The Gopher Lives!

Where he found it, I have no idea … but my brother (Mike Jackoboice, FHC Class of ‘77) sent me this blast from the past today. Our reincarnated, Homecoming-winning, once-torched, beloved Gopher float!

May he live in infamy...

Son of a Sailor 10K (Erv McLaughlin Memorial Race)

Hello everyone!  Just a reminder about this year’s event in honor of Erv McLaughlin.

I received the following message:

Hi Tim – can you please remind all your FHC classmates of the Son of Sailor 10K  at Hess Lake again in Erv’s honor this year? The date is  July 11, and can be signed up via www.GoRaceGo.com.

We’re having a difficult time getting sponsors, and can use all the help we can get.

Thanks!

Suzanne Symon (McLaughlin)

GoRaceGo – Online Race Registration Services for Running, Cycling, Triathlons, and more

Mid-Winter Mini Reunion

Hi Everyone,   It’s been a while since the local ‘82 graduates of FHC have shared a few cocktails and danced the night away.   If you don’t live too far from our old stomping grounds, Triology, the band that played at our senior prom and 25 year reunion,  is playing Saturday, February 21st, 8:30pm-12:30am, at Centennial Country Club http://www.centennialcc.com/.    Come early and have dinner at 7:30pm – just call and increase our reservation under FHC Class of ‘82 with your name and quantity.     Tim, since my contact list is limited, would you please post online and send an email blast out to everyone?    Everyone else, pass the word to friends and family of the class of ‘82 – the more the merrier!    Can’t wait to see all of you! Becky Tyke

Subject: Mini FHC Reunion

Jan (Bender) Burns of the FHC Class of ‘83 sent out the following Facebook email. Sounds like a good time, and I hope you can attend…!:

“We thought it would be fun for all of us FHCers to get together! So, if you’re in GR and free on January 29th, stop on downtown to Founders after 5pm-ish!

Should be a fun time!

See you soon, Jan.”

Ken Klotz, Sr.

Marion Kish Mikula sent this obituary to post on our website, and believes this was our classmate Ken Klotz’ father.
Kenneth C. Klotz, born in Sunfield, Michigan on December 24, 1937, went to be with the Lord on Friday, October 10, 2008. He died in the comfort of his home, after a heroic battle with cancer, surrounded by family and loved ones. His first career was as a well decorated Sergeant in the U.S. Army Special Forces. He served in the Vietnam War for over twelve years, before being honorably discharged in 1967. Later he enjoyed a ten year career in Hospital Administration, and twenty years in Supervision at Amway Corporation. He was preceded in death by his son, Gene Christian Klotz. He will be greatly missed, and is survived by his loving wife, Judy (Cole) Klotz; his children, Kenneth (Kathy) Klotz of Caledonia, Dan (Emily) Klotz of Ionia, Michelle (Garrett) Lohr of Cascade, Kimberly (Brian) Kalee of Kentwood, Debra (William) Snyder of Ada, Doreen (George) Selden of Jonesboro, AR, James (Renee) Cole of Auburn Hills; siblings, Gene (Joyce) Klotz, Leota Johnson, and Keith Klotz. He also leaves behind fourteen grandchildren. He will be lovingly remembered for his loyalty and dedication to his family, career, and country, and missed as a dedicated member of the Family of Christ Lutheran Church of Grand Rapids. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at the O’Brien-Eggebeen-Gerst Chapel, 3980 Cascade Rd. SE with Rev. Mark Bowditch of the Family of Christ Lutheran Church officiating. Visitation Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. and one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Family of Christ Lutheran Church of Grand Rapids; Spectrum Health Hospice of Grand Rapids; or University of Michigan Hospital Department of Otolaryngology in Ann Arbor. O’Brien Eggebeen Gerst

 

 

 

Erv McLauchlan Memorial Event

Saturday, July 19 — 3rd Annual “Son Of A Sailor” hess lake 10k Walk/Run
 
Start time will be 8:30 a.m. on 88th Street, with the race proceeding counter clock-wise around the lake. The inside lane of the road (i.e., closest to the lake) will be for runners/walkers. Please be respectful of this community event and try to schedule road usage before 8:30 a.m. and after 10 a.m., or please drive counter clock-wise in the outside lane. 
 
