NEWSLETTER JULY 2025 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞 SUMMER REUNIONS

A Summer of Reunions
I am sorry to be so long between newsletters.  I have heard from a few who missed them and I promised to resume but I had to take a break because, frankly, the big push for the reunion past and life gets in the way.
 

Rich Kuester called me in back in April about it, noting that "It's already six months since the reunion" and I promised I'd get them going again but first I had to wrap up excursions and details for a cruise my Mom is planning (at 94!) to Italy followed by my own vacation planning for June, a 30 day - 30th Anniversary Road Trip that took Ron and I over 6711 miles from Florida, up the east coast to New England, Canada, Wisconsin and back again. It was incredible and if we are Facebook friends, all my pictures are there.

Along the way we experienced several reunions of our own.  We got to see family we haven't seen in forty or more years,  Ron's cousins in Maryland and Long Island and my cousins in St. Louis.

While on Long Island for Memorial Day weekend, I reached out for a pop-up reunion for all that could attend and on Tuesday, May 27th a few of us met at the Oakdale Brew House. 

 
Tuesday afternoon Pop-Up Reunion at Oakdale Brew House  L to R; Frank Gaccione, Frank Owad, Jamie Blackwood Burns, Jim Scandariato, Bob Clark and Barbara Lachick Dworkin.  Not pictured; Ron Burns and Paula Gaccione


It turned out to be a great spot to meet and we lingered for four hours when I got a text from Nancy Roman - Fay who was running really late.  I stayed behind with Ron and Jim to wait and so glad I did because I was able to but her in touch with Barbara and the two of them (they live very near each other) have already been to their own lunch.


Me and Nancy Roman at Oakdale Brew House

But it doesn't stop there!  On our way through Maine I reached out to Paul Salacain and he was able to meet me and Ron for lunch while we continued on our road trip to Bar Harbor, ