Saturday Dinner Dance

Saturday Evening Dinner Dance
September 20, 2014

Life gives us brief moments with another...
but sometimes in those brief moments
we get memories that last a life time...


Michael Kopp


Luellen Gold-Lucid, Winifred (Winnie) Lamons-Doty

Kit Kita Bagby-Curry, Luellen Gold-Lucid

Luellen Gold-Lucid

Diane Dickey-Erwin, Luellen Gold-Lucid

Kit Kita Bagby-Curry, Diane Dickey-Erwin, Luellen Gold-Lucid

Joan Kunselman, Luellen Gold-Lucid, Winifred (Winnie) Lamons-Doty

Michael Kopp

Good evening dear friends and classmates, and Welcome to your 50 Year Grand Reunion Gala — our really senior senior prom! That’s why I’m dressed the way I am, and what a momentous occasion this is!

One quick thing that I hope all of you can relate to: In my mind’s eye . . .  this is me (held up senior picture mask)  How the hell did I get from here . . . to here?  That’s a story 50 years in the making- and who could imagine they would pass so quickly?

Over the last 5 decades, I have observed that as most people approach and pass middle age, they harbor the strongest nostalgic feelings for either their high school or college days, but rarely for both.  However, like me and many of our contemporaries, I sense that most of us, in particular, favor the high school times.  And I ask myself, why is that?  Was it the great place where we grew up and went to high school?  Maybe to some extent.  Was it the times in which we grew up and went to high school?  Probably a great deal more so.  But I truly believe the most important reason for our nostalgia was the people with whom we grew up — and the quality and durability of the friendships we formed in those days — the most intimate, precious and lasting friendships of our lives.

Our shared history was a very special time and place. Palo Alto schools were some of the best in the United States, we benefitted greatly from the influence of Stanford University on our schools. The curriculum was often experimental, and we were the guinea pigs — who can forget SMSG, the “New Math”, which was known by the students in the program as “Some Math, Some Garbage”.  The concept of Advanced Placement classes was developed in our school district, along with an accelerated science program — all driven by a pretty dynamic teaching staff. Remember- Many of our teachers were barely older than we were, and happy to share their knowledge; academic, political, and cultural; which, at least in my home, made for some interesting but uncomfortable conversation around the dinner table.

Thanks to the assistance of these mentors, most of us knew, at some point, what we wanted to be when we “grew up”. Our friends and classmates helped define who— rather than what— we would be. Each of them contributed a piece of the puzzle that is you.

Tonight is a great time to share stories of those days with your classmates and explore how that shared history influenced who we each became.  While cavorting with old friends is wonderful- feel free to do some table hopping this evening; introduce yourself to classmates you didn’t know well in school, this room is full of amazing people who have contributed greatly to our world in so many ways…the Cubberley High School class of 64 produced scientists, authors, artists, entrepreneurs as well as our fair share of hippies, layabouts and dilettantes.  But did you know that fully 1/3 of our classmates became educators? It’s true- And they are going to want to know that you did your homework!  So please take a few moments to share your thoughts in the yellow memory books scattered around on many of the tables; and fill the reunion questionnaire. Both of these exercises are good for extra credit.  Most of all have fun celebrating the 50th anniversary of our high school graduation!  

When novelist Tom Wolf wrote that you can’t go home again, he partly meant that you can never recapture the mindset of youth- I truly believe this occasion proves him wrong.  Though our time together this weekend is limited, the shared memories will keep us connected forever.

So, if just for tonight, we are all 18 again- with fake ids.  

On behalf of your entire Reunion Committee, I bid you Welcome,
 

Michael Kopp

Tom Bailey, Chuck Wilson

Judy Harrop/Jim Harrop

Terry Burnes

Susan Davis-Bailey

Cynthia Harrison-Dixson


Judy Addicott-Bowen

Kathy Shutts, Steven M. Grenier

Luellen Gold-Lucid, Kit Kita Bagby-Curry, John Yue

Kit Kita Bagby-Curry, Winifred (Winnie) Lamons-Doty, Diane Dickey-Erwin,

Linda Barrett-Winter

Nancy Hoos, Michael Kopp, David Baldwin

Michael Kopp/Jeanne Kopp

Carole Abrahamson-Schuldt

Brenda  Johnson

Judy Bruno

Nancy Hoos, Richard Leier

Ray Romero Murphy, Mary Knowles-Beale

Michael Kopp/Jeanne Kopp
Linda Flores-Rushton

Look through the strands of silver-gray, to the burnished locks of yesterday.  
Look beneath the wrinkles and lines to the dewy skin we left behind.
Look beyond the lenses of glass to the sparkling eyes of our distant past.
Look behind the slower pace, to the swiftest ones who ran the race.
Look above at the golden throne, to those of our classmates who are now gone. 
But look ahead and keep on keepin', for what we sowed we are now reapin'.
Look around you, classmates and friends, it's really great to see you all again.

Lift your glass and strike up the band,
cause we're still here, and life is grand.

 


Kathy Berryessa-Juhl-Vassiliadis, Larry Knowles, Kit Kita Bagby-Curry

Adrienne Hanrahan-Phillips, Larry Beck

David Jansen, Tom Jenkins, Jim Harrop


Kathy Berryessa-Juhl-Vassiliadis

Chuck Wilson

Joy Bonner, dj of the evening

Terry Burnes/El Burnes

David Jansen/Rebecca Shoaf


Michael W. Slusher/Janice Slusher

John Yue

Kit Kita Bagby-Curry


Judy Heber Iervolino, Joan King



Wayne Heimsoth/Susan Heimsoth
Mike English/Gail English


Suzanne Wooding Duckett, Fred Morse


Suzanne Wooding Duckett

Judy Bruno, Larry Williams

Kaley Parkinson/Brenda Parkinson


Mike English/Gail English


Judy Heber Iervolino handing out $100.00 raffel prizes

Joy Bonner, Judy Heber Iervolino




Jeramy Hale (Jeff Gilbert)

Stephen Hornberg, Judy Heber Iervolino




Stephen Hornberg

Anna Chu-Pine

Pam Bettencourt-Spencer


John Yue/Yao-Eng Yue


Steven M. Grenier

Tom Halk

Richard Leier


David Baldwin/Nanc Hoos

Janis Lentine-Trebick/Walter Trebick


Peter Shutts/Kathy Shutts

Kaley thanking the Reunion Committee . . . 

Lucien Forbes


Tom Bailey, Lynn Bacher-Shanks

Tom Kmetovic

Christine Hanan-Boyce

Monica Machein-Bassill

Kit Kita Bagby-Curry, Jeanie Wedekind

Diane Dickey-Erwin

Tom Halk

Jim Harrop, Dane Petterson-Billigmenier, Pam Bettencourt-Spencer

Pam Bettencourt-Spencer /Bill Spencer

John Yue/Yao-Eng Yue

Carole Abrahamson-Schuldt

Linda Wendel-Smith, David Iervolino

Adrienne Hanrahan-Phillips

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