Gateway Senior High School Class of 1967

2010 Happy Holidays to and from Gateway's Class of '67

2010-12-11T11:51:00.000-05:00

Front l-r: Paula (Nuchols), Bonnie (Gardner), Kathi (Hawkins), Kathie (Mason), Peggy (Loughner); middle l-r: Artie Trunzo, Marti (Wilkinson), Judy (McCluskey), Mike Cima, Tom Kunkle; back l-r: Shirley (Veasey), Tom Gallo, Dianne (Ilgenfritz), crazy Sam Viggiano waving for all of us!!

The Gateway High School Class of 1967 Reunion Committee, pictured above, recently met for a holiday celebration at the home of Mike Cima.

They send seasons greetings on behalf of the Class of '67 to one and all.

You'd better get ready! Tim Billings may be coming to your town!

2010-07-30T16:17:00.005-04:00

Tim Billings and his wife, Ruthie, are both fully retired now and have embarked on a 2-3 month retirement road trip.

Their route includes places where relatives and old friends live, as well as tourist attractions. The destinations, length of stay and times of departure are incredibly flexible. They don't have to stick to a strict schedule and, by golly, they aren't going to! After all, they're retired!

After leaving their home in New Jersey on July 12, 2010, they visited relatives in Boston, Mass., and Keene, N.H. Not sure what all they did before making their way to Grove City, Pa., where Peggy Loughner Fisher, the leader of our Gator pack, lives. (Peggy took the photo above.)

Then on July 18, they came to Cleveland, Ohio, where they visited Alana Miltak Baranick (that would be me) and went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Peggy and Dianne Ilgenfritz Brudney met the gang there after taking a side trip to Medina, Ohio, to see classmate Darlene Schwartzmiller Jones.

The Billingses headed south toward Columbus, Ohio, after that, but made a quick adjustment when one of Tim's Vietnam buddies was out of town. The last I heard, they were taking a detour to do the tourist thing in Kentucky.

Tim has promised to share stories from the road on this blog. And you know he's a wonderful storyteller.

Keep checking back to see what he has to say. We'll do our best to mention his new blog posts on Facebook.

As I understand it, Tim and Ruthie will be traveling through Illinois, Minnesota (where Tim's brother, Phil, lives), Montana, Washington State, California, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas (where they'll see our classmate Jay Lehman), Missouri, Alabama, Virginia and Maryland.

They'll check out Yosemite, Sequoia and Carlsbad Caverns national parks. They'll visit Memphis, New Orelans, Roswell, N.M., and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., before returning to Jersey.

Contact Tim, if you want to see them when they get to your neck of the woods.

"I know many retirees who spent years planning great adventures for their retirement, yet never managed to do them," Tim said a few weeks ago. "So we are going to start retirement with a bang, and this time I get to see our great country without hitchhiking!"

Remembering our deceased classmates on Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T14:09:00.006-04:00

Below are the names of late members of the Gateway Senior High School Class of 1967, whose 1967 surnames began with O-Z, including Army PFC Ron Stephenson, who was killed in Vietnam. Click Ron's name below to read more.

We've grouped together others alphabetically on previous blog items.

We will gradually add photos to go with most of the deceased classmates names and links to obituary/tribute pages in the coming days.

GATORS, GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Rory O'Leary (May 8, 1949 – Sept. 18, 2009)

Donald J. Powers (Died January 10, 2007)
Deborah Shushereba Holmes (Oct. 29, 1949 - June 19, 2005)

Craig S. Smith (Aug. 14, 1948 - July 14, 2000)

Janet Stamm Dal Lago (June 27, 1949 - Aug. 18, 1996)
Ronald Stephenson (Oct. 14, 1948 - Jan. 20, 1971)
Elizabeth Torch Cheripka (July 10, 1949 - Feb. 10, 2006)

Stephen Walters (April 21, 1949 - September 7, 2007)

Donna West Campbell (May 12, 1949 - December 18, 1988 )
Nancy Wilson Walters (???)

Glenda Winkelvoss Holmes (Died Nov. 19, 2007)

Gary Zummo (1949-1968)

Remembering '67 Gators on Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T14:01:00.002-04:00

Below are the names of late members of the Gateway Senior High School Class of 1967, whose 1967 surnames began with H-N. We're grouping others together alphabetically on the previous and next few blog items.

We will gradually add photos to go with most of the deceased classmates names and links to obituary/tribute pages in the coming days.

GATORS, GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Winifred Hickey Herring (Aug. 30, 1948 - April 20, 2003)

Barbara Hileman Croasdale (Sept. 30, 1949 - Nov. 28, 1983)

Theresa Hysong Behr (Aug. 22, 1949 - Jan. 4, 2009)

Patrick M. Kelley (March 8, 1949 - May 11, 2006)

Jon Klingensmith (July 15, 1949 - March 14, 2005)

Jeffrey Koester (Aug. 30, 1949 - April 15, 1992)

Susan Lathom Randolph (Sept. 7, 1949 - Jan. 15, 1999)

Harry Lauffer (May 31, 1949 - April 1975)

Alex Lawson (Aug. 2, 1948 - Sept. 15, 1985)

Dennis Lichtenfels (Sept. 2, 1949 - March 1985)

Stanley Bruce Lindquist (Dec. 15, 1949 - June 21, 1997)

Victoria Matakas Dunn Fisher (Feb. 19, 1949 - July 19, 2002)

Robert Milne (Aug. 8, 1948 - Nov. 5, 1994)

Remembering our late classmates on Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T12:46:00.018-04:00

Below are the names of late members of the Gateway Senior High School Class of 1967, whose 1967 surnames began with A-G. We'll group others together alphabetically on the next few blog items.

You can click on some names to read obituary tribute pages. We'd like to do the same for all of our classmates. If you can help with this, please email alana.miltak.baranick@gmail.com.

We started posting high school portraits here and will gradually add more photos in the coming days.

GATORS, GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Alan R. Bennett (Jan. 3, 1948 - Nov. 19, 1996)

Robert Bertera (June 21, 1949 - June 9, 1997)

Earl Bittner (1949-1972)

Fred Bowes. ( Died July 12, 2003)

Tim Brendlinger (July 2, 1949 - Jan. 9, 2000)

Tom Cain (Oct. 24, 1948 - Dec. 19, 1997)

Roseanne Campos Corey (Died Nov. 21, 2007)

Rosemary Ciufo Brown (April 23, 1949 - Oct. 10, 2006)

Robert Corbelli (Feb. 9, 1949 - Dec. 13, 2004)

Richard Crouch (Dec. 15, 1949- Jan. 18, 20/02)

James Domboski. (Aug. 9, 1949 - Nov. 11, 1998)

Cathy Duff Dornin (March 12, 1949 - Aug. 23, 1998)

Joseph Falkowski (Nov. 10, 1949 - Nov. 30, 1994)

Dona Jean Farmer Baker (died Jan. 25, 2010)

Patricia Frohn Balash (June 25, 1949 - Aug. 16, 2004)

Gary Graham (July 29, 1948 - June 12, 1990)

Gateway Class of 1967's 2010 Picnic at Idlewild Park in August

2010-04-06T09:55:00.008-04:00

Circle Friday, August 13, 2010, on your calendar. That's the date of this year's class picnic, which will take place at Idlewild Park in Ligonier, Pa., and coincide with Italian Days.

Visit the Idlewild Park website - http://www.idlewild.com/ - for park information and see the impressive Italian Days schedule, which may be updated periodically, at http://www.idlewild.com/park_info/ItalianDay.php.

Peggy Loughner Fisher and Artie Trunzo will provide more class reunion picnic details as they become available.

Florida reunion 2010 - including cruise - in the works

2009-11-19T19:45:00.011-05:00

Judy Gibson Brumfield of Gainesville, Fla., and John Safran of Bradenton Beach are organizing a reunion in Florida for Gateway grads from the 1960s to be held in the fall of 2010.

They are aiming for a reunion cruise, but they need your input to get the best fares and to make decisions that reflect what the classmates want. And they need this information no later than Dec. 15, 2009.

This is only a survey to find out who might attend and whether they prefer a 3-night cruise, 4-night cruise or 2-night stay at a hotel.

For information, visit http://www.gatewaygators.net/reunions.asp.

