A Video From Michael Basconcillo

Michael asked me to post this video from the reunion. Click this link to view it.

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/b8e779136779b9143f19abfd35ff3149/video/6278250

Enjoy! Thanks Michael!

A Call for Photos

If you were at the reunion and happened to take photos there, we would like to have digital copies of them by September 30th. You may send a DVD to Dawn Lucrisia-Johnson. Just email her at dawnlucrisia@comcast.net to get her address.

Thanks.

Oh What Fun!

The CHS 30 year reunion was a success. A good time was had by all. We spent the night laughing, talking, hugging and reacquainting ourselves. There were old photos from elementary school and Kevin McCormick even brought a 2nd grade photo that had 8 of us in it. Boy were we little cuties!

Darcy (Aalbers) Almeida and Michael Basconcillo were shooting the breeze in this photo. Charles Nance and Scott Hagan were next to them, but so engrossed in conversation that they didn't even pay attention to me. I guess we know who the hams of the class are.

Betty (Stillmaker) Chinn was snapping away. I wonder if her finger is tired? Betty was my elementary school friend and her mother was the leader of our Brownie group.

Roxanne, another childhood friend, was pointing to her lipstick that was part of the make-up line she distributes. It lasted all night...and the sample strokes are still on my hand from the picnic on Sunday. She looks fabulous, but my hand...well that's a different story.

Marie O'Neal and Keri (Robinson) Elleby. These two are like two peas in a pod. I don't know if you can ever get them apart. It's great to see lasting friendships such as these. We have always managed to have fun together.

Phyllis Ames, Milo Lambie and Teri Hunter were having a good time. Phyllis recently returned to Seattle from St. Louis, Teri stayed local and Milo is in DC now. Being on the east coast, his Queens, NY accent has returned and is thicker than ever (evah). He is one of the only people I know that really pronounces my name right. In 1980 on my visit to see Jill Hashimoto in NY when she was in college, Milo and I hit the town, stayed up all night dancing at the Electric Circus and went to Blimpies immediately after for sub sandwiches. It was a New York moment for sure. Then it was back on the train to "Bronxville, Bronxville". Oh the sweet memories!

Danny Ma and I used to dance up a storm together. I am so glad that something I said to him tugged at his heart and persuaded him to come at the last minute. The last time I saw him was at my wedding six years ago. I used to cut his whole family's hair. He contributed the wonderful post before this one and he was so awesome that he got fellow classmates to jot down some of their thoughts on the reunion. He will share them with us later.

It is important that while we are still reeling from the success of the reunion that we start thinking about the next one. We want to drum up some more help for that one. Linda Nichols said she had some ideas and maybe she'll want to be part of planning the next one. Anyone else who is interested, please say "I"!

To all of you that didn't come because you had other obligations, health situations, financial responsibilities, we missed you! For those of you that didn't want anything to do with it or couldn't find a single good reason why you should go, we missed you too! Our attitudes remained positive from beginning to end and we were hopeful that others would join us at the last minute and they did. We stepped out and came together, even some of the most apprehensive, and we had a great time. Here's to the next one! Start saving some money now.

We are progressing in our lives and no one knows what tomorrow brings. As we grow older, we will begin to lose our classmates. We have already lost Eric Waters, Karen Miller, Johnny Nelson and Mark Manolides, not to mention the spouses of some of our classmates. It is my desire to help us to keep building and rekindling relationships. It does a heart good.

A Post from Danny Ma - Thank you Danny!

Last minute yes!

We, the CHS class of ’79, are a group of people that shared a history. We traveled through life surviving high school and beyond: singleness, weddings, kids, funerals, divorces and illnesses. We traveled through life with joy, laughter and even tears, and these experiences over the past 30 years have changed us; it is just a matter of in what capacity and the severity each of us have changed. Where on the change spectrum are all of us on?

Natural physical changes: gaining weight, graying/losing hair and other bodily changes.

Spiritual changes: which religion, if any, and how devout.

Learning changes: degrees and/or life experiences gained.

Familial changes: single, partnered/married, separated, divorced, single again, remarried,…

Generational changes: lost grandparents or parents, became parents or grandparents…

Employment changes: retired, still working, still looking for work, underemployed, employed by company, self-employed, working from home,…

Gains/losses: jewelry, cars, boats, real estate, 401k became 201k, net worth portfolio...

Midlife crisis: not there yet, entering one, lost in one, exiting one, been there and done that…

Most importantly: we each have loved and have been loved.

