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I finally arrived at my home in Wilmington, NC, today, and hope all those at the reunion have also traveled safely. I have so many visions of our weekend together dancing around in my head. What an amazing and memorable event, wouldn't you agree?

Having the opportunity to renew old friendships is indeed a gift. Our visit to Town Hall (formerly Suffern Elementary and the school I attended in the lower grades) and The Suffern Middle School (our old high school) brought back so many memories. Although the faces of the people sharing these visits with me seem a little different, I could still picture each of us walking those halls and sitting in those classrooms together more than 50 years ago. And the vision made me smile.

Seeing Jim Bracco arrive in a very classy, red, 1966 Cadillac convertible was fun. Sam Marsh decorated his late model Cadillac with blue and white streamers and wrote "Class of 1958 50th Reunion" on the windows. Some of us thought we missed a great opportunity to form an impromptu parade down Lafayette Avenue. Something definitely to consider for the future.

There was so much catching up to do, but I think the events of the weekend lent themselves well to getting reacquainted again. A very special thanks to Joe Nappo, Bill White, Chuck Lynch, Jim Bracco and Phoebe Gelford Peister for putting together our itinerary for the weekend. It went so smoothly, which is a sure sign that it was very well planned. I particularly enjoyed the visit to the Lafayette Theater, and watching that Bugs Bunny cartoon from 1957 had me laughing with tears in my eyes. The school bus ride certainly was nostalgic, although I realized I was much smaller back in the 50s as I worked my way down the very narrow center aisle. (Sigh.)

For an alumnus of the Washington Avenue school, I enjoyed visiting that building. And what a treat to be able to greet Mr. Watts once again.

Although there were definitely changes at the Suffern Middle School, so much of what was our high school remained. Loved it when Emerson pointed to a large TV on the wall outside the office and said, "Yep. I remember that flat-screen TV well." I guess some things have changed. Like those fitness rooms with all the equipment. I might have actually liked gym from time to time if we had all this available to us. But then again, maybe not.

The principal's tour of the current high school was very interesting, and the facility is amazing. I was particularly impressed with the statistic that 98-99 percent of the current graduates go on to college. By the way, I read in a current Mountain Echo that the class of 2008 is the 100th graduating class. That means the class of 1958 was the 50th!! As we left the high school, Brian Galbraith turned to some of the current students and said, "this is you in 50 years." They looked a little startled!!!

Sam Marsh provided us with great name tags that helped us identify each other. Some of us have changed a little over the years to be sure, but the changes are all good ones. Joanne Dawson Norton helped remember those we have lost with her display of their photos.

Emerson Brigham took lots of pictures, as did so many others. I have a bunch in my camera, and I'll download them on to the Blog. We can now play "remember this classmate." From my observation, I would say that Jim Bloom and Dick Conklin probably changed the most and Mary Jo Billy Sabo the least. Emerson Brigham and Cathy Codispoti traveled the furthest to be at the reunion (from California). Gordon Storms came by train from Arizona. Dick Conklin and Toni Tedesco have the most children I believe. Gordon Storms has the youngest -- a 17-year-old son. Everyone looked healthy and happy. Fifty years seemed to have been kind to most everyone.

It was obvious we knew what we were doing when we elected Joe Nappo class president. He didn't know he was president for life, but he continues to carry out his duties in an exemplary manner.

Bill White is not only a star athlete but an outstanding tour guide. Thank you Bill for making sure our Saturday events were so special.

Several have asked how long I'll keep the Blog up, and I have no plans to discontinue it. If you haven't set yourself up as an authorized "poster" and need some help to do so, let me know. You can also "comment" whenever without any special set-up. At the end of each post you will see the word, "Comment." Just click on that, and then make whatever comments you like. When reading the Blog and you see the word "Comment" with a number (other than 0) after it, click on it so you can read the comments from others.

Post your photos. If you need help with that, send them to me, and I'll be glad to post them. Let us know what you thought of the reunion. What were your favorite times? What could be done differently? I would vote to skip the Alumni Association dinner.

Let's stay in touch!!