HHS Class of 60 Summary of the STNY2000 reunion.
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by Pat Curtis More than 40 people trekked to Hutchinson Island to join the Same Time Next Year crew to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our graduation from Hialeah High School. That's more than double the number who attended the first STNY weekend at the Langford Hotel in Winter Park in 1997. (Sadly, we hear the hotel, with its distinctly 50's flavor, has closed and is being converted to condominiums.) The sprawling Hutchinson Island Marriott Resort, off the coast of Stuart, was the locale for this year's get-together, held June 23-26. The start of a new millennium, reaching (and surviving) the 40th milepost and the addition of several new faces to the group added a special flavor to the weekend. This year's gathering brought a number of people who were newcomers to the STNY annual mini-reunion- many of them folks we had resolved last year to track down and entice to join us. The chance to re-connect, reminisce and recharge with old friends brought HHS grads from as far away as the California and Oregon. Among the long-distance travelers were Brian (we knew him as Barney) Evers and wife, Juliane Day-Evers of Studio City, CA; Gary and Sharon Vergho of Sunnydale, CA; Bob Wilkerson and his wife, of Colorado Springs, CO; Bob and Sue Shalley of Denver, CO; Les Cunningham of Waterville, OR; and still-somewhat newlyweds Burdette Lamar and Cheryl Brown Lamar of Houston, TX. The East Coast contingent included Jim Strickland, now living in Pikesville, NC; Jeannie (Lay) Nicklos of Sewell, NJ; and Neil Estes and Jack Whicker, both of Atlanta. But, the star of STNY 2000 was clearly "Coach" Harold (Hal) Lannom, invited to join us by Jim Strickland. Coach Lannom, who still does work for Civitan International, and his wife came up from Miami Springs Saturday to join us for dinner and our Sunday morning breakfast. Lannom's presence gave our graduate jocks yet another reason (as if they needed one) to trade tales of their HHS gridiron triumphs and follies. (As Sue Durgee wryly observed, "It's interesting how two different guys recall the same winning play in the same game so differently.") Also interesting to note that 10 of our STNY guys played football at HHS. Guess those grueling practices in the Hialeah heat formed lasting bonds - along with knees and shoulders that have not passed the test of time well. Missing from - and missed at - STNY 2000 were charter members Dennis "Dock" Anson, who had to cancel his trip because of hastily scheduled cervical spine surgery; Kenna Noone, who was traveling in Central America and helping monitor the elections in Mexico: Jeanne (Byram) Moon, who's planning a January nuptial with fiancé Gary Farmer; and Sandy (Toth) Garcia, who sent her regrets from Arkansas. (Dock reported later from Montreal that he's recovering and doing some serious physical therapy.) Headquarters and watering hole for the crew was the hospitality suite overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The suite was crowded Friday and Saturday night, but no one seemed to mind the crush. Folks had a hard time recognizing Bob Wilkerson when he arrived Friday night. On the hulkier side in high school, Bob is a mere shadow of his former self. Ditto for Brian Evers, another STNY first-timer. Nan Giordano, Jeff's younger (and cuter) better half who has been a regular at STNY, showed up with a new, svelte figure. John Patrick, spouse of Sandy Frye Patrick, also trimmed down since last year. John was a conversational focal point when he arrived with four women in tow: Sandy, plus Jeanie Nicklos, Joanne Gagliano Mims and Sandy Shell Hatos. He and his "harem" shared a beachfront condo for the weekend. STNY 2000 was notable not only for long-distance travelers but for the people who have reinvented themselves-some more than twice. We learned about some of these risk takers in conversations stretched over the weekend. First, there was Shahnda (Dianne) Jones Caviness. After raising her sons and getting a divorce, Shahnda spent six years as a race horse trainer, driving sulkies at Pompano Beach and in upstate New York. ("The most fun I've ever had," she says.) Then, she decided it was time to see the world. Since she wasn't independently wealthy, Shahnda took a son's advice and learned how to be a ship's radio/electronics officer. Home port for her is a beachfront condo in Fort Pierce, but she ships out with merchant vessels to exotic ports of call, such as Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, two or three times a year. When her ship's docked, she squeezes in day trips to take in the local sights. Us landlubbers have to settle from occasional e-mails from her various ports of call. Some women would envy the chance to be the only woman on board a ship with 30 to 40 men, but Shahnda says she keeps a professional distance. (Easy to do since the ship is 700 feet long and 10 stories high!) Brian Evers had his mid-life turnabout in his early 30s. Disenchanted with teaching high school classes in Miami Springs, he decided to reach for a long dormant dream and headed for the footlights of New York. He and Juliane, a private duty nurse, moved to the L.A. area about seven years ago. Brian's had small parts in a number of major films and pops up on TV every now and then. He and Juliane spent the better part of a year on tour with "Showboat," including an extended stint in London. Right now, he's got his fingers crossed for an ongoing role in a series. Brian confirmed for us that the Hollywood "system" is every bit as tough and hard as we've heard. But, he's hanging in there and promises to let us know when he expects to be on the tube. Check out his bio page for a list of roles if you want to catch him on the job. Neil Estes, who finished his senior year in
his home state of Missouri, has switched gears several times over the
years. In the early 70s, Neil left his job in Atlanta and moved back
to Miami to attend flight school. After getting his ratings, a friend
hooked him up with the Doobie Brothers and he flew for them for about
a year. Tired of middle-of-the night flights and no life, he accepted
his brother's offer to go into partnership in construction company back
in Atlanta. He stuck with it for many years, then (as more of us are
doing) decided he wanted to make a living doing something else he loved:
restoring British cars. He also joined with an intrepid crew of pilots
and adventurers for four summers in Greenland, where he and helped rescue
one of the P-38s from the "Lost Squadron" from nearly 300
feet of ice. You can find out more about the Lost Squadron on the Internet.
