KENNETT HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1958-- 50TH REUNION, OCTOBER 17-19, 2008
PROLOGUE
KENNETT HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1958-- 50TH REUNION, OCTOBER 17-19, 2008
We are so happy that 47 of our classmates, many with their spouses,
joined us for our 50th High School Reunion weekend, October 17-19,
2008.
The Reunion Committee--Janice Hostetler Madonna, Danny Madonna, Dick
Baccino, Betty Eller Parrett, Dolores Guiliano Testa, Tom DiCecco,
Margaret Farquhar Walker, Josi Cordivano Del Nero, and Mary Lou Binkley
Shaw--would like to thank everyone who contributed in any way to the
success of our reunion weekend.
On Friday evening, we enjoyed a social gathering at the Madonnas', with
beverages and delicious refreshments provided by the Reunion
Committee. Saturday morning we had an exciting tour of Kennett
High School--our alma mater has been newly renovated and greatly
enlarged, and boast cutting-edge of technology since we graduated in
1958. Saturday evening we enjoyed cocktails and dinner at the
Italian-American Club. The banquet was prepared by Robyn's Nest
Catering. Robyn is the daughter of our classmate Robert
Scarlett. Stacy Gibson, daughter of Janice and Danny Madonna,
provided music for the evening. After dinner, Margaret Farquhar
Walker shared some of the results of the Class Profile, with Jack
Merrick adding a few details, then there was dancing.
Hats off to those who made the long-distance effort to joing our gathering:
Robert Todd (Savannah, Georgia)
Rolfe Smith (Port St Lucie, Florida)
Fred Bechtold (Elkhart, Indiana)
Lyman Ott (Mission Hills, Kansas)
Peggy Fisher Gore (Grand Junction, Colorado)
Tim Kennedy (Buckeye, Arizona)
Cathy Young Takemoto (Los Angeles, California)
On Sunday morning, we gathered for a breakfast buffet at the Hilton Garden Inn outside of Kennett.
We truly missed our friends in the Class of ’58 who, for various
reasons, could not join us over the weekend. We continue to hold
in fond memory those who are no longer with us--grateful that we were
able to share a part of each other’s lives back in the days of our
youth:
Betty Bell Tomenga
Charles Caldwell
Helen DeProspero McCarvey
Ferrell Pierson
Robert Gouge
Betty Ann Johnson Merritt
David Lam
Lennette Lam Madonna
Clyde odum
Robert Scarlett
Jane Ann Shaffer Keyes
Marjorie Taylor Glynn
Phyllis Thompson Bonsall
Thomas Touhey
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We had a wonderful response to the Class Profile questionnaire.
Many thanks to the 41 respondents who took the time and effort to fill
them out.
Almost without exception, our military veterans (all men) were the very
first to send in their answers to the class questionnaire.
Our 41 respondents have owned up to siring 93 children, ranging in age
from 29 to 49. In addition, they also helped raise 8
stepchildren.
Yikes! Our 41 gene-bearers have populated the world with 158
grandchildren. Not to mention, 8 great-grandchildren and
counting. The oldest of these grandchildren is 28. The
youngest grandchild is still in the oven. One of us is the proud
forbearer of 18 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
CONTINUING EDUCATION AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
Of the 41 respondents to the questionnaire, 18 went on to business
school or college. Of those, 7 went to graduate school, and of
those, 3 earned a doctorate degree. Many others received
certificates for specialized training.
Certificate of appreciation from the mayor of Homestead FL while in the Army
Quality control certified technician
Obtained Coast Guard 50 Ton Masters License 1998
Certified Property Manager (CPM)
Certified in Rescue Operations First Aid and LPR licensed pyrotechnician
Training certificates for different accounting procedures and customer service
Lots of classmates earned degrees from Goldey Beacom College
A.B. (music history), M.L.S.(library science), PhD at age 55 (American studies)
BFA and an MFA degrees in ceramic design, an elementary and a
learning-handicapped teaching credential from Calif., CTEC Registered
Tax Preparer certificate
Studied journalism, degree in Speech/Drama in 1969; graduate classes
BA degree from the University of Delaware, member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Kappa Delta Pi
BS in Chemical Engineering
BS in Ed. and M.Ed.