Or contact Peggy Loughner Fisher, the Class of 1967 reunion chair, or Alana Miltak Baranick, class blog administrator, whose email addresses are provided in this blog's header.

Of course, I you know how to reach Judy or John, go for it!

Rory O'Leary: 1949-2009

2009-10-04T14:21:00.010-04:00

Rory O'Leary, a beloved member of the Gateway Senior High School Class of 1967, died Sept. 18, 2009.

On the left is Rory's senior picture from the 1967 Portavian, our high school yearbook.

On the right is a snapshot of Rory that was taken during our 40th Class Reunion Weekend in 2007.

We're looking for more photos, comments, anecdotes and anything else we can get - even video - to incorporate into his online life story for our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" tribute pages.

You can add comments to this post or send stuff to me (Alana Miltak Baranick) via email at alana.miltak.baranick@gmail.com.

Thanks.

A glimpse into our collective future????

2009-09-26T11:16:00.002-04:00

Young @ Heart's version of The Ramones song, "I Wanna Be Sedated."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyS61DM1vyU

Mystery photo: St. Michael's Catholic School in Pitcairn?

2009-08-13T09:34:00.012-04:00

As many of you guessed, this is a class photo (probably 8th grade) taken at St. Michael's Catholic School in Pitcairn of folks who, for the most part, went on to graduate from Gateway Senior High School. (See bigger photo in previous post.)

Let's break the photo down into sections to try to get a better look at these kids while identifying them.

In this enlarged portion of the picture are, left to right, bottom row: Billy Scherrah, Patty Gregg, Mark Waibel and Father Maher; second row: Sister Mary Brenda, Mike Cima, Kathie Mason, Larry Gisi and Janet George; top row: Ricky Siebert; Freda Litzinger, Wayne Rullo and the late Vicki Matakas.

Here are, left to right, bottom row: Mary Jane Di Cecco, Anthony Fasano and Jean Behe; second row: Becky Manovich, Ralph Jenko, Judy Gibson, Mark Wojton and Sister Agnes Louise; top row: John Safran, Gloria Solak, Charles Sipe and Teresa Shoup.

How well did you do in identifying these people?

Janet George (now Janet Knight), who provided this photo, isn't sure about Sister Mary Brenda. I suppose it has something to do with those fashionable outfits nuns wore back in those days.

I'm looking forward to hearing the "long story" about the "infamous" Sister Agnes Louise.

Janet reports that Becky Manovich moved to Minnesota soon after this picture was taken. Gloria Solak moved to California. Some of the classmates are still in touch with Gloria.

Does anyone know what happened to Patty Gregg and Jean Behe? Neither are pictured or listed with our senior class in the 1967 Portavian.

During our 60th Birthday Celebration Weekend in June, some Gateway/St. Michael alumni attended an event at St. Mike's. I've heard that Peggy Loughner Fisher took pictures that will be included in the reunion package she's assembling.

In the meantime, this blog is open to reports about that event, stories about St. Mike's (good or bad, including the one about the infamous nun) and other nostalgic photos, newspaper articles and memorabilia.

You can add to this discussion by using the "Comments" option below or by posting new blog items. (To obtain blogging rights, contact Alana Miltak Baranick at alana.miltak.baranick@gmail.com.)

Who are these people?

2009-08-08T00:20:00.007-04:00

Can you guess:

who these people are?
when, where and on what occasion this photo was taken?
and why members of Gateway Senior High School's Class of 1967 should care?

Answers will be coming soon. In the meantime, feel free to post your guesses below under "comments."

V. Lee Harrity found

2009-08-04T20:06:00.011-04:00

It was great to see so many old classmates in June, but the one person who had been on my mind the most over the years was Mr. V. Lee Harrity. He came to teach choir at Gateway in time for us (11th Grade, I seem to recall), and I thought he was magic. He took a mediocre bunch of high school singers, and turned us into quite a finely tuned instrument, often challenging our comfort zone with very sophisticated pieces.

For senior year I was set on getting into the madrigal choir (more of that wonderful, challenging material), but it just didn't fit with my academic schedule, so I took mixed choir - I took it by the horns. I was lucky to assist Mr. Harrity a few times, and he taught me to conduct.

After the reunion, with the smart sleuthing of Phil Billings, I had his phone number, and gave him a call one evening. We knew that shortly after we'd graduated he'd married, they'd had a daughter, and he had a Christian choir that seemed very popular and respected. On the internet were also reviews of the choir from Texas, and that's where we found him.

He sounded very upbeat - exactly as I remembered him - and said he'd heard about the recent reunion. He indeed is still conducting his choir. I had a delightful half hour chat with him. The one sad note is the loss of their daughter to cancer just a few years ago. He remembered our class as being a particularly talented bunch of students. And he was very pleased to hear how music had remained part of my career.

In fact, in my building (Performing Arts Lodge, Vancouver) we're holding a first meeting on Thursday evening about forming an in-house choir (we have a theatre, and a garden, on our top floor).

And if the urge hits you, Phil and I have V. Lee's number.

After the reunion, I also heard from Amy (Brill) Rafferty - we've now tracked down 3/5 of the original Poor Boys from the Talent Troupe; the other we're in touch with is (Mag)Gie Parsons.

Ellie O'Day
survivor of the 2009 west coast heat wave

Gators have coffee at Monroeville Mall - Saturday July 25, 2009

2009-07-30T20:28:00.012-04:00

After the breakfast at Eat 'n Park (see previous post), Dana Comito, Larry Gisi's family, and I met at Gloria Jean's Coffee Beans at Monroeville Mall.

It was a humorous hour-and-a-half visit. We had lots of fun scratching (and winning) lottery tickets.

If Larry's family hadn't been there (by chance) Ed (Janet's husband), Dana, and I would have been the only Gators to share coffee. Maybe we all have great karma.

It was an unbelievable accidental reunion with the Gisi's! That was the amazing discovery.

I had my Portavian, and Tawnie (Larry's wife) wanted to see a few pictures. Her Dad is such a happy, outgoing man. He went to an eyeglass store, but first asked us to stay until he returned.

We did some "scratchies", and Tawnie had to keep going back for more tickets that we had won!

Dana mentioned that she has been "all over" on business trips with her husband. However, she couldn't stay long.

I hadn't seen her for more than 42 years. We both attended St. Michael's -- along with Mike Cima, Artie Trunzo, Kathy Mason, Judy Gibson, Judy Miller, Mary Jane DiCecco, Mark Wojton, Mark Waibel, Ralph Jenko, John Safran, Anthony Fasano, and Freda Litzinger.

I was disappointed that Kathy and Freda just could not be in 2 places at the same time.

Breakfast at Eat 'n Park on Saturday July 25, 2009

2009-07-30T19:45:00.016-04:00

Becky Richard-Maley (right), Tom Kunkle, and I (Janet George Knight) met at Eat 'n Park in Monroeville for a chat.

Becky attended the all-class Pitcairn High School reunion events during the week.

In the future, these Pitcairn reunions will be held every three years.

What luck! ! My two family reunions had been planned for the same weekend.

Remember Patti Bartels?

2009-07-25T00:40:00.008-04:00

Judy Gibson Brumfield writes:

Patti Bartels McClung and I met after 43 years on Sunday in Daytona and talked non-stop for 8 hours! It was so good to see her.

She left Gateway in 11th grade to move to Murrysville and then to Atlanta, so she did not graduate with us.

Pictured here are Patti, left, in blue, with Judy, right, in red.

Breakfast at Eat 'n' Park before coffee at the mall

2009-07-19T22:07:00.002-04:00

Kathie Mason Bolton asked that we post this as an extension to Janet George Knight's previous post about the coffee:

Eat 'n' Park at 9, and Gloria Jeans for coffee at 10.

Have fun, Gators!

INVITATION TO MEET FOR COFFEE ON 7/25/09

2009-07-19T09:37:00.005-04:00

Hi Gators,

Some of us are planning to meet at Gloria Jean's Coffee Beans (I assume it's still there.) in the food court at Monroeville Mall on Saturday. I want to be there around 10:00 or 10:30 ish. If you are in the area, please come by and visit. You may want to bring your favorite photos to share and a camera. Look for any of the above faces. Janet George Knight

Would you believe? More Birthday Pix!!!

2009-06-20T21:23:00.015-04:00

Joyce Crispin Johnston, pictured here with her arm around Wendy Cook Bair's shoulders, and her husband/classmate Rick Johnston, wearing glasses and pictured below with Mark Waibel, understand that it's not too late to send pictures from the Gateway Class of '67's 60th Birthday Weekend. Take note, Gator shutterbugs!

The Johnstons traveled from Lantana on the Atlantic coast of south Florida to celebrate our collective birthday.

Rick and I had a great time, Joyce reports.

The photos above and the one at the right depicting (left to right) Bonnie Gardner Hillier, Ellen Lewis, Ron Quaglia, Cheryl Lang Powell and Judy Duffy Roman were taken at D'Imperios on Fri., June 5, 2009.

This photo of three lifelong friends was taken at the Wooden Nickel on Sat., June 6, 2009.

Joyce explains: The one picture with me in the middle is of Sherry Jacobs Kline (on left) and Christine Grey Davis (on the other side).

Sherry didn't graduate with us but went to school with us all from 2nd grade til her family moved after the end of 9th grade. She attended another reunion many years ago and knew some of those who attended the party.

The three of us lived in Turnpike Gardens and played together all the time.

I met Sherry in 2nd grade and Chris in 3rd grade.

I keep up with Sherry twice a year on our birthdays. It was great having both attend the party.

Battle Hymn of the Baby Boomers

2009-06-18T15:48:00.002-04:00

This video, which Jay Lehman found, seems appropriate for Gators who have turned or are about to turn 60.

Gators' 60th Birthday Weekend photos and thoughts from Donna Fisher Wiley

2009-06-17T11:00:00.032-04:00

Donna Fisher Wiley, the Gator gal in bright blue on the right, did the smart thing camera-wise. She handed her camera to someone else to preserve moments to remember from Gateway Class of 1967's 60th Birthday Celebration Weekend in Monroeville, Pa., June 5-7, 2009.

Here, whoever served as photographer, captured Eileen Ruffner Baca, immediately to Donna's right in the picture above, in a laugh-out-loud moment during the Friday night gathering at D'Imperios. Also laughing it up are Joyce Crispin Johnston, with her arm around Eileen, and Janet Bova Sieracki.

Donna, pictured above left with Wendy Cook Bair and above right with Marti Wilkinson at the Friday night kickoff to the reunion weekend, says: I haven't been in touch with any of my classmates since graduation.

After the 40th reunion emails, I was able to contact several of my close high school girlfriends through email and was excited to get to see them at the 60th birthday blast.

Pictured right are Kathy Casper Faix, Judy McCluskey Crookston and Donna at D'Imperios.

Donna added: I spent all my time with them and enjoyed every minute of it.

I would have loved to have seen Jerry Mason, Vicki Hollibaugh and Phyllis Furlow.

But my time with Kathy Casper and Eileen Ruffner will always be treasured.

Donna, who posed with Kathy, above, and Eileen, right, at the Gators Breakfast Club's Saturday morning meeting at Denny's Restaurant, also said: I was amazed at how the gals aged so beautifully and were as nice as they were in high school.

Gators Golf Outing, June 6, 2009

2009-06-12T23:28:00.027-04:00

Sam Viggiano took these pictures at the golf outing he arranged for Gator golf enthusiasts during the Gateway Class of '67's 60th Birthday Celebration Weekend.

As usually happens with the person taking the photos, Sam didn't have a picture of himself on the golf course. At least, he didn't share any with us.

Above are Bob Conley and Paul Krusey, cruising the beautiful, well-maintained Willow Brook Country Club course in the woods of Apollo, Pa., where Tom O'Brien is a member.

The Gator Golfers teed off at 10:30 a.m. Here, Jay Lehman, Tom O'Brien and Rick Johnston lean on their golf clubs to keep themselves upright at such an early hour after the fun-filled festivities of Friday night.

Sam Viggiano was kind enough to loan his father's set of clubs to Jay, who traveled from Arkansas. Tom, Rick and Sam were on the Gators golf team in high school.

Here's a better shot of Paul Krusey and Bob Conley with Larry Gisi.

Jay Lehman says: Thanks to Jan Krusey for allowing Paul to play for the 5th consecutive day.

Here are Rick Johnston and Tom O'Brien, two 1967 Gateway grads who have the distinction of having married '67 Gator gals. Rick and his wife, the former Joyce Crispin, traveled all the way from Florida for the weekend celebration. Tom and his wife, the former Linda Pitlock, didn't have as far to go. They live in Apollo.

As for the Gators' golf game, Jay Lehman reports: Sam had several great putts, particularly on the back 9. Tom was very good and gave us a golf lesson. Has Jay ever played this game before? No animals were injured in this event, and a rare birdie was scored.

Sam Viggiano says: The golf was fun. The scores were in the mid-80s and 90s, so we don’t have to worry about anyone turning pro. It was great fun, and I can’t wait until we do it again - hopefully with more players.

Kathy Casper Faix's pictures from our 60th

2009-06-11T10:34:00.028-04:00

Kathy Casper Faix, pictured here with Lou "Junior" Ventresco in front of a Gateway memorabilia display on Friday, June 5, 2009, provided even more photos from the Gateway Class of '67's 60th Birthday Celebration Weekend. Please let us know if you've got classmate photos to share.

Kathy echos what most classmates had to say about the weekend celebration: I am so glad that I was able to make it this weekend. It was so much fun meeting with everyone and catching up.

And our collective regret: I did not get to see everyone.

Kathy, shown here with Donna Fisher Wiley (center) and Joyce Crispin Johnston (left) (Janet Bova Sieracki is in the background), said: I spent alot of time with Donna Fisher. She and I were best friends in high school and had lost touch over the years. I got her email address after the 40th reunion, and we have emailed regularly. This was the first time we were able to actually visit with one another.

Thanks to the efforts of the reunion committee and other diligent classmates (including Kathy), who have been trying to locate all 500-plus members of the Class of '67, Kathy says: I found Mary Guzzo, who was my maid of honor in my wedding. We lost touch when she got divorced, and I had no idea how to get in touch with her. I found her on our email list as well, and so I was able reconnect with her. And it was like we just saw each other last week. We never shut up. Ha, ha. (Pictured here are Mary Guzzo Myers and her husband, Rich Myers, the most elegantly dressed man at the Friday night get-together.)

Kathy added: I was also glad that I was able to talk Janet Bova into coming and Dana Comito. Pictured here are Mary Guzzo Myers, Judy Gibson Brumfield, Eileen Ruffner Baca and Janet Bova Sieracki at the Friday night gathering.

Below is Dana Comito Narey, left, with Peggy Loughner Fisher, Eileen Ruffner Baca and Donna Fisher Wiley at the Sunday morning Gators Breakfast Club on June 7, 2009. (Denise Thompson Matthews, largely unseen, is seated to Dana's right.)

Kathy also hopes to reconnect with Janet Bole Wermager, who didn't attend.

We all talked of her and wanted her to be there as well.

(Are you reading this, Janet? Want to reach Kathy and company? Write a comment on this blog or use the contact information at the top of the page.)

A party atmosphere prevailed at the Friday night gathering at D'Imperios as Sandy Truxel Croft, Eileen Ruffner Baca, Ron Quaglia, Cheryl Lang Powell and Dianne Ilgenfritz Brudney, pictured here, can testify.

These Gator Gals got silly for this photo as Sandy Truxel Croft covered her face and head with a scarf or veil and Kathie Mason Bolton (standing) and Judy Duffy Roman (far right) joined in the merriment.

MORE FRIDAY NIGHT PHOTOS:

Peggy Loughner Fisher, our fearless leader;

John Kudravy with Paula Nuchols Carrera;

Kathy Casper Faix and Janet Aker Mazzotta, center, with Bob McFetridge (left), Bob Conley and Sam Viggiano (in red);

Judy McCluskey Crookston and Donna Fisher Wiley with Judy Gibson Brumfield in the background.

MORE BREAKFAST CLUB PHOTOS:

Phil Billings and Alana Miltak Baranick, left, at breakfast on Saturday, June 6, 2009;

Eileen Ruffner Baca and Donna Fisher Wiley, below, share a moment on Sunday, June 7, 2009, that made them (and the classmates who witnessed it) weep.