Cost per entry is $20.00 if received by July 16 ($25.00 if received after July 16).  Pre-race packet pickup and sign-up will be July 18, at 1249 Hess Lake Drive from  4-8 p.m.  Race Day sign-up will be 7 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. at River Valley Community Church on M37 and 88th Street. 
 
On-line registration is available at www.GetMeRegistered.com. Chip timing for runners will be provided by Runners Edge.
 
Questions or want to volunteer? Contact Betty Bosowski at bettybuzz@juno.com or Katie Lipner at KLLipner@aol.com or (231) 834-9915. 
 
Click to get a sign-up form: 2008-race-entry-form

Comments from Chris Manos

Cheers Class of ‘82:

I just wanted to share a just few words about Dan that many of you were not aware of.
 
Dan and I were close friends and we spent a good amount of time together in Colorado the years prior to his accident. We were roommates for 2 years (88′-90). We both started snowboarding/mountain biking in 88′. When I moved out to Summit County, CO in 92′, I knew it wouldn’t be long before “Double D” moved out west too. And he did in 95′. He was addicted to those stinking mountains just as bad as I was. Dan, Joe Knape and I had a great triangle of fun and friendship in Colorado for years. We boarded, we biked and we partied like we owned the state. What amazed me so much about Dan was his incredible stamina. Dan could party like a Rock Star till 2am, then get up at 7am and board all day like he was never out the night before. He was unstoppable!! The parties, stories, etc…..!!!
 

So, the next time you take a run down a mountain on a board, pair of skis, or bike, dedicate it to Dan. I am sure he would appreciate it. Bare in mind, if any of us had a choice of the way we’d leave Planet Fun, it would be doing what we love. At least I would. And that’s how Dano left. I can only hope to get that lucky!!
 
Dan was full of life and energy, and always………ripping it up!!!
 
Chris Manos

Dan Beld, 1964-1998.

Hello all –   Many of you have asked about Dan Beld over the years. His tragic accident on Pike’s Peak 10 years ago this month still remains a painful memory for us as a class, with the sad events of that day only offset by the wonderful memories we hold of Dan as a person, and the great times we shared with him growing up and in the years that followed high school.   I’ve recently been in touch with Dan’s mom, Jane – she had visited our website and was interested in what we were all doing as a class today. She looked through our Bio Book here online, and Greg Mackey had also given her a hard copy recently.   This morning, I received an email from Dan’s brother, Ken, who now lives in Ft. Wayne, IN. He sent me a short bio of what Dan had done following high school, and details about his accident. Dan’s bio will remain here on our web site, as well as in all future Bio Books we put together in the years to come.   We miss you Dan. You were a great friend. You’ll always remain in our hearts and memories.   Thank you Ken and Jane for taking the time to put this together for us.    Tim Jackoboice.    Dan Beld – August 11, 1964 to May 3, 1998   Graduated from Michigan State, Packaging Engineering Degree in 1987.    Worked in Grand Rapids from 1987 to 1990, Chicago 1990 to 1995, and Colorado Springs 1995 to 1998.    Moved to Colorado to be near the Mountains because he loved Mountain Biking and Snow Boarding as well as all outdoor activities.  From his apartment window was a beautiful view of Pike’s Peak.  He lived with his girl friend Michelle Avallos whom he met while working for Empak Inc. in Colorado.  They lived together for two years and she had a son Frankie from a previous marriage.    While snowboarding with friends on Pike’s Peak, Dan had a tragic accident when he fell from a cliff in the area called Little Italy.  The rescue efforts were hampered by the deep snow and the proximity to the sheer cliff side.  He was taken by helicopter several hours after the accident and was pronounced brain dead.  He donated several organs.   Dan was cremated, and his ashes were scattered on Pike’s Peak on the site of the accident.   (February 1998, Pike’s Pike, Colorado.)

Friday, May 23 Gathering

Friday, May 23

FHC’82 invades EGR and Eastown:

 

Dinner (and drinks):

7pm at Rose’s on the lake (http://www.thegilmorecollection.com/Rose’s/roses.html).

 

Drinks (and dancing):

 

Billy’s Lounge

Music will be Eric “Guitar” Davis – Fine Blues, Funk and R&B out of Chicago.(http://www.myspace.com/ericguitardavis)

 

Band takes the stage at around 9:30 pm. Sorry, there is a $5 cover. I’ll see what I can do about that.