We, the CHS class of ’79, have lived approximately half of our lifetime. 30 years ago, we had dreams and ambitions to impact the world. Let us socialize together for one evening to encourage and be encouraged to rekindle the same, or form new ones for the decades yet to come.

I was “on the fence” about attending the 30 year reunion. There are valid reasons not to attend, but one of the lessons I try to teach our boys at home: choose a loving response then act out that loving response, in short, choose love and resonate love. It is part of our family mission statement. So in that spirit of thought, I choose to attend the reunion, and would like to know how life has changed each of you and your plans for the future! Hope to see you there!J

Danny Ma

Do You Know Where These Classmates Are?

We don't seem to have any information on these classmates. If you know where they are, can you give us a shout at chs79.30yr@gmail.com or let them know we're looking for them. Thanks.

Wing Keung Cheung
Lourdes Franada/Leano
Linda Green/Kilekas
Ly Vang
Lilly Ng
Chau Nguyen
Patricia Spears
Mark Tibbs
Vincent Wong
Cynthia Wong
Katrina Hunter
Susan Chin
Jackie Olmstead
Jeanette Mitchell
Montgomery Paul Nickell
Frank Fernandes
Joanne Lam
Terrance Maes

We Have Spirit Yes We Do! We Have Spirit, How About YOU?

We hope the CHS Class of 1979 show's their spirit by coming to the reunion. I know, sometimes we dread things that we think will be a drag, when they aren't a even a drag at all. Okay, the 10 year reunion wasn't very good at all, but the 20 year was a blast. It was fun to see everyone and just talk and laugh. Let's make the 30 year the same if not better! We'll see you there!

Cleveland High School 1979 30 Year Reunion
Sept 12, 2009

6pm-10pm
Safeco Field, First Base Terrace Club
$79.00 per person includes dinner
Adults only.

By now you should have received your invitations and are hopefully stuffing your RSVP and check back in the envelope right now. The RSVP's are starting to roll in and that's exciting.

If you haven't received your invite, please email chs79.30yr@gmail.com and give us your current address so we can send it out to you.

That was then....this is now! Photo Submission Deadline Extended to August 30th

Jesse Marinoff Reyes was kind enough to send us some photos. He is unable to make it to the reunion, but he will be there in spirit. He resides in Brooklyn, New York with the two loves of his life, his wife Amy and beautiful daughter Melina. Melina is so adorable she almost makes me want to have more children (NOT!).

As you may remember, Jesse was a very talented artist. After discovering that the UW design program was a bit lack luster, he bolted for a more humble, but respected commercial art program at SCCC, graduating in 1983. He decided to New York City in 1989 to join former Rocket art director Robert Newman at the rock magazine, Guitar World, succeeding him as design director shortly thereafter. Reyes was later co-editor of Harris Comics, art director of Slant magazine for Urban Outfitters, and design director of The Village Voice alternative newspaper. He has also been a consulting designer for the magazines Entertainment Weekly, Details, POV, Vibe, and No Depression (the alternative-country music magazine). In the mid-90s, Reyes transitioned to book publishing and was an associate art director at Penguin Books (his cover designs have graced a variety of subjects: the work of literary figures like Jack Kerouac, Jorge Luis Borges, Iris Murdoch, and John Mortimer; biographies ranging from historic figures like Michael Collins, Crazy Horse, and Thomas Paine, to cultural and sports figures like John Coltrane, Ethel Merman, Yogi Berra, Joe Namath, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Gale Sayers; as well as books as diverse as a punk-rock memoir, The Crusades, both world wars, Richard Nixon's presidency, and a history of the horror movie).

Reyes is one of a select few new American designers included in the 1994 edition of the Who's Who in Graphic Design, an international, juried review of leading design professionals, as well as having his work featured in many other books and design publications, and has won numerous industry awards. In 2000, Reyes authored a design survey book, "Next: The New Generation in Graphic Design."

In 2006, Reyes married his long-time girlfriend, the former Amy Bowman, who is production manager for Random House Children's Books. In 2007, Amy gave birth to their daughter Melina Dolores Consuela Reyes. Reyes now freelances from home in Brooklyn, and spends a lot of time watching Melina grow up. Jesse states, "The economy may be DOA, but even in these dark times the clouds do have a silver lining or two. For me, my little girl is the rainbow after the storm."