Sunday Breakfast Club

2009-06-09T08:54:00.039-04:00

Fourteen classmates from Gateway's Class of '67 managed to make it to breakfast at Denny's Restaurant in Monroeville, Pa., on Sunday, June 7, 2009 - the morning after our collective 60th birthday party. Pictured above are (seated, from left) Dot Borst Miller, Ellie Claitman O'Day, Peggy Loughner Fisher and Alana Miltak Baranick; (standing, from left) Kathy Gossar McCormick, Mike Cima, Kathie Mason Bolton, Judy McCluskey Crookston (making rabbit ears above Peggy's head), Tim Billings (making rabbit ears above Judy's head), Becky Richards-Maley, Jay Lehman (head-and-shoulders above everyone), Linda Shoop (in green and white), Mark Waibel and Ellen Lewis.

Peggy's husband, Mike Fisher, Gateway Class of 1965, could be found lurking in the corners (as he is here, standing behind Ellie Claitman O'Day) and other places, ever ready to preserve pictorial memories of the weekend's activities.

Tim Billings, below, is ever ready to take off from his home in New Jersey to meet with classmates. Here we find him in a rare moment in which he isn't hugging one of us.

Mark Waibel and Linda Shoop, who looked way too fresh and bright-eyed for a morning after, were enjoying breakfast and connecting with fellow Gators, as were Kathy Gossar McCormick and Tim Billings whose faces are not visible in the background, when this snapshot was taken.

Here's a better view of Kathy Gossar McCormick (left) with Peggy Loughner Fisher (center) and Becky Richards-Maley, right.

PITCAIRN BLONDES: Becky Richards-Maley, a Pitcairn native and resident of Nevada, and Kathie Mason Bolton, who still lives in Pitcairn, share what appears to be a serious moment.

Much less serious were Peggy Loughner Fisher and Jay Lehman (above), Jay and Judy McCluskey Crookston (below) and the three of them in the remaining series of Gators Breakfast Club snapshots.

As the Gator gals lavished affection on Jay, our gun-toting Gator from Arkansas said, "This is heaven!"

Most of us can share that sentiment in evaluating the entire 60th Birthday Weekend. Kudos to the reunion committee.

We're looking forward to our next class gathering, which will likely be a picnic in the summer of 2010. Maybe at Kennywood!!! Mike Cima is our picnic coordinator.

Peggy and her Mike (Fisher) took a gazillion other pictures over the weekend, including some at the St. Michael Luncheon on Saturday. Peggy is putting together a DVD to music like the one she made of our 40th reunion, but it won't be ready for a few months.

The cost for the DVD is $15. She also will take orders for 8X10 class pictures from the Friday and Saturday night events, also at $15 apiece. Place orders by contacting Peggy. When ordering the class pictures, specify whether you want the Friday picture, the Saturday picture or both.

If you'd like to post class-related messages or photos on this blog, please contact Alana Miltak Baranick at alana.miltak.baranick@gmail.com.

Happy 60th Birthday, Class of '67! It's Party Time!

2009-06-09T01:09:00.030-04:00

Ron Quaglia, Judy Duffy Roman and Cheryl Lang Powell were among the party-goers at the Gateway Class of '67 60th Birthday Dinner on Saturday, June 6, 2009.

Peggy Loughner Fisher, right, blew a whistle to get our attention and lined us up in the parking lot of the Wooden Nickel Restaurant in Monroeville, Pa., so her husband, Mike Fisher, could snap a group portrait to commemorate the event.

Tom Kunkle, left, served as our deejay, playing blasts from the past that made us want to dance and/or sing.

Christine Derr, Roseann Castellano Barber and Kathy Gossar McCormick certainly don't look like people who turn 60 this year, do they? That's Mark Wojton in the background.

Ellen Lewis took a few moments to read "How to be a Middle-Aged Babe," which was written by our classmate Marilyn Suzanne Miller, one of the original Saturday Night Live comedy writers. That's Ron Quaglia at Ellen's table. (No, Marilyn was not present.)

In this picture, Lois Batchen Birchall, seated, was introducing Christine Grey Davis to her husband, who was paging through a book on Monroeville history.

The Monroeville Historical Society has tons of photos and facts about Monroeville online at www.monroevillehistorical.org. Read all about Pitcairn - past and present - at www.pitcairnborough.us.

Between them, Artie Trunzo (in striped shirt) and Junior Ventresco (in black) probably know everything about Pitcairn and Gateway.

Judy Gibson Brumfield, who traveled from Florida, and Rick Boggess, who flew in from Georgia, seemed to be having a good time. Not long after our 40th reunion, Judy organized a mini-reunion lunch date with classmates who live in her part of Florida. Gators in other regions should consider planning periodic get-togethers with classmates in their own neck of the woods.

Vic Peery, foreground, listened to an unseen classmate while his wife, to his right, chatted with Dana Comito Narey, who sat next to her. Also at Vic's table were Linda Pitlock O'Brien (in green), Becky Perich Zahn and Sam Viggiano.

We're not done yet. We've still got the Sunday Breakfast Club to talk about. Stand by!

Breakfast Club, June 6, 2009

2009-06-08T19:56:00.022-04:00

Janice West Callanan, Gateway Class of 1965, left, pictured with Becky Richards-Maley, represented her late sister, our classmate Donna West Campbell, at the Gators Class of '67 Breakfast Club meeting on Saturday, June 6, 2009.

The Breakfast Club got started during our 40th Reunion Weekend in 2007 so that out-of-town classmates with no family in the area wouldn't have to eat breakfast alone. We had so much fun at breakfast that Saturday, we did it again the next morning.

Naturally, we kept the tradition going for our 60th Birthday Weekend in 2009. In this picture, all eyes are on Ellie Claitman O'Day as she relates a true story from her fascinating life in the arts scene in British Columbia. Listeners are Lois Batchen Birchall to Ellie's right (only the back of her head is visible), Mike Cima to Ellie's left, Phil Billings across from Ellie and Mike Fisher, husband of Peggy Loughner Fisher, behind Phil.

Here's a better view of Lois Batchen Birchall, left, and Denise Thompson Matthews, below.

Eileen Ruffner Baca, Donna Fisher Wiley and Kathy Casper Faix appear to have finished their breakfasts but not their conversation.

Before coming to the birthday reunion, Ellie Claitman, whose professional name is Ellie O'Day, hadn't looked at a 1967 Portavian (Gateway yearbook) in 42 years. She had torn out and kept a few pages that were meaningful to her (like the Talent Troupe pages).

In this photo, Ellie studies the Portavian to refresh her memory with help from Mike Cima. At the table behind them are Dana Comito Narey, Nancy Casper Faix (face not visible), Becky Richards-Maley, Donna Fisher Wiley and Eileen Ruffner Baca.

The 12 classmates, who had breakfast at Denny's Restaurant on Route 22 near the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, where most of the out-of-towners stayed, posed for this group photo, taken by Peggy Loughner Fisher's husband, Mike Fisher.

Pictured are (front row, left to right) Denise Thompson Matthews, Eileen Ruffner Baca, Peggy Loughner Fisher, Donna Fisher Wiley (in green), Ellie Claitman O'Day, Lois Batchen Birchall and Alana Miltak Baranick. Second row: Mike Cima, Dana Comito Narey, Phil Billings, Becky Richards-Maley and Kathy Casper Faix.

We've still got photos from the Saturday birthday party and Sunday Breakfast Club to post on this blog. But we ("we" = "Alana Miltak Baranick") don't have pictures from the Saturday morning golf outing or the Saturday afternoon event at St. Michael Catholic Church in Pitcairn.

Peggy Loughner Fisher, who is a professional photographer, took pictures at St. Michael's that she will include on a DVD that she's putting together. More to share about that in an upcoming post.

If you have pictures to share, please let us know.

But wait! There's more!

2009-06-08T13:53:00.035-04:00

And yet another bunch of pictures from the June 5, 2009, Friday-night gathering of Gateway's Class of '67 at D'Imperios in Wilkins Township.

Roseann Castellano Barber and her husband, left, traveled from Indiana for the weekend of 60th birthday events. Behind them is one of the displays of pictures of Gators as younglings.

Joyce Crispin Johnston, left, and Rick Johnston, below - the only pair of married classmates who attended the festivities - flew in from Florida.

TALL GATORS TALKING:
Paul Krusey and Bruce Kraynack.