BS Degree in Nursing 1962; Masters in Religion 1965; Masters in Education 1988
B.S. in mathematics and education and M.S. in mathematics (1962,1963). Ph.D. in statistics Va Tech,1967
Many degrees in education
Certification of Early Childhood Education
Certification as Director of Private Academic Schools
OCCUPATIONS WE PURSUED AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
Many worked at Hewlitt Packard, Chrysler Corp., IBM, General Motors, DuPont, Acme Markets, Sears
Research technician, chemists, chemical lab tech, Plastics Engineering
and Photographic Films Manufacture, food engineering and consulting
Management, supervisory office work, tabulating and computer operations, teletype operator
Store managers, senior vice president, company owners and presidents
Commercial pilot
Secretaries, bookkeepers, accountants, tax professional
Manufacturing, hardware sales and consulting, lumber, automobiles
Real estate, land development
Owners of night club, wedding/banquet facility, bakeries, cake businesses, food processing plants
General contractor, welder, trucking, horticulturalist at Longwood Gardens
Art reference librarian at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, ceramic artist, worker with fabrics
Published writers, performing musicians, piano teacher
Many elementary and high school teachers, teacher development work,
teacher training, free-lance living history presenter, school
department head, school administrator, district superintendant,
university faculty members
Social work, non-profit organizations
Nurse, nursing instructor
MILITARY VETERANS
Fifteen young men from the Class of ‘58 served in all branches of the
military right after high school--6 of these in the U.S. Navy.
Some of our classmates saw duty in Korea, Cuba, Germany, and
France. Several saw action in Vietnam. One received 2
purple hearts earned in combat. One classmate was in Cuba during
the missile crisis--remember that scary time, when we almost saw
fireworks? We honor these vets with our deepest thanks.
Some years later, one non-veteran did cause fireworks--not in Cuba, but
in Pittsburgh--and because he was a pyro-technician for their
bi-centennial celebration.
PROFESSIONAL AND/OR COMMUNITY AWARDS
"President of PTA for 2 years; recognition for my volunteer work"
"Recognized in the education profession first as a parent and then as a
teacher and also in the community for environmental concerns"
"Received some awards for my writing and for my living history presentations"
"Lots of community housing awards"
Others had awards "too numerous to list" or were too modest to be specific
We’re a well-traveled bunch, collectively having visited almost all
parts of the world except Antarctica. Most of our classmates
still live locally in northern Delaware and Southeastern
Pennsylvania. Some have lived in major cities from San Francisco
to Manhattan, from Detroit to Miami, from France to Hawaii.
Some classmates are still working (“Having too much fun” and “I'd rather work than cook and clean”).
Some are retired (“I quit forever” and “In theory, but not in practice”).
Some, after retirement, have taken up new professions or activities:
"Writing a historical novel and getting serious about photography"
"Working part time as a bank teller"
"Tax professional"
"Captain of a charter boat"
"Philatelic sales"
Teaching
"Working in land development"
CURRENT FAVORITE VOLUNTEER PROJECTS
Tutoring, teaching language arts to low-income children
Many of our friends are very active in church, church ministries, fundraising for charities
Grange and retarded citizens
Meals on Wheels
Several classmates volunteer in hospitals
Support the Health programs at Tri Rivers Vocations School; In charge
of the Comfort Quilter's at Emanuel Lutheran church--BLS CPR Regional
Faculty for the American Heart Association
Habitat for Humanity
Volunteer and later a member of the board of the Wilmington Flower Market, raising funds for children's charities
Maintaining a clean environment in my immediate community is a passion
I have and practice. For the last five years I have volunteered
at the Immigrant Genealogical Society library doing mail-in requested
researches, primarily German-related.