 

Please RSVP to me (andrew_millard@comcast.net) if you think you can make it so I can confirm the numbers for Rose’s.

 

Thanks! Looking forward to a big group this time since we missed that last one.

Friday, April 25 Night Out at Black Rose

Hey everyone,

Delays, delays, delays….of course Black Rose has changed web sites and has not updated their schedule to include this Friday. So…I’m proposing we go on what was listed earlier this month for this Friday in the hopes that Trilogy will be at Black Rose.  

Join us for a night of drinks, dinner, dancing and fun! You will not be disappointed, I promise!

WHEN: Friday, April 25

DRINKS/DINNER: meet at Black Rose 6:30-9:00pm (100 Ionia Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, (616) 456-7673)

DANCING: usually begins around 9:00pm

MUSIC: Hopefully Trilogy, but…Black Rose web site has changed and is incomplete and I could not locate it on Trilogy site. If Trilogy is there, then things will go as we originally planned. If they aren’t entertaining for the night, then let us enjoy whatever is handed to us!

RSVP: to Marion at: quilter@chartermi.net

Marion

http://www.abycatsquilts.blogspot.com

Friday, March 21 Mojo’s Event

Hello Everyone,

Here we go again…

 

Mojo’s

(616) 776-9000
180 Monroe Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI

http://mojospianobar.com/

Good Friday, 3.21.08 @ 7:00

 

Tim: would you be so gracious to post on website?  RSVPs can be on-line or sent to me. 

 

Everyone: please forward to other classmates and friends – the more the merrier!

 

Hope to see you there,

Bec

February 22, 2008 D&D&D

Marion Kish and Al Supp have been generous with their time and efforts in arranging yet another mini-class gathering. By my count, this makes five of these in Grand Rapids since our 25th Class Reunion — fantastic!  (Sure wish I could make one of them!) Here are all the details Marion sends along:

Join us for a night of drinks, dinner, dancing and fun! You will not be disappointed, I promise!

WHEN: Friday, February 22
DRINKS/DINNER: meet at Forest Hills Inn, 6:30-8:30pm (a table is reserved in my name)
DANCING: Watermark Country Club Grille (a table is reserved in my name starting at 8:30-9:00pm)
MUSIC: Drop 35 begins playing at 9:30pm
RSVP: to Marion at: quilter@chartermi.net

Marion
http://abycatsquilts.blogspot.com/

Marian Smith, 1936-2008

I received the following email from our classmate Al (Smitty) Smith, shortly before his mother passed away earlier this week.  I asked Smitty if I could publish his email on our website. 
 
While Smitty states within his email his words are not profound, I respectfully disagree, and believe his message is nothing but profound, and a very compelling message and reminder we may all use. It has been a powerful reminder, personally, for me.
 
While this is an uncommon entry to see on our website, so too was Marian Smith … an uncommonly wonderful woman. I’m proud to say I had the honor and pleasure of knowing her for many years growing up, as many of you did. You and your family, Smitty, remain in our prayers, and have our sympathies during this difficult time.  Tim.
 
 
Good Morning:
 
Some of you are friends, some of you are coworkers, some of you are acquaintances and some of you are people I hold in particularly high esteem.  In any event, most of you know that my mother is passing from terminal cancer after a brave 15 year battle.  She is comfortable, well cared for and this message is not intended to seek your sympathy or your regrets – my mother has had a very rich life. I simply wanted to share something positive I “took” from my recent visit with her.  This is not profound; in fact, it is patently common observation.  Still, reminders are sometimes useful in our busy lives.  Hopefully this reminder will be of use to you.
 
Death and its approach necessarily help to provide improved perspective.  My wife and I got a chance to talk face-to-face for the first time in nearly two weeks after taking shifts comforting my mother.  We shared our experiences and expressed our shared disbelief that, over a two-week period, neither of us heard her complain once.  For those of you who do not know, she is blind, wheelchair bound and totally dependent upon others for her care.  I watched with amusement while something as small as an oatmeal cookie brought her real joy !
 
The point is this – the next time any of us wants to complain about the circumstances of our busy lives, let’s all endeavor to remember our respective blessings.  In the words of my mother, “Life is good;”. . .  so let’s enjoy it!  Take time to watch the sunrise, buy a cup of coffee for the guy standing behind you in line (I love to see the look on their face), call a lost-long friend, forgive someone who wronged you and remind your loved ones that you, in fact, love them.  I think this will make your week a little brighter.  Who knows, maybe it will become a habit.
 