Jay Lehman, who traveled from Arkansas, and Ron Hagen, who came from Florida.

GATOR GALS SWAPPING STORIES: Donna Fisher Wiley, Janet Bova Sieracki and Kathy Casper Faix.

Patti Berrutti and Caroline Chilcoat Vogel.

More Faces: Jay Williams, Janet Aker Mazzotta, Shirley Veazey Zito, Phil Billings (who rode his motorbike from Minneapolis to Monroeville), Wendy Cook Bair, Denise Thompson Matthews, and Dianne Ilgenfritz Brudney.

We're just getting started. Next: The Saturday morning meeting of the Gators Breakfast Club.

More pix from Friday get-together

2009-06-07T06:30:00.034-04:00

Here are more photos of members of Gateway Senior High School's Class of 1967 who attended the opening reception of the class's weekend-long 60th Birthday Celebration on Friday, June 5, 2009.

Sharon Creighton Nebel and Dave Reese. This may have been the first reunion event either of them have attended, even though they both live in southwestern Pennsylvania. Hopefully, word will get out to other classmates in the area who have stayed away or been unreachable. Our class reunion events over the last couple of years have been awesome!

Ron Quaglia, right, showed up unannounced for the Friday night happening. Kathy Casper Faix, also pictured, came from the Youngstown, Ohio, area to spend time with the classmates.

Sandy Truxel Croft, below, shows that she's a proud Gateway graduate.

Judy Duffy Roman, right, didn't actually graduate from Gateway in 1967, but she's still considers herself a member of our graduating class. Her family relocated to Beaver County before she finished high school.

Several Pitcairn natives attended, including John Safran and Sandy DeVirgilio Oravec (below);

Dave Robinson, left;
and Barb Moose Jankowski, right.

More Birthday Celebration pictures and reports to come!

Kickoff for 60th Birthday Weekend

2009-06-06T06:58:00.019-04:00

Nearly 60 members of Gateway's Class of '67 (plus some guests) met at D'Imperio's in Monroeville on Friday, June 5, to chat about old times and get caught up on what we've all be doing for the last 42 years.

Lou "Junior" Ventresco, standing in the background under a Gateway Gators Class of '67 banner, is finally leaving Gateway this year after 41 years as an employee of the school district.

In the photo on the right, Jack Cowell shares a story with Tom Gallo and his wife.

Among other classmates who attended were Marti Wilkinson and Mark Wojton, below;

Larry Gisi and Buddy Troy, right;

Hank Bach, left;

And Bob McFetridge, right.

Watch for more 60th Birthday Weekend reports and pictures to be posted on this blog in the days to come.

Stephen Walters, 1949-2007

2009-06-01T17:26:00.003-04:00

A tribute page for Stephen Charles Walters has been posted on our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" Web site.

Click the "Gators: Gone . . ." link in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page. Then click Stephen's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

Most of the information in Steve's obituary came from his wife and does not include much about his younger days. I would love to fill in the blanks, if anyone has information to share about what part of the Gateway school district he grew up in, what activities he was involved in at Gateway and what you remember about him as a person.

Please share your comments, anecdotes and photos of Steve by sending them directly to me at alana.miltak.baranick@gmail.com. You can also post comments on this blog item.

Thanks.

Donna West Campbell, 1949-1988

2009-05-30T16:21:00.002-04:00

Finally, after a long hiatus, we're getting back to posting tribute pages for our deceased classmates.

Donna West Campbell's tribute page has been posted on our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" Web site.

Click the link in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page. Then click Donna's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

Please send along your comments and stories about Donna by adding them as comments on this blog item or by sending them to me. Instructions are at the bottom of her tribute page.

Gators Breakfast Club for Birthday Weekend as of May 30

2009-04-30T00:51:00.009-04:00

Meetings of the Gators Breakfast Club with commence at 9 a.m. on the mornings of Saturday, June 6, and Sunday, June 7, at Denny's Restaurant, which is a short walk across the parking lot from Courtyard by Marriott.

We're doing this at Denny's rather than at the hotel because it's a better fit for a large group. Anyone who wants to start earlier can save us a table.

Classmates can come and go as they see fit. We'll be eating eggs, dishing out conversation and drinking in memories until 11 a.m. - maybe later!

This is not just for out-of-towners. All classmates are welcome to attend.

As of May 30, the following classmates plan to do breakfast together:

Saturday, June 6
1. Lois Batchen Birchall
2. Phil Billings
3. Tim Billings
4. Kathy Casper Faix
5. Ellie (Claitman) O’Day
6. Donna Fisher Wiley
7. Judy Gibson Brumfield
8. Ellen Lewis
9. Peggy Loughner Fisher
10. Kathie Mason Bolton
11. Alana Miltak Baranick
12. Becky Richard-Maley
13. Eileen Ruffner Baca
14. John Safran (maybe)
15. Linda Shoop
16. Jan Callanan, sister of Donna West Campbell, might show up too.

Sunday, June 7
1. Tim Billings
2. Mike Cima
3. Ellie (Claitman) O’Day
4. Jay Lehman
5. Ellen Lewis
6. Peggy Loughner Fisher
7. Kathie Mason Bolton
8. Alana Miltak Baranick
9. Becky Richard-Maley
10. Eileen Ruffner Baca
11. John Safran (maybe)
12. Linda Shoop

Anyone else who is interested can write to me (Alana Miltak Baranick) at abaranick@msn.com or alana.miltak.baranick@gmail.com.

We'll keep adding names to the lists as we get them.

Birthday Celebration Guest List as of May 31

2009-04-02T18:28:00.029-04:00

As of May 31, 2009, the following members of Gateway Senior High School's Class of 1967 have made reservations to attend our 60th Birthday Celebration Weekend. Please note that this list will be expanded as often as reservations are received.

For the informal gathering that starts at 6 p.m. FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2009, at D’Imperios:

1. Janet Aker Mazzotta
2. Howard Arbster
3. Hank Bach
4. Bob Beck
5. Patti Berrutti
6. Phil Billings
7. Tim Billings
8. Rick Boggess
9. Dot Borst Miller
10. Linda Carazzo Marino
11. Kathy Casper Faix
12. Roseann Castellano Barber
13. Linda Chatkin Chizmar
14. Caroline Chilcoat Vogel
15. Mike Cima
16. Ellie (Claitman) O'Day
17. Jack Cowell
18. Joyce Crispin Johnston
19. Sandy DeVirgilio Oravec
20. Judy Duffy Roman
21. Anita Essig Luffey
22. Donna Fisher Wiley
23. Bonnie Gardner Hillier
24. Judy Gibson Brumfield
25. Larry Gisi
26. Kathy Gossar McCormick
27. Mary Guzzo Myers
28. Ron Hagen
29. Dianne Ilgenfritz Brudney
30. Rick Johnston
31. John Kudravy
32. Tom Kunkle
33. Cheryl Lang Powell
34. Jay Lehman
35. Ellen Lewis
36. Peggy Loughner Fisher
37. Kathie Mason Bolton
38. Judy McCluskey Crookston
39. Jim McDonough
40. Bob McFetridge
41. Alana Miltak Baranick
42. Paula Nuchols Carrera
43. Tom O'Brien
44. Frank Ottavian
45. Becky Perich Zahn
46. Linda Pitlock O'Brien
47. David Reese
48. Becky Richard-Maley
49. Eileen Ruffner Baca
50. John Safran
51. Denise Thompson Matthews
52. Harold Troy
53. Artie Trunzo
54. Shirley Veazey Zito
55. Mark Waibel
56. Marti Wilkinson
57. Jack Williams
58. Mark Wojton

For our 60th Birthday Party on the evening of SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2009, at Wooden Nickel:

1. Jim Anderson
2. Howard Arbster
3. Hank Bach
4. Lois Batchen Birchall
5. Bob Beck
6. Phil Billings
7. Tim Billings
8. Rick Boggess
9. Dot Borst Miller
10. Janet Bova Sieracki
11. Rosann Castellano Barber
12. Mike Cima
13. Ellie Claitman O'Day
14. Dana Comito Narey
15. Jack Cowell
16. Joyce Crispin Johnston
17. Christine Derr
18. Sandy DeVirgilio Oravec
19. Judy Duffy Roman
20. Bonnie Gardner Hillier
21. Judy Gibson Brumfield
22. Larry Gisi
23. Kathy Gossar McCormick
24. Christine Grey Davis
25. Ron Hagen
26. Dianne Ilgenfritz Brudney
27. Rick Johnston
28. John Kudravy
29. Tom Kunkle
30. Cheryl Lang Powell
31. Jay Lehman
32. Ellen Lewis
33. Peggy Loughner Fisher
34. Kathie Mason Bolton
35. Judy McCluskey Crookston
36. Jim McDonough
37. Alana Miltak Baranick
38. Paula Nuchols Carrera
39. Tom O'Brien
40. Becky Perich Zahn
41. Linda Pitlock O'Brien
42. David Reese
43. Becky Richard-Maley
44. Dave Robinson
45. Eileen Ruffner Baca
46. John Safran
47. Linda Shoop
48. Denise Thompson Matthews
49. Harold Troy
50. Artie Trunzo
51. Shirley Veazey Zito
52. Louis Junior Ventresco
53. Sam Viggiano
54. Mark Waibel
55. Marti Wilkinson
56. Jack Williams
57. Richard Wilson
58. Mark Wojton

And those are just the classmates who've made reservations so far. We're confident that other classmates will make their reservations soon.