Delaware Captains Association
Gardening-related projects in town; working at local library
Member of 2 Local Historic Commissions and CC Hospital Auxiliary
“My volunteer projects are my grandchildren”
“barbershop man”
“hunting/fishing”
HOBBIES THAT KEEP US YOUNG
“I’m so immature, I’ll never grow old. I love everything!”
Many are quite involved with their families and enjoy playing with or babysitting for their grandchildren
decorating house, collecting antiques, antique automobiles
painting, cooking, woodworking, designing/fabricating leaded and stained glass
Fabric Art- Quilted Art pieces are on display in Art galleries
Many respondents list home projects, handyman chores, work on car
bird watching, many love gardening or yard work, one is the head gardener at a small botanical garden in Florida
several are interested in history and historical sites and are active in politics
writing, photography, collecting local art and authors; many enjoy
reading (“although I try not to pick up a book --nothing else gets
done”)
still working, consulting, teaching, attending classes
playing hand chimes and hand bells, singing, attending cultural performances
many of us volunteer in the community regularly
a fair number exercise regularly, if not every day--walking, hiking,
golf, swimming, working out at the gym; kayaking, sailing, boating,
charter fishing (“lots of fishing, lots of parties on my boat”)
“Eat chocolate”
many love to travel and some live away from home many months of the year
stamp collecting projects, jigsaw puzzles, playing bridge
“RIDE MY HARLEY!!! No more major projects for me!!”
“The three Fs: Flying, Fishing, Fornicating”
“I am still seeking deeper meaning in this life I have”
HIGH SCHOOL MEMORIES
Our respondents' favorite teacher was Grace Merrick, with Raymond Moynihan a close runner-up.
When describing their most vivid memories of Kennett High, some answers were sweet, like these:
“Our positively quiet homeroom.”
“Swinging on the old round stools in the cafeteria.”
“Putting on the first musical in years, HMS Pinafore.”
“painting the store windows in Kennett Square at Halloween”
Some answers were salty, like this one:
“Mr. Wakeland told us one day in class to ‘look to the left and look to
the right, only one of us three would graduate from college and go on
to become a worthy.’”
Some answers were spicy:
“Ken Webb catching me with a switch blade knife on the bus after a basketball game.”
“Writing fake excuses and skipping out of school afternoons with a
(nameless) classmate to walk uptown to look around Newberry's and have
an ice cream soda at Donnelly's drug store, then getting back in time
to catch the school bus home. I'm still amazed we never got
caught!”
Well . . . some people did get caught. It’s possible that our
class had the highest rate of convicts in the school! Someone’s
vivid memory was “The night 13 of us got arrested and spent the night
in jail--10 boys and 3 girls. We had a ball.” One claimed
he liked the oatmeal in jail. Of the 13, six of these attended
the reunion.
As far as vivid pranks go, read on . . .
“They put a Morris Miner car between the pillars in the front of the
school. Then the owner--by backing up and pulling forward--got
the car from between the pillars and drove the car down the steps.”
Someone wrote: “I seem to remember we wore bells under our clothes for
a new teacher in our senior year and I think he never taught again.”
Another wrote: “I helped another guy hang a real pain out the window one day.”
Then there’s this: “We hung some of the furniture of his out the windows of the third floor.”
Here’s another: we “took his cap gun pen that Mr. Stopp could not figure out--he shot it in class.”
And another recalls a litany of pranks: “Hid Mr. Stopp’s desk and
chair . . . removed hinges from his door . . . firecracker in class . .
. fishing line attached to books--falling off shelves during class.”
Someone begged the rest of us: “I hope whoever organized and carried out the pranks on Mr. Stopp will give us the story.”
SURPRISES IN OUR LATER LIVES
In the questionnaire, we asked if there was anything you have done
since graduating from high school that might surprise your classmates.
One of our fair ladies got her first tattoo for her 60th birthday.