For those of you who pray, pray for Marian Smith.  For those of you who drink, raise a glass to Marian Smith – but remember, please pray responsibly J
 
Al “Smitty” Smith
January 16, 2008
Allen@poncelaw.com

Happy New Year Arrival!

Congratulations to Mark Chandler and his wife, Amber, on the arrival of Amanda Ann Chandler at 5:00pm on January 4, 2008. She weighed 7lbs, 5 oz and is 20 in. long.

Happy New Year 2008!

2007 Christmas

Hi Everyone:
 

Back by popular demand, FHC Class of ‘82 classmates are having another gathering on Friday December 28th.  Please go to http://www.sectionlive.com/shows.html and scroll down to 80s Night and buy tickets at Ticketmaster for $10.  The doors open at 8pm with show starting at 9pm. 

 

We will be gathering at J. Gardellas at 6:30 for eats and drinks http://www.jgardellas.com/ then head over to The Intersection later.  Unfortunately the reserved tables were sold out for the show but we’ll be on the dance floor anyway.  For those that haven’t been to The Intersection since the 80s they are now located downtown by the VanAndel. 
 
Please RSVP in the Comments section on the web site at http://fhc82.wordpress.com/2007-post-christmas-day/ (the “2007 Post-Christmas Day” tab) so we can get a count to reserve space at J. Gardellas.

 

Can’t wait to relive the 80s – hope you can be there!  Merry Christmas!

 

Bec

Merry Christmas!

Photos, Cruises, and a Post-Turkey Day Gathering

Hopefully, everyone has recovered from the Reunion weekend by now!
 
Photos
Thanks to Wendy Sims, Marion Kish, Dan Robertson, Karl Baltutat, Debi Kamp, and Leigh DeFreese for sending photos in from the Reunion weekend … 189 total, which can be viewed by clicking here, or at any time by clicking the link under the “Reunion Photos” tab at the top of this web page. If anyone has more photos from the events they’d like to post, please email them to me at Cactus1993@aol.com. At this point, it’s the easiest way to get them onto our site. Paul Moore also took a lot of time to put together a step-by-step instruction for how to upload photos we may want to post in the future … another way to keep in touch over the coming years via pictures of what you’ve been up to. More info on that to come.
 
Bio Books and Profile Sheets
Everyone who attended the Reunion should have picked up a Bio Book at the Welcome table … but if for some reason you didn’t, you can still download it in full color from the website here, under The Bio Book! tab. If you didn’t get a chance to submit a profile for the book and would still like to send one, feel free to do so by filling out the form under the Bio Form tab any time, and emailing it to me.  We’ll get it into the Bio Book .pdf asap!

25-Year Reunion Class Photo
As you’ve probably noticed, the photo header of our class website here has changed … I replaced the 20-year class photo with the class photo from our 25th. Not a bad looking crew, I must say!!! If you’d still like to order an 8×10″ FHC Class of our 1982 25th Reunion Class Photo, mail a check for $19.00 and your:
 
First Name, Maiden or Last Name
Address, City, State, ZIP
… and write “FHC Class of 1982″ on your check
 
– and mail to – 
 
John Krueger
2386 Randall NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49534
 
A Bahamas Cruise?
After having such a great time at our 25th Reunion, many people were talking about getting together again sooner than later, and not having to wait another five years until our 30th Reunion to see everyone again. Something along the lines of a “27 1/2th” Reunion came up. Then came thoughts of where it could be held, Then the idea of the Reunion Cruise was born.
 
Now, any ”27 1/2th” Reunion would be an “unofficial” Reunion … meaning none of the profits from our 25th would be used toward our “27 1/2th”, to be fair to all those who wouldn’t be able to attend due to time, money, vacation, or other obligations and commitments. There would be no pressure to attend, because we’ll still be having a 30th Reunion in five years … and it truly wouldn’t matter if five or fifty couples came on the cruise, because it would be a fantastic time no matter the number of vacationers.
  