Sam Viggiano will keep us updated on the status of the Saturday morning golf outing.

Alana Miltak Baranick (that would be me) will do the same for the Saturday and Sunday morning Breakfast Club.

Scroll down the page and read the Feb. 28, 2009, post for details on most of the weekend's activities.

Keep coming back to this blog for more info.

Birthday Celebration guest list

2009-03-16T14:23:00.004-04:00

Guessing who's coming to dinner at the Wooden Nickel in Monroeville on June 6 to celebrate the collective 60th birthday of the Gateway Class of 1967?

Or who expects to attend the June 5 get-together at D'Imperios?

Or the June 6 golf outing?

Or June 6 Breakfast Club?

If we all work together on this, we could have a better idea of who will, might or definitely won't attend our birthday bash.

Simply click the word "comments" at the end of this blog item and tell us what you can. Or click "comments" to find out what other Gators are saying about it.

If you are shy about making or have problems posting your comments, please write to me at: alana.miltak.baranick@gmail.com.

Thanks, Gators. I can't wait to see you in June!

Reasons to re-connect with classmates

2009-03-09T09:56:00.003-04:00

Members of the 1967 graduating class of Gateway Senior High School in Monroeville, Pa., have long wondered whatever happened to . . . insert name here.

Eileen Ruffner, remembered widely as one of the most memorable characters of our class, was one of those insert-name-here classmates.

Thanks to Internet technology, public records data bases and cooperation among classmates, our reunion committee managed to find Eileen, whose name has changed over the years.

The reunion committee mailed information about our upcoming 60th Birthday Celebration to Eileen, who now lives out West. Since then, ecstatic emails have been flying from and to Eileen, including some from Becky Richards, who lives in a neighboring city.

Eileen reported the following to Peggy Loughner Fisher and asked that it be posted on this blog:

Becky Richards-Maley and Eileen (Ruffner) Baca have lived ten miles from one another in Nevada for decades, and didn't know it! So we met for brunch yesterday at Big Ed's Alley.

The first thing out of Becky's eyes were tears--the first words out of her mouth were, "You look just like Stockard Channing!" Well, now. Could a woman be paid a higher compliment?

Becky still has the same crinkly blue eyes she had in high school, she's still one of the brightest bulbs in the box, and she's still hysterically funny.

"Brunch" turned into almost three hours of non-stop chatter. (Luckily, she knows "Big Ed," and he just kept refilling our cups and letting us take up space.)

Can't even begin to tell you what it meant to me to "re-connect" with someone from the Class of '67.

I've had emails from many of you this past week. They woke up so many memories. Please keep writing, y'all. It's been a hoot-and-a-half.

Best,
Eileen (Ruffner) Baca

Gateway Class of '67 is having a 60th Birthday Party

2009-02-28T23:14:00.018-05:00

Gateway High School Class of 1967's 60th Birthday Celebration Weekend will be held June 5-6, 2009.

The Class of '67 can't wait for 2012 to have another reunion. (That would be our 45th.) The class reunion committee has scheduled a 60th Birthday Blast for us for June 5-6, 2009.

Why a 60th birthday party? It's based on the fact that most of us will turn 60 during 2009.

But you can have turned 60 before 2009 or be one of our baby classmates, whose 60th birthday will be in early 2010. It doesn't matter. It's a celebration for all of us.

And it's such a massive celebration that it can't be contained in just a few hours. This will be a weekend event.

Here's the schedule:

FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2009. Informal get-together starts at 6 p.m. at D’Imperios, 3412 Wm. Penn Hwy, Monroeville, PA 15146. (Business Rte. 22 @ Penn Center, Wilkins Twp.; 412-823-4800.) Cash bar/Food may be purchased. Reservation needed for room set-up. (Read further for reservation information.)

SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2009. Golf outing. (I'm guessing this will be a morning event.) Contact Sam Viggiano directly for details if you are interested at 412-242-4335 or viggiano2@verizon.net.

SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2009. Breakfast Club. (Definitely a morning event.) While Sam and company go golfing Saturday morning, the Gators Breakfast Club will be in session. Contact Alana Miltak Baranick directly for details if you are interested at 440-865-2518, 216-862-2617, abaranick@msn.com or alana.miltak.baranick@gmail.com.

SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2009. 60th Birthday Party at Wooden Nickel, 4006 Berger Lane, Monroeville, PA 15146. (412-372-9750; Website: http://www.the-wooden-nickel.com/; Located across from Miracle Mile Shopping Center off Stroschein Road behind Petco.)

Music will be provided by our own ’67 Gator Tom Kunkle, master of the Golden Oldies.

Evening's activities: 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Social time/Cash Bar; 6:30-8:30 Buffet Dinner: $30.00 per person.

Make checks payable to Gateway Class of '67 and mail reservation by April 1, 2009, to Ellen Lewis, 9026 Hill Drive, North Huntingdon, PA 15642.

Here's the information Ellen will need:
Name of classmate and guest;
Mailing address, phone(s) and emails;
Number attending informal gathering on 6/5/2009 (No money in advance.);
Number attending birthday dinner on 6/6/2009 ($30 per person in advance.)

HOTELS:
A block of rooms is being held at The Courtyard by Marriott, 3962 William Penn Highway, Monroeville, PA 15146. (412-856-8680; walking distance from the Wooden Nickel.) Cost: $129.00. Hotel reservations should be made by May 5th to get the group price.

For the budget-minded, consider Extended StayAmerica Pittsburgh-Monroeville (now with Signature Suites), 3851 Northern Pike (on the north side of Rte. 22, relatively close to the Wooden Nickel), Monroeville, PA 15146. (412-856-8400.) Cost: $78.99-$98.99 (Each room has a kitchen.) http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/

Or select another of Monroeville's many hotels. Or stay with family!

Mark your calendars. Make your reservations.

Questions? Contact Peggy (Loughner) Fisher at (724) 458-8676 or send an e-mail to her at gators67@zoominternet.net

Gator hunting: Picking up the trail.

2009-02-07T17:30:00.010-05:00

Since the Gateway Senior High School Class of 1967's reunion committee started compiling a roster of classmates with contact information for our fabulous 40th Class Reunion of 2007, the list of "Missing" members has decreased significantly.

We can attribute this to a team of classmates using the power of the Internet, communicating with other '67 Gators and making phone calls.

Heck! We've even found the elusive Walt Adams!

On top of that, our roster has grown to include individuals who were longtime members of the class until moving away, dropping out or whatever by our senior year.

Yet we still have classmates whose whereabouts are unknown. Well, they're unknown to those of us who are trying to account for everyone - living or dead - on our class roster.

But maybe they're not unknown to you.

Or perhaps you have some morsel of information that can help us in our Gator-hunting quest.

Perhaps a missing Gator gal's name changed because she got married, entered a convent or became a Muslim.

The same sort of thing could happen to a Gator guy. In fact, it did in the case of Melvin Oliver whose faith change prompted a name change 30 years ago. Melvin is now Abdullah Mohammad.