One fellow wrote: “never smoked, never drank, same woman for 49 years. . . I need some serious help!”
Another fellow wrote: “I found five different women to marry me.”
One of the gals at the top of our class got a permit last year to carry a concealed weapon.
One of our classmates was a Haight-Ashbury San Francisco hippie during
the ‘60s, living a life of “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.” Oh
yeah, he ended up in jail for a couple of weeks.
One of our classmates confesses to living 5 hundred 97 thousand, 1
hundred and 61 hours so far--which for him, is miracle enough--but he
has also testified in Washington before the House Ways & Means
Committee on behalf of the U.S. Mushroom Industry.
One of our ladies sings tenor in the choir.
At age 47, a new widow climbed up to the Base Camp of Mount Everest.
One fellow wrote that he didn’t know what would surprise our
classmates. Let’s give it a try. . . He has written or
co-authored 7 college textbooks, was an All-American soccer player
during college, elected to the his college Athletic Hall of Fame,
oversaw 4 international mega-corporation mergers. Knowing him
back in high school. . . we’re not surprised at all.
Someone once said that “Life is not measured by the number of breaths
we take but by the moments that take our breath away.” When we
asked you to describe a challenging experience that changed you, we
received a wide range of answers.
One person reported that he stopped smoking and drinking alcohol.
Another lost “almost 200 lbs. of weight and kept it off for 5 years.”
Several others say they have found God.
A bunch of respondents praised their long and supremely happy
marriages. Some described the births or adoption of their
children and grandchildren as pivotal. Parenting under difficult
circumstances was a challenge.
Some talked about their jobs. One fellow wrote: “Walking away
from a upper middle management job in Chicago when I was 29 years old
and doing what I wanted to do.”
A woman wrote that she faced “the challenge of transition to computer bookkeeping when I was in my 50s.”
Another woman, in retirement wrote “managing the financial life of tax payers has me totally challenged and engaged.”
To some, challenges came in terrifying ways. One classmate wrote
about “combat in Vietnam. Now I thank God,” he says, “for giving
me another day!!”
One of our baseball players lived next door to a close friend.
She was killed by her husband, then he killed himself.
Many of us have suffered the loss of a loved one--a parent, a younger
brother, a spouse . . . a child. These experiences made
them “realize just how precious life can be.” Then they started
“looking outward with a social conscience,” or “deepened their
spirituality.” Many developed a new appreciation for “the mundane
and lived in the moment.” In so doing, one of our women said she
“found” herself.
Finally, we asked our classmates what--other than their families--has
made them feel most satisfied, or proud, or filled with joy.
One man said it was “being able to achieve a sense of serenity” in his life.
Three women who were close friends in high school--unbeknownst to each
other--wrote almost identical answers: that it’s “really seeing what’s
around you,” “taking the time to enjoy the little ordinary things,”
“appreciating and loving the mundane, living in the moment, loving
all!”
One successful businessman is grateful to have lived out his father’s advice by making a word or handshake his bond.
Some of our retired teachers found great pleasure in receiving feedback
from their students, learning how much influence they’d had on others.
Some felt rewarded by contributing to society through volunteer work or serving on boards.
Some listed a specific accomplishments that made them proud.
obtaining a Coast Guard Captain’s License
being selected as Volunteer of the Year by Little League Baseball
several listed “being published”
designing her own house
winning the U.S. National Championships and International/World championship for crossbow shooting
shooting a hole-in-one--and a week later, his wife doing the same thing
one tough lady single-handedly put both her husband and son through medical school
One classmate sums up her life quite vividly: “Like the third Little
Pig, I went out in the world and made a house out of bricks. The
wolf hasn't come to the door, the earth hasn't knocked it down, and the
sky hasn't fallen quite yet!”
Reading these brief descriptions of our classmates’ lives after high
school, one might be reminded of this quotation from Benjamin
Franklin:
If you would not be forgotten
As soon as you are dead and rotten,
Either write things worth reading
Or do things worth writing.
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