The possibilities are endless. Perhaps a 3 or 4 night cruise out of Port Canaveral, cruising to the Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, aboard a Disney or Royal Carribbean line. Heather and I took the family on a Disney cruise in February, and it was a fantastic time for the kids and adults alike. In fact, the entire bow of the Disney liner is designed mainly for adults, with an 18+ pool, bars, nightclubs, shows, spa and gym areas, etc. For the kids, there are endless things to do for every child from infant to teenager, and every Disney character throughout the cruise you can imagine will appear sometime throughout the trip. Shawn Tilstra has taken a few Royal Carribbean cruises, and recommended either cruise line, adding that the kids programs on both lines are top-notch, safe and secure, full of endless and varying activities … and they’ll watch your children as much or as little as you want them to … even into the wee hours of the night.
 
Better yet, what a perfect solution to the hit-and-run five-minute conversations that seem to make up most every Reunion, for any class, at any high school. Even with as many events as we had at our 25th Reunion, there still just wasn’t enough one-on-one time to carry on more in-depth conversations and really catch up with people. And a cruise would be a perfect medium – no driving, no planning (other than choosing any or all of the countless activities a cruise offers) and lots of time while at sea and between ports — and at night — to catch up with classmates in any of the number of different venues the cruise presents.

Give it some serious thought. IJune, 2009 is the target window … the kids are out of school, summer vacations haven’t yet begun in full force, it’s great weather down here and prior to the active hurricane season beginning … and perhaps after a long winter for many of us, the perfect time to get away.  
 
Friday After Turkey Day
Becky Tyke sent out a great email last night about a “Friday After Turkey Day Gathering” — which sounds like a great time (though I wish I lived closer than a thousand miles away!) and Becky’s email is below. I created a response section in the tab above this page labeled “Friday After Turkey Day Responses” as Becky suggested. Leave your RSVP’s on the Response page, and have a great time! 
  
Hi Class of 82,
 
As you can see I have a limited number of emails so it’s time to forward and post on the web site.  Lisa Tamblin and I had such a great time we wanted to keep the reunion going so we decided to have mini reunions in between.  We thought the Friday after Turkey Day may be a good day in case classmates are in town visiting family.  I found out where Trilogy is playing and thought that location would be most entertaining – The Black Rose on Ionia it is at 7:00 for those that would like to order a bite to eat, drink and talk then Trilogy starts playing at 9 and plays til 1am so we can continue to drink and dance the night away.  Hey Tim, can we post this then have a response section so I can get a rough number for reservations?Talk to all of you soon, Bec
 
Contact Info
Lastly, continue to keep in touch, and especially don’t forget to send an update whenever your email, phone, or address changes. The Privacy Policy I’ve diligently adhered to will continue to be in effect — comment sections throughout the site are moderated, and your contact information will not be posted publicly. Your information is held in confidence for the sole use of updating you of future reunions, gatherings, and news. Send all updates via the Your Info tab on this web site.  Thanks! 
 
Talk to you all soon.
– Tim Jackoboice

Wow…the FHC Class of ‘82 25-yr Reunion Recap!

Wise men have said, if you’ve made two or three true friends in life, you’re a lucky man or woman. We all must be lottery winners if that’s true, because we just spent an entire weekend with 78 true friends, plus their spouses and dates … in what will always be remembered as an incredible weekend of friends, fun, and events … and now memories both old and new. Thank you all for making our 25th Reunion such an incredible success!

From the foul-weather football game Friday night when FHC trounced Northview 49-13, and the victory party at the bar that followed, to one of the most beautiful of Saturdays and Sundays ever in Michigan at the Pig Roast, the Class Reunion, the Brunch, and the Golf Outing, it was a greater weekend of events than ever imagined. Everything was gorgeous … from the weather, to the events, to us. Heck, we could’ve been celebrating our 10th Reunion … we’re all looking pretty good at 43, people … pretty, pretty good!

More impressively, over a third of our classmates flew in from out-of-state to be with us … coast-to-coast from California to New York, border-to-border from Texas to Wisconsin. Thank you all for your time and effort getting there and for being part of our 25th — the largest Reunion we’ve ever had. And Reunions are great because of the people … the live bands, shot luges, kegs, champagne toast, valet service, sliders, appetizers, pasta bars, pig roasts, football games, brunches and golf outings are all there just to enhance the effect. And with our class, we could spend around $8,000.00 as we did this weekend, or just spend $500 bucks on kegs in a barn — and we’d have just as great a time. It’s just who we are.

On top of everything else, more extras were added right up until the Reunion itself — and during it — trying to spend all the money that continued to pour in even as the Reunion was going on. Incredible. But it all couldn’t be spent … even at the end there were still extra kegs to be tapped, appetizers and sliders to be eaten … even Trilogy was paid more to play further into the wee hours (the last reunioneer to officially leave was at 2:40AM). So long story short, after nearly $8,000.00 in expenses, we still ended up with (you know me) a profit…    All thanks to you. More than eleven hundred dollars, now anxiously waiting to be spent the next time we meet.

Everyone’s contributions were so incredibly fantastic. Kent Country Club looked great with all the decorations, globes, photo confetti, the memory board (that brought a tear to many), the extensive memorabilia table, and all the banners, balloon bouquets, trivia sheets and more.  A huge thank you to Kim Fletcher, Barb Manus, and Wendy Sims for putting all that together. Another major thank you to Tami Swanson, Dawn Wiggerman, and Debi Mlnarik, who all sacrificed the first hour and a half of their night to greet, sell Reunion and drink tickets, and collect 50/50 raffle money — they did a fantastic job. Karl Baltutat already had done his job in collecting the most email addresses, and won a bottle of Dom Perignon — thanks again to Karl and his wife Lynda for all their work. Marion Kish’s quilt donation and auction was a great success, as Marc VanderWal walked away with that and the 50/50 raffle total of $170.00 … $100.00 of which he immediately turned around and donated to the class. Thanks to Chuck and Al for being the auctioneers and comedy duo at the microphone. Thanks to John Westerhuis for negotiating room rates at the Crowne Plaza. And thanks to Jill Collins, again, for donating the entire cost of the bio books … wow … and to Dave Murray, who couldn’t attend because of his shattered leg, but for all he did in arranging football game seats and the Pig Roast … where Jamie Berlin ran out and bought all the hot dogs, buns and fixin’s for the kids as his donation. And thanks, Shawn. I had to say it. Of course, a warm thank you as well to my wife, Heather, who put up with me these past five months, and who had such a great time with all of you — thanks for making her feel so welcome and a part of our class, as all our spouses are.

For a weekend, time stood still. No matter what our accomplishments, we were briefly once again the classmates we once were, back in a simpler time. No matter what we’ve done in life since, a small part of us will always remain that teenager from high school, even though many of us now have teenagers of our own, and we now have titles such as doctors, lawyers, teachers, homemakers, State Supreme Court Justice, Lt. Colonel at the Pentagon, or leading the world’s most successful companies. And we all have been successful – in our families, careers, travels, and experiences. Those of you I talked with — which was (at least briefly) all of you — were best of all, extremely happy.

People joked at the Sunday Brunch there would be a big “void” now that all the Reunion planning was over. I laughed – but they were right. But the void isn’t the work, planning, or daily website updates, it’s simply the void of what was a constant interaction with all of you.  It was great being in touch daily or weekly as we once were so long ago, or via even just a short note along with checks you sent. No matter how much work went into this Reunion, it was rewarded a thousand times over seeing everyone together again — reconnecting — laughing — and promising each other not to let the next five years go by, without more contact and getting together more often. There’s even talk of an “unofficial” 27 1/2 year Reunion, aboard a cruise ship or at a “destination locale” somewhere in 2009.

The only regret from the weekend, as with every Reunion, was not being able to have enough time for longer conversations with everyone. After 25 years, we still miss each other. We still need more time to catch up. We still want more time to be together. Maybe an unofficial 27 1/2 year Reunion is just the answer to that.

For those of you who traveled so far to be there this weekend, thank you for your time, your effort and the expense of getting and staying there. For local classmates, thank you for welcoming “home” the rest of us. For those of you who couldn’t make it, forgive me for rubbing salt in the wounds, but it was a terrific weekend … and we truly did miss you. 

I look forward to our next gathering … wherever, and whenever, that happens to be. Until then, keep in touch, stay well, and thank you for making the 25th Reunion of the Forest Hills Central Class of 1982 such an incredible weekend of events … yet another memory for our Class to cherish … and as the old IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch always said, “the best Reunion ever!” (okay, he always said “the best Olympics ever,” but whatever…!)  