If you know anything - including name changes, last known whereabouts, names of siblings or parents - about the following classmates who, as of this writing, have fallen off our radar, please leave a comment on this blog or contact us via email at alana.miltak.baranick@gmail.com or gators67@zoominternet.net. Here's a list of Gators we're still looking for:

Cecelia Howard

Milo Hunt

David Johnston

Janice Jones

Barbara Martin

Alan Silver

Anthony Stevens

Vicki Taylor

We have other classmates whom we believe we've found but whose addresses have not yet been confirmed. So we may come back to you with more names later.

If you hesitate to share information because you believe a classmate doesn't want to be informed of class activities or doesn't want the class as a whole to know how to reach him/her, we'll respect their privacy. We just want to know whether they're alive or dead and that they're okay.

Thanks for your help.

What ever happened to Walt Adams?

2008-12-21T13:16:00.002-05:00

Does anyone have any idea of the whereabouts of our classmate Walt Adams?

If you don't have his exact address, we'd be delighted to get any info that can help us in our quest to find every member of the Gateway Class of '67.

Have you seen Walt in the last 41 years? Where? What were the circumstances?

In what part of Monroeville did he live while in high school?

What were his parents' names? Did he live with someone other than his parents?

Did he have brothers or sisters? Do you recall their names?

Do you recall hearing about the deaths of any members of his immediate family? If so, perhaps we can find an obituary that would indicate whether Walt is alive or dead or where he might have been at that time.

I really did not know Walt in high school. I'm sure some of you could tell stories that you think all of us have already heard. Some of us have not heard them. Please share them. Those stories may offer clues as to where to search to find him.

You can leave a comment on this blog item or write to me at alana.miltak.baranick@gmail.com.

Thanks for your help.

Artie Trunzo's story about the Victory Bell

2008-09-23T17:28:00.007-04:00

Before you read Artie's story, check out this preliminary online report from Sept. 18, 2008, which Phil Harris shared: Conference rivals battle for Victory Bell.

What's missing from that report is the story of how the legendary Victory Bell made its way back to where it belonged. They say alumni helped save the Victory Bell tradition, but give no details.

Not surprisingly, Artie is one of those alumni.

Here's his story:

I still get my hair cut, what's left, at Frank's Barber Shop in Pitcairn. I always go there on Saturday. The same crew is there every week - - the older guys from Pitcairn High School.

I always heard talk about this Victory Bell. The Bell, which was kept on some sort of cart, was from a locomotive from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Pitcairn teams were called the "Railroaders."

The Bell Game was between Pitcairn High School and Trafford High. The last time they played, Pitcairn won and kept the Bell.

As we know, Pitcairn High became Gateway High, and the Bell was forgotten.

When they where cleaning out Pitcairn High, they were going to junk the Bell. A man by the name of Walker, who worked at the school, saw it in the junk pile and took it home. It remained at Mr. Walker's home for some time in his garage.

His wife was our kindergarten teacher. His son went to Thiel College and belonged to a fraternity. He took the Bell to Thiel.

During Thiel's football games, the pledges would run up and down the sidelines ringing the Bell when Thiel scored.

Pitcairn had its Centennial Celebration, and the High School Alumni wanted to bring the Bell back. But no one knew where it was.

During one of those Saturday haircuts, I was listening to them wishing to find the Bell. I told them the story I heard. They asked if I would help them.

I called Mrs. Walker's daughter. I got her number from Frank the Barber. She verified my Bell story, and gave me the Fraternity name.

I called the Fraternity, and they agreed to let the Alumni use the Bell for the Centennial. I agreed to return the Bell to them after the Centential Celebration.

The Alumni agreed. They sent a delegation to Thiel to return the prized Bell.

The Bell spent its life in the front yard of the Fraternity. Snow, rain, etc. The Alumni brought it back, cleaned it up and made a new cart for it.

This is without a doubt the most cherised artifact from Pitcairn High School.

As a Pitcairner, it was an honor for me to be involved with the High School Alumni. These were people who went to school with our mothers and fathers, uncles and aunts.

But even better, it was great to bring the Class of '67 into contact with them. They always asked if I graduated from Pitcairn High. I said, "No. Gateway Class of '67!"

They took the Bell back as promised. A few years later Rullo Vecchio, a former Pitcairn Council member and Democratic Chairman, made arrangements to bring the Bell back permanently.

If you go to the Gateway Gators Web site, there are pictures of the "Bell Game."

fyi: Gateway kept the Victory Bell, as the Gators defeated the Penn-Trafford Warriors 44-8. It was basically over at the half with the score 41-0.

Donald Powers, 1949-2007

2008-09-02T04:16:00.004-04:00

Donald Powers' tribute page has been posted on our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" Web site.

Click the link in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page. Then click Donald's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

The only photos from the yearbooks that I was sure were him were his class pictures. If you know of any other images of him from the Portavians or if you have any other pictures of him, please send copies to me. Instructions are at the end of his tribute page.

I haven't contacted his family yet. I took the obit info from the obit that was published in his local newspaper. It appears that he was married more than once, but I have nothing on that yet.

What can you add?

Alan Bennett, 1948-1996

2008-08-31T01:13:00.002-04:00

Alan Bennett's tribute page has been posted on our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" Web site.

Click the link in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page.

Then click Alan's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

Keep in mind that this is a work in progress. I'm hoping to get more snapshots of Alan and more biographical information to fill the page out more.

Please send along your comments and stories about Alan by adding them as comments on this blog item or by sending them to me. Instructions are at the bottom of his tribute page.

Thanks, Gators!

Rosemary Ciufo Brown, 1949-2006

2008-08-30T23:12:00.003-04:00

Rosemary Ciufo's tribute page has been posted on our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" Web site.

Click the link in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page.

Then click Rose's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

I wasn't able to identify her in any Portavian photos, other than class pictures. Please tell me if you know of any yearbook pictures in which Rose appears.

I'm waiting for her son to send some family photos to add to the page.

Please send along your comments and stories about Rose by adding them as comments on this blog item or by sending them to me. Instructions are at the bottom of her tribute page.

Our Gators are #3 in the country!

2008-08-26T11:28:00.003-04:00

Yes, fellow classmates, it's true. Go to the USA Today web site and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and check it out....

Go Gators !

Gary Zummo, 1949-1968

2008-08-22T21:53:00.005-04:00

Get your hankies ready. Gary Zummo's tribute page has been posted on our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" Web site.

Click the link in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page. Then click Gary's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

Doubly tragic, Gary's brother Vince (Gateway Class of '66) died in a helicopter crash in 1981. Details about his death are included on Gary's page.

Chuck Crosby, if you happen to read this, please stop and see Mrs. Zummo the next time you visit your sister. She regrets her reaction to you when she saw you shortly after Gary's death. It would mean a lot to her if you'd stop and say, "Hi."

Gators, please send along your comments and stories about Gary and Vince by adding them as comments on this blog item or by sending them to me. Instructions are at the bottom of Gary's tribute page. Other pictures would be nice too.

Patricia Frohn Balash, 1949-2004

2008-08-20T02:29:00.005-04:00

Patty Frohn's tribute page has been posted on our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" Web site.

Click the link in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page. Then click Pat's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

This time we lacked photos of Pat from the Portavian with the exception of her senior portrait (and underclass portraits that I didn't use). So I filled out the page with a couple of family photos provided by her daughter.

I was surprised to learn about Pat's taste in music. On her page, you'll find a link to a YouTube video of her favorite song. Be sure to check it out.

Please send along your comments and stories about Pat by adding them as comments on this blog item or by sending them to me. Instructions are at the bottom of her tribute page.

Janet Stamm Dal Lago, 1949-1996

2008-08-15T01:19:00.005-04:00

Janet Stamm's tribute page has been posted on our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" Web site.

Click the link in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page. Then click Janet's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

Please send along your comments and stories about Janet by adding them as comments on this blog item or by sending them to me. Instructions are at the bottom of her tribute page.

Notice the picture of Janet dancing with her date at the Coronation Ball. Who is that guy?

Jim Butler, 1949-2008

2008-08-11T01:37:00.003-04:00

Jim Butler's tribute page has been posted on our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" Web site.

Click the link in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page. Then click Jim's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

At this time, the page includes the obituary that ran in Jim's local newspaper, several yearbook pictues and a comment from Jay Lehman.

Please share your memories of Jim with us by adding a comment to this blog item or by sending it to me. We'll keep adding comments, information and photos - from classmates, family and friends - as we get them.

