5 years or every 10 and let me know your thoughts.

Those who took pictures at our birthday party, please send them to me and I will post them on our blog, or by all means, please feel free to post them yourselves.

BIRTHDAY PARTY UPDATE......

The reservation deadline date for our class 60^th birthday party has expired, but don’t let that stop you from attending. If you know you are going to attend, please let me know via a reply to this email or through ‘Ma Bell’. We no longer have a landline, so please call my cell….1.317.341.0266. If you won’t know your plans until the day of, that is okay too…Just show up, as this is not a problem with our hostess, Peggy DiPaola.

Our birthday party will be held on Saturday, July 30 at Peggy’s home, 5551 South Prospect Street, Ravenna. The festivities will begin at 2:00 pm. Please bring a dish to pass and bring your own beverages.

Sam Shipley is interested in playing golf on Saturday morning if there is still enough interest. He is so interested he will be making tee times. Original willing souls are: Sam, Patti Mazzola Buchanan, Mark Bowen, Ruth Potisuk Ludwick, and John Ludwick. I will play if I am needed to even out a 4-some. If anyone else is interested in playing golf, please let me know ASAP.

FYI……Classmates who received a class directory at our 40^th class reunion, please make a note of Nancy Drugan Koehler’s correct email address…. Nancy@OAR.NET.

YOUNG AT HEART

Some of our classmates have been 60 for a over a year, while some have and will turn 60 in 2011. We all graduated in the class of 1969 so it doesn't matter when we reach this BIG age with a big ZERO in it! Plan to join other classmates to celebrate our special year. We promise not to make anyone wear the accessories Joe Salamon's family provided for his surprise party last week, but we can all look forward to either cheering each other on or crying in our beer at our class birthday party on Saturday, 30 July at Peggy DiPaola's childhood home. Please save this date and watch your email for final details in a few weeks. Questions about the party? Contact me at palsummers@sbcglobal.net or on my cell at 1.317.341.0266. We are looking forward to seeing everyone there! WE ARE NOT GETTING OLDER.....We ARE GETTING BETTER!!