Class of 1964 50th Reunion Leslie Kirkman Reed, 1964 Class Agent and reunion planner, summarized what was clearly a thoroughly enjoyed weekend. From Leslie: First, a “huge thank you to those who were able to attend some, if not all, of our 50th Reunion weekend activities. For most of us, the biggest surprise was that we are now at that milestone in our lives. We had a great attendance...including: “Ed Bigler (& wife Cate), Dick Broad, Vicki Milliken Buccino (& husband Sal), Robert Cannon, Beth Cavanaugh, Dorothy Cook Coady (& husband Roger), Marianne Johns Cook, Harriet Dann, David Ellis (& wife Martha), Geoff Holmes, Ira Kirch (& wife Lian Deng), Steve Lawrence, Ria Jelsoj Lerche (our Danish exchange student & friend Bodil), Rich McKelvie, Bill Morton, Mary Linda Vannoy Priestley, Leslie Kirkman Reed (& husband Philip), Murray Sawyer (& wife Randy), Judy Reed Smith, John Urice, Corlet Jackson Weisel, Mary Bloomsburg Wemlinger, Chris Whitney (& wife Becky), Mike Wise (& daughter Becky), Convers Wyeth, Laura Rhoads Wyeth, Janet Martin Yabroff (& husband Ron), and Pam Perkins Young. (A tip of the hat to Katie Gressle and Phip Strange who had both made reservations to attend, but had to cancel at the last minute; thanks for that effort, and we’ll look for you at the 55th, if not before!) A particular thanks to friends and family members who joined us...we embrace you as one of us. Thanks for putting up with all those stories. “The best part of it being the 50th reunion is that most of us, if not now fully retired, have more flexibility in our schedules, which allowed so many to join us for the weekend. Speaking personally, it seems it was yesterday that we walked those hallways. It wasn’t until I took a full tour of the school and the new facilities that made the time warp so very obvious. “Thank you, too, to the school’s Alumni & Development Office for their work on such a successful Homecoming weekend, and for making the members of the Class of ’64 feel so special.” In addition to the 50th Reunion lunch on Friday, the Class of 1964 met following Meeting for Worship on Homecoming Saturday to take a tour of the middle/upper school building. Other 50th Reunion celebrations included Friday night at Buckley’s, dinner Saturday at the Greenville Country Club, and brunch together on Sunday.
Front row: Janet Martin Yabroff, Chris Whitney, Mary Linda Vannoy Priestley, John Urice, Dick Broad, Rich McKelvie, Dave Ellis. Back row: Mike Wise, Vicki Milliken Buccino, Bob Cannon, Ria Jelshoj Lerche, Corlet Jackson Weisel, Dorothy Cook Coady, Convers Wyeth, Pamela Perkins Young, Ira Kirch, Marianne Johns Cook, Leslie Kirkman Reed, Bill Morton.
From Remarks by John K. Urice ’64 50th+ Reunion and 1748 Society Luncheon I had been eagerly looking forward to this reunion before I was invited to speak. Afterwards, I did some soul-searching and revisited many memories from 50 or more years ago. Naturally, time and my ego have distorted many such recollections— my belief that I was the captain of the football team may be wrong—but some events and experiences are clear, helped by a review of the yearbook. In considering what to say, I realized I could not speak for an entire class of more than 40 alumni; I can only speak for myself.
50th Reunion luncheon speaker John Urice ’64.
Many of you knew my mother, a strong-willed single parent (who died last year at 92). She had one overarching value, education. In 1962, she managed to get both Stephen, who was four years behind me, and me admitted to Friends with essential scholarships. My two years here often were filled with wonderful opportunities: I was in two Whittier Plays, headed the dramatics committee, organized a couple of auction fundraisers, and became the original caretaker of the spittoon that became a strange symbol of our class. (That’s in the yearbook, not my fuzzy memory. Strangely, the yearbook makes no mention of my football prowess.) One of the most important opportunities of my life happened during my junior year. A faculty member—I cannot remember who—showed me a flyer from Trinity College in Hartford about a summer program for high school students. I had always Members of the 50th Reunion class met at the Jones House to take a campus tour. Fall/Winter 2014-2015 • QuakerMatters
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