Thanks for your help.
Be good.
-Alana.

Keeping in touch

2008-08-10T20:18:00.002-04:00

OK I'm new at this, though I can email and do facebook with my grandchildren just fine! :) I don't have any info on anyone deceased, but I do want to keep up with news of our class. Had to miss the picnic due to a family event. I had the same conflict last year with the reunion. Anyway, I love technology that keeps us informed. God bless all,

Donna Kuhn Anderson in Virginia

I CAN EVEN DO THIS BLOGGING!!!

2008-08-04T20:54:00.000-04:00

HEY EVERYONE!!!
I CAN'T BELIEVE I CAN DO THIS BLOGGING OR BLOBBING!! BOY CAN YOU TELL I AM GETTING UP THERE...I THINK IT IS BLOG...OH WELL..I HAVE ARRIVED AND NOW I HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT!!
THANKS SO MUCH TO ALANA FOR ALL THE HARD WORK IN GETTING THIS WORKED OUT! I MUST ADMIT I HAVE NEVER EVEN BEEN IN A CHAT ROOM!!
IT LOOKS LIKE THE NYC TRIP MAY BE GETTING READY TO GO BUT WE DO HAVE SOME THINGS TO WORK OUT! WE WILL SEE IF IT WORKS OUT THIS YEAR!

SPECIAL WORDS TO RORY (MY SON) HE IS 1 DAY YOUNGER THAN ME!!
DEAR SON.....NINE MONTHS FROM THIS THURS AUG 7....I WILL BE THE BIG NUMBER AND YOU WILL BE NINE MONTHS FROM THIS FRIDAY AUG 8!! MISERY LOVES COMPANY!!! HA HA HA

I HOPE YOU ARE ALL SMILING!!! MAY YOU ALL HAVE YOUR HEARTS DESIRES!
HUGS TO ALL!
PEGGY (lOUGHNER) FISHER

Ron Stephenson, 1948-1971

2008-08-03T20:48:00.001-04:00

Ron Stephenson's tribute page has been posted on our "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" Web site.

It's the same deal as with Earl Bittner's page. Click the link in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page. Then click Ron's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

Again, credit goes to Bonnie Gardner Hillier for providing the newspaper clippings about Ron's death and the Portavians of 1967 and 1966 for the additional pictures.

Thanks to several of Ron's friends, including Artie Trunzo, Dottie Dinzeo, Bob Beck and Judy Gibson Brumfield, for verifying that the picture of Ron working on an art project is indeed Ron. And thanks to Kathie Mason Bolton and Phil Harris for echoing my belief that is Ron in the picture.

The information about Ron's name on the Vietnam Veterans Wall was found on a military Web site.

Please share your recollections and other thoughts and information by posting a comment at the end of this blog item or sending me an e-mail or letter. Ditto for photos, newspaper clips, etc. My contact info is at the bottom of Ron's page.

We can add your comments, stories and pictures to Ron's page. That's the wondrous thing about Internet publications. We're not stuck with what we print. We can revise things.

I more or less lived next door to Ron on Beechwood in high school. I couldn't see his house from mine because of all the woods between our lots.

Repeating what I wrote in the previous blog item about Earl Bittner, I'd love to add pictures and stories from all aspects of Ron's life, including school, military, church and family.

Are any of you in touch with Ron's family? We should let them know we're doing this.

Thanks for all your help.-Alana.

Earl Bittner, 1949-1972

2008-08-03T11:03:00.000-04:00

To see Earl Bittner's tribute page, click the link under "Gators: Gone but not forgotten" in the sidebar on the righthand side of this blog page. Then click Earl's name on the list of Deceased Classmates.

Bonnie Gardner Hillier provided a newspaper clipping about Earl's death. We also found two pictures of Earl from the 1967 Portavian.

But we've got lots of questions.

First of all, I don't know Earl's date of birth.

And I'm not sure about his date of death.

Tom Gallo recalled that Earl died on Mother's Day 1972, but I'm guessing at the date. There were no dates in the newspaper clip.

Also, Earl's middle name was listed as "Paul" in our yearbook. But it's "Patrick" in the newspaper story. Which is correct?

If Earl had died yesterday, his obit would probably have appeared on a local newspaper's Web site. We'd be able to leave our condolences, fond recollections and other thoughts and information in an online guestbook.

This blog item and Earl's tribute page allow us to do that now.

We can revise Earl's page as we collect more information and photographs.

Maybe you've got a picture of Earl playing with his brother, Al, and the kids from his Pitcairn neighborhood. I'd love to add pictures and stories from all aspects of his life, including school, military, church and family.

Are any of you in touch with Al or other members of Earl's family? Whatever happened to Marsha Dorfman?

You can post a comment on this blog or send comments, stories and photos to me via e-mail at Alana.Miltak.Baranick@gmail.com or by snail-mail at Alana Miltak Baranick, 6603 Northcliff Ave., Brooklyn, OH 44144.

Thanks for your help.
-Alana.

Deceased classmates

2008-08-03T10:53:00.000-04:00

Look at the sidebar to your right. Find "Gators: Gone but not forgotten." Under it is the link to our new Web pages dedicated to the memory of our classmates who are no longer with us.

This is a work in progress. I hope to add tribute pages for at least one of our departed classmates every week or two until we're caught up.

I'm depending on you and anyone who sees this site to help us fill in the blanks on departed Gators.

As you can see, I've started a page for Earl Bittner. Ron Stephenson is next on my list. I'll post a new blog item for each of our late classmates as their Web pages are unveiled. Earl's will appear in the next blog post.

Please don't wait for me to start a page. Go ahead and send us obits that you've saved or something special you want to share about our late classmates that will help us put their tribute page together.

Thanks for your help.

-Alana.

Picnic

2008-07-30T11:37:00.001-04:00

I attended the Class of 67 summer picnic last weekend. What a great time. The food and facilities were excellent. Sugar Camp in Pitcairn was a great venue for the event. The weather being near perfect just added to the day. I have come to know and learn about some classmates whose names I barely recognized from the yearbooks.
Peggy, Paula, Bonnie, Kathy, Marti and Diane do so much to make the events come off so well. Mike Cima also does so much work and puts such effort into these events, I'm just glad I went to high school with some many diligent, hard working but fun loving folks.

Fine feathered frenzy

2008-07-26T00:30:00.000-04:00

This story - Chickens run wild in Philly high school - is a few months old, but shows that feathered fowls are still being released in public schools. (For those of you who may not know, you can read the story by clicking the "Chickens run wild" title.)

Would you believe that members of the Gateway Class of '67 are still talking about the turkey-in-the-library prank?

Tim Billings recounted the event and its aftermath for Gators at the informal Friday-night picnic-eve gathering at the Rivertown Pourhouse in Monroeville. His description of the mess created by the crazed turkey is similar to the Philadelphia incident as described in this news video.

What do you remember about the turkey incident?

I originally asked that you please click "comment" at the end of this item and tell us all about it. But the comment button didn't appear. So leave your comments on the next post. Thanks.

-Alana

Pitt-Nickers

2008-07-22T22:29:00.000-04:00

So, who's going to the picnic Saturday?

I figure Peggy and Mike Cima will be there because they are the leaders of our pack.

I've heard directly from Janet George Knight. She'll be there.

I know I'm going.

That makes four classmates and probably a couple of spouses.

I've heard rumors about who else will be there. But it's all unofficial.

I won't feel satisfied until I see the list of attendees posted on the official Gateway Senior High School Class of 1967 Web site, until the alleged attendees come forward and add their names to this tiny list or until I see them with my own eyes on Saturday.

So let me ask again. Who will be at the picnic?

Let the blogging begin

2008-07-21T21:45:00.000-04:00

Greetings, Gators.

You should have received an e-mail from the blogger gods, inviting you to join our group blog. Follow the instructions and blog along with us.

It doesn't cost anything, and the technology is not difficult to master.

If you have any difficulties, please contact me. I'll be glad to walk you through it.

We intend for this blog to allow us to share new information and old memories. We hope we can use it to find our missing classmates.

In case you're new to this, somebody will post a new blog item with a headline. To respond to the blog posting and continue the discussion, click the "comment" line at the bottom of the item. Write your comment, save it and "publish" it.

Once you get the hang of it, there'll be no stopping you.