All the best — always –and God bless.
- Tim Jackoboice.

Now, on to more updates…!

Class Donors
As mentioned above, a big thank you to James Berlin on Saturday afternoon at the Pig Roast. While we had a great spread for the adults — including a succulent pig, kielbasa, and all the fixins’ – Jamie ran out and purchased additional hot dogs, buns, condiments, etc. for all the kids — and a few adults! Thank you, Jamie!

Another big thank you goes out to Marc VanderWal, who, immediately after winning the 50-50 Raffle and the quilt Marion Kish made and donated, Marc turned around and donated $100.00 to the Class then and there on the dance floor. Thank you, Marc!

And again, thanks to Jill Collins who donated the entire cost of the Bio Books, distributed free to everyone that attended Saturday night. Those of you who couldn’t attend and send in a check, yours will go out this week.

Reunion Comments
Many of you have left comments throughout the website, and I recently realized it’s hard to find them all. So, I added a “Comments” tab above on the website, where all comments could be consolidated. Click on the Comments tab above, or click here.

Wall Hanging Raffle
As you know, we had two drawings Saturday night – the 50/50 money with Marion’s quilt, and another for an additional wall hanging she made and donated. If anyone can produce their raffle ticket — #731002 – you win! Let us know!

Class Reunion Photo
Remember being herded into that small room for two class photos? To order a color 8×10″ FHC Class of our 1982 25th Reunion Photo, please return the slip given to you at our Reunion, or mail a check for $15.00 and your:
 
First and Last Name
Address, City, State, ZIP
– to – 
John Krueger
2386 Randall NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49534
  
Orders received later than October 27 will cost $19.00.
Here’s a sample of the 8×10″ you’ll receive, including an ID page. (By the way, this is the FHC Class of ‘77 … their 30-Yr Class Reunion photo:

Other Reunion Photos
To view photos from the Reunion, click here.  This is currently a link to Flickr, and the photos I (and Betsy Merrill from FHC ‘84) uploaded. I couldn’t take many shots due to running around all weekend, so any you have would be greatly appreciated. For now, send them to me … as I write this, Paul Moore is working on a way to allow everyone to upload photos themselves to Flickr, setting up a group pool and instruction for everyone how to do this.

Great to see You!
The reason for scheduling six events over the course of 3 days was for a few reasons … one, to make it an overall great weekend in general; two, to provide many gatherings and events for people from out of state; and three, for people to be able to attend at least some events, if they couldn’t attend the main Reunion party. This was true for several people, and though they couldn’t make the Reunion, a big thank you for showing up, and great to see Tim Lane, Dave Deering and Dave Rash on Friday night at the Cascade Sports Grill, and Michelle Strauss and Dave Murray at the Saturday Pig Roast.

Credit Card Payments
Remember, if you paid for any Reunion events by credit card, it will be reflected in your next statement as a charge under “Property Pulse LLC.” It’s not a bogus charge; it was just easier using my existing credit card processing system I already had set up, than putting together a whole new system for the Reunion.

Representation
We officially had 80 classmates attend events this weekend. Of those, 75 attended the Reunion itself, along with 37 significant others, totaling 112 people. Of those, 65.8% were from the state of Michigan (48), followed by 4.1% from Florida and Indiana (3 from each state), 2.7% from California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia (2 from each state), and 1.4% from Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee and Wisconsin (1 from each state).

Contacts
We ended up with 178 current, valid emails for the class, or 73.6%. Adding current, valid addresses, we ended up with 228 total current contacts, or 89.4% of the class. Pretty darn good numbers. As a result, we had 13,000+ class website hits from inception on June 13, through today, October 25, 2007.

Trilogy
The band absolutely loved playing for us, and seeing us all again Saturday night. They also said they have never played “Ridin’ the Storm Out” so many times in a week, let alone one night (three times for us!)

That’s it for now … more later with information on how to upload Reunion photos yourself. Until then, just send them to me.  Talk to you soon.
 
Tim Jackoboice

Post-Reunion Update coming…

… still winding down, calculating numbers, totaling damages, and reflecting on all the friends, fun and memories we had over the entire weekend of events.

What a fantastic weekend!
More soon. 

To leave comments on the Reunion, click here.
To view photos from the Reunion, click here.
To order the Class Reunion Photo, click here.