To unwind on weekends, Neil races sports cars, (British, of course) Most likely there are others who reinvented themselves over time, including this writer who went from journalist to bureaucrat/policy wonk to political press aide to mental health lobbyist over the past few decades. Perhaps we'll hear other "shifting gears" stories at STNY 2001. (Weren't there a thousand or more stories in the "Naked City?") The STNY crew took over the Marriott's restaurant balcony overlooking the marina for breakfasts that stretched into lunch time on both Saturday and Sunday. The weather obeyed and was suitably sunny during the day, although we had a healthy shower Saturday night. For the most part, the lighting was fine for the impressive number of shutterbugs in attendance. (Jack Whicker, who's still flying for Delta, could start a new career as a photographer based on the super photos he sent back to us via Judy Ashley during a visit in Atlanta.) Saturday afternoon, about half the group took an afternoon cruise on the Indian River Princess. (Seems that a boat ride of some type is becoming a STNY tradition. Perhaps next year we can go sailing?) A smaller contingent, including Marty Aaron, Philip Giberson, Jim Stickland, Larry Camp, Terry Fernandez, and Bob Shalley headed for a nearby golf course. Another group, including Judy Ashley and Aldo Bartalone, stayed poolside at the hotel, where they made a fine showing in the hula hoop contest. Dick and Sue Durgee's spacious 46-foot cruiser (refurbished and refitted by Dick) was also a gathering spot throughout the weekend. The Durgees came up from Delray Beach on Thursday and graciously held an ongoing open house on deck of their boat. Dick sold his business a couple of years back and has officially retired but seems to have lots of irons in the fire. Sue (formerly Pewitt) is selling real estate and reserving time on her calendar to be a doting grandmother. (Big brother Otis Pewitt, now living in South Georgia, sent word he'll join us next year.) Saturday night, the action shifted to Rotti's beachside bistro, where Jeff Giordano had arranged a separate dining room for the STNY contingent. The food was delicious, albeit a long time in arriving tableside, but the wait was eaten up by conversation and table hopping. Then, all but a few of the diners retreated back to the hospitality suite for more reminiscing until the late night hours. At Sunday morning's "breakfast meeting," (mostly breakfast and conversation and little meeting, the way we like it), the group voted to meet next year in Naples over the third weekend in June (subject to hotel arrangements.) Judy Ashley, who lives in Naples, was "volunteered" by Jeff to head up the committee that will make arrangements for SNTY 2001. If you have suggestions about STNY 2001 or want to help out with next year's event, send Judy an e mail to: jaa1400@aol.com. See you next year! |
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The following is an e-mail account of the weekend, as told to Kenna Noone (who, due to a professional commitment could not attend this year) by Shahnda (Diane Jones), edited and slightly enhanced by Jeff Giordano. Just got back from STNY. It was so wonderful, but you were sorely missed. It was terrific seeing some of these guys for the first time in forever. Wilkerson is GREAT. Jimmy Strickland is really a super guy. Coach Hal Lannom was there (did you know he was a merchant marine during WWII)? Judy Herold looks exactly like she did in high school, and so does Jack Whicker (even had the white pants and white sneaks on)! Les is doing great. Phil is quiet and subdued this year. Nan has lost a ton of weight and looks really good. Aldo and John are forever marvelous. Nelda didn't show (?). Terry, Marty, Durgee, Pat, Jeff, Gini, Mick, Linda were the regs, along with spouses, etc. Barney (aka Brian Evers) has lost so much weight I almost didn't recognize him, his wife Julianne is terrific. Jeannie Lay was there, as were Burdette and Cheryl (Brown)... I know I'm forgetting someone, but who can keep track? Oh yes, Gary Vergho and Sharon came from California. In all, about 45 people showed. The resort worked out okay, although Saturday everyone got kind of separated. Saturday at dinner, three "new" classmates just appeared at the restaurant. The location (on the beach) and food were great. Mick, Gini, Linda and I went shopping briefly and then to the beach and pool. Some took the river cruise, others went to town. A few did both. Lots of the guys played golf. Durgee came on his boat, which is where, it turns out, a lot of people were gabbing Saturday afternoon. Then, much later, more gabbing after dinner in the hospitality room 'til 2:00 Sunday morning. Oh - I forgot to mention Sandy Frye, who I did remember in person and turns out to be a pretty great gal. I really liked John's wife, Sandy, who I got to know a lot better. Dock (Dennis Anson) was out of the picture, turns out he had yet another surgery (2 disks in his neck repaired last week). Aldo says he's coming to see me before I ship out, yayy!!!!! And Pat, our exceptional leader this year, somehow made it all happen. I hope you're well and happy and having a marvelous time. I also hope you get this, and know how much you were missed. I took a camcorder, so I can replay some of the highlights for you. I invited a ton of people to come to Mexico, brace yourself. I just got carried away at the love fest! By the way, Wilkerson and I raked you over the coals, but we ended up giving each other a big hug and kiss in your honor. His new wife is kind of terrific, and he's a happy camper. They brought their daughter (about 12, I think, who's a horse nut right now). Everybody was just great. I love you, gal. 197.00 |
