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!!

69'ers Cheering RHS....

Eric Courtney, Ken Porcase, Tom Riddle and Bill Shorts cheered RHS during the game against Tallmadge on Friday, August 24. Unfortunately they didn't quite yell loud enough as Tallmadge squeaked by the Ravens 29 to 28, with RHS losing in the last 30 seconds. (Please feel free for all classmates to post any and all photos of yourselves and/or family. We are ALWAYS eager to keep up-to-date on y'all!)

THE ADVANTAGES OF LIVING AFTER 50

I received this from Mike Marquis who reminded me of our aging. With our upcoming 60th birthday party July 30, 2011, I am reminding y'all too. The perks of reaching 50, being 60 or over, and heading toward 70....... ....Kidnappers are not interested in us. ....In a hostage situation we are likely to be released first. ....No one expects us to run anywhere. ....People call at 9:00 PM and ask 'Did I wake you?" ....People no longer view us as hypochondriacs. ....There is nothing left to learn the hard way. ....Things we buy now won't wear out. ....We can eat dinner at 4:00 PM. ....We can live without sex, but can't live without our glasses. ....We get into heated arguments about pension plans. ....We no longer think of speed limits as a challenge. ....We quit trying to hold in our stomachs no matter who walks into the room. ....We sing along with elevator music. ....Our eyes won't get much worse than they already are. ....Our investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off. ....Our joints are more accurate meteorologists than the National Weather Service. ....Our secrets are safe with our friends because they can't remember them either. ....Our supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size. ....We can't remember where you saw this list. ....We notice all these are in BIG print for our convenience. ....And most importantly, never, ever, under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night! Mark Marini and Diana Taliaferro Huntley will be celebrating their actual 60th birthday on our Class party night. If we have any other readers that will be attending and whose actual 60th birthday is on July 30, 2011, please contact me at palsummers@sbcglobal.net

69'ers 60th BIRTHDAY PARTY

Nineteen-Fifty-One is when most of us were born, We were way too young to understand porn.

It seemed like the years slowly crept by,

It went so slow, we thought we were going to die.

The magic age was, to be sixteen years old,

'Cause a drivers license was what we needed to hold.

Then the magic age was to be eighteen,

So we could go off to college to make a scene.

To be twenty-one was the biggest desire yet,

We would finally be of legal age, and deeper in debt.

Some of us approached marriage, then children came along,

That's when our will became very, very strong.

Some are spoiling grandchildren in our ripe young age,

And some of us are still earning some sort of wage.

Most will be retiring in just a few years,

And none of us will be shedding any new tears.

We are unfortunately getting older as time goes by,

Join us at our class birthday party to just say hi!

JULY 30, 2011 is when this party will be,

So come on by, for our classmates you will see.

The party will be held at Peg DiPaola's childhood home,

At 5551 S. Prospect Street, so bring your comb.

We are thinking of a cookout with our class funds providing,

Brats, burgers and buns with absolutely no hiding.

Classmates are asked to bring one covered dish,

And to bring your own beverages, so whatever you wish.

Snail mail invitations WILL NOT be sent,

Notices will take place electronically 'cause our money's all been spent.

Emails will be sent and placed on Classmates, Facebook and this Blog,

So check out these sites often, so you won't be in the fog!

Time of this party has not been set,

But please attend so you don't regret!

PLEASE RSVP so we can all say Hi,

That way we will know how much food to buy!

IT'S HELL GETTING OLD!!!

Earlier this spring, Nancy Roen Dunlap and I discovered that Mr. Taylor lived just around the corner from Nancy. So we took a short drive and surprised him! Here he is with Nancy. He's retired and still has a great sense of humor (he and his wife had just returned from Florida that morning, but invited us in and seemed pleased that we'd dropped by).

Sally