Picnic Update - Volunteers Needed

CHS Class of 1979 30 Year Reunion Picnic
Date: Sunday, September 13, 2009
Time: 12pm-4pm (Park is reserved from 10am-10pm)
Location: Lincoln Park Shelter #2, 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW, Seattle, WA
Invitation Extended To Grads and Families: CHS Class of 79, FHS Class of 79

The picnic is a potluck event. You, your families and FHS Class of 1979 Grads are invited. The committee will supply hamburgers, hot dogs, buns, soft beverages, condiments, paper goods and plastic utensils.

If any of you are connected to a resource that can provide any of these items at a discount or free, please notify me at dawnlucrisia@comcast.net or call me at 206.915.5095. We aint to proud to beg. :) We will gladly accept monetary donations toward picnic costs as well.

We are not obtaining an alcohol license and alcholic beverages are not permitted on the grounds without one.

NOTE: If you have sacks for races, tug-of-war ropes, croquet, horseshoes or other outside games that you're willing to bring, please let me know.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING:
Setup
Clean Up
Grill Masters (For Hamburgers and Hotdogs)
Condiment Table
Game Organizer (sack races, tug-of-war, etc.)

The more help we can get the better.

Dawn
206.915.5095

Picnic Information - Joint CHS/FHS Class of 1979 Picnic

We have secured our picnic site at Lincoln Park - Shelter Number 2. A map will be emailed to you. At our next reunion meeting on 8/16 we will establish a start and finish time and will get that information out to you as well.

We look forward to seeing you and your families, as well as the Franklin Class of 1979.

PICNIC VOLUNTEERS

We will need volunteers that day for putting up signs, etc. so if you're interested, just holler back via email to chs79.30yr@gmail.com and enter PICNIC VOLUNTEER in the subject line.

Sending Payments for the Reunion

There have been a few inquiries as to where to send your reunion payments. Thanks for asking. Your invitation will have the information available for you to RSVP and send payments to. It's good to know we have some people that are going to be attending.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Please Send Your Photos

We are collecting digital images from the Class of 1979. Here's what we need:

• Old Senior Photo (or we'll use the annual photo)
• Current Photo
• Photos of you with your family, pets, doing something fun or whatever.
• If you have any old high school photos of yourself or your classmates please send those too.

Please make sure the photos are clear enough to see. No photos over 1mb. Please email photos to dawnlucrisia@comcast.net by August 15, 2009 with the subject line HIGH SCHOOL PHOTOS. If you cannot scan them for one reason or another, just contact me and we'll see how we can help you. Thanks!

Come as You Are, Yeah I'm Talking to YOU!

Many classmates allow themselves to miss out on a very special time because they aren't quite like they were in high school. Listen, I have gained weight since I met my husband, but I will still be there. There'll just be a little more of me to chit chat with.

Don't let your pride and ego stop you. Everyone has insecurities. What's important to us is that you're there. Whether you're overweight or skinny, bald or gray, fully abled or disabled, married or unmarried, gay or straight, have children or are childless, are a stay at home mom or stay at home dad, employed or unemployed, we still care about you and want you to share in this time.

What I learned from the 20th reunion was that everyone wasn't so interested in what I was doing as they were just glad to see me. I really enjoyed myself that evening and I think that we are fully capable of having another great evening just like that one, but we can't if any of the reasons listed above stop you from coming.

If you're still here on this earth, it's a blessing. As we get older, we find out just how precious life is. With each little ache and pain we get a reminder of how lucky we are to have lived to see this day. I can see beyond your physical appearance, the type of car you drive, whether you're a decorated general in the army, a business owner, a homeowner, a home maker, rich or poor. That is not at all what I'm interested in. What I want to see is you! Alive and with us. I'm capable of pulling back the layers and talking to you and I'm sure everyone else is too.

Because I write this blog on behalf of the CHS committee, this is my personal message to you. I really want to see you there.

Dawn Lucrisia-Johnson

Would You Like to Help?

The CHS reunion committee is very small and the reunion will be nice but simple. Based on the 20 year reunion, the committee felt that most attendees would be spending the majority of the time catching up with one another and we wanted to have minimal interruption to that since we only have 4 hours. This reunion is for all of us, so your input and assistance is important.

If you have ideas on what your ideal reunion would be like, please feel free to send your suggestions to CHS79.30yr@gmail.com. We'd love to hear your ideas and welcome anyone who would like to assist to let us know. Since we are holding it at a venue that is adequately staffed, we won't have to worry about set up or break down, but there will be a few details that we may be able to use your help with. If you'd like to attend the next reunion meeting, join us on August 16, 2009 at SAFECO Field at 6pm. Just let us know you're coming and we'll tell you where to meet.

We Need Your Assistance Finding Our Fallen Eagles

As part of the reunion, we would like to recognize and honor our "Fallen Eagles", both classmates and faculty members who have passed away. We know of the passing of our classmates Eric Waters, Johnny Nelson and most recently, Karen Miller along with faculty members Mr. Morrison and Mr. Smith, but if you have any other information that you can provide us on others we may not be aware of please send an email with the subject line "FALLEN EAGLES" to chs79.30yr@gmail.com. Our classmate Thomas Smith has stepped up to the plate and will be handling this part of the reunion and we will make sure he receives the information.

Since Karen Miller's passing was so recent, I thought I would share her obituary with all of you as posted in the Kitsap newspaper. To the many of us who knew and loved Karen dearly, there is no doubt we will miss her very much.

Karen Ann Doph of Port Orchard

Dec. 10, 1960 to April 20, 2009

Karen Doph passed away peacefully on Monday, April 20, 2009 in Bremerton. Her husband Steve surrounded her in love along with her family and friends through a prolonged illness.

Karen was born in Seattle to LaVerne (Pinky) and Joan Miller. After attending University of Washington, Karen spent 21 years working at Todd Pacific Shipyard. Karen's work in accounting was honored with recognition from the Department of the U.S. Navy. Together, Karen and Steve enjoyed trips to the Oregon Coast and Vancouver Island where they put their cameras to good use!

During her illness Karen watched many varieties of birds feed on the feeders Steve placed outside her windows. She used her laptop as a fun tool to do research and show friends precious photos of children, grandchildren, family trips, her cat and Bailey her dog.

Karen is survived by her husband Steve Doph of Port Orchard; her mother Joan Miller of Orcas Island; her brother Mark (LeJaun) Miller of Federal Way; her children Andrew Doph of Bangor, ME.; Nicholas (Pam) Doph of Sequim; Stephanie (Andy) Hines of Sequim; three grandchildren: Ashley Doph, Elliot Doph, and Jackson Hines; as well as two nephews: Glenn and Mathew Miller. Karen is preceded in death by her father, LaVerne (Pinky) Miller.

A Celebration of Karen's life was held on Saturday May 2nd, at Christ the Rock Community Church, 4100 Old Clifton Road SE, Port Orchard WA 98366.

Save-the-Date Cards Have Been Sent

Save-the-Date cards were mailed out to the 1979 graduates last week. Many of you have received them, but she did get some sent back to her as well. I'm posting the names of those whose cards were returned. If you spotted your name on the list, it means we don't have a current address for you. If you're still in contact with anyone on this list, please ask them to forward their mailing address to the email listed in the heading of this blog.

RECEIVED RETURNED CARD
Chau Nguyen
Darren Nakagawa
Jeanette Mitchell
Jeff MiyamotoKatrina Hunter

Kenji Sawada
Lilly Ng
Lourdes Franada Leano

Madeline Duntley
Marissa Escalona Polintan
Marlene Kimmons Torres
Naw Lily Khin

Nick Patterson
Tae Chin Yun
Terrence Maes
Tim Stanford
Tom Nakashima
Fred Furukawa
Wanda Ma
Wing Keung Cheung

The list below are of those that I know I have had contact with, received updates on, but for some reason the information wasn't transferred to the master list. Sorry! We'll reach out to you again, either by sending a new card or by email.

Anne Smith
Eddie Dela Cruz
Kevin McCormick
Rose Naomi Olds

Stephanie Hartfield

What the heck is going on with the reunion anyway?

Many of you have expressed your concerns and have been anxiously awaiting news on the CHS 30 Year Reunion. Be assured the committee has been actively working on planning your event.

The CHS Class of 1979 30 Year Reunion has been scheduled for Saturday, September 12, 2009 at Safeco Field from 6pm-10pm. The cost is $79.00 per person. Dinner is included and parking is complimentary. Adults only please!

Originally, Cleveland High School was the targeted location, but there are so many more intricate details involved when hosting events within the Seattle Public Schools. In order to keep the event in one place and make it simple, we made a decision to relocate.

To help with the communications aspect, going forward, this blog will be used as an easy way to disseminate information to the Class of 1979. Your assistance in spreading the word will also be greatly appreciated. We need all of the help we can get locating some of our lost classmates, so if you have classmates that you're still in contact with, tell them about the blog and ask them whether they've forwarded their contact info to anyone. If not, please have them send the following information (Name, Email Address, Mailing Address, Phone Number) to chs79.30yr@gmail.com.

Save the date and bookmark the blog to your favorites so you can check in for updates. We'll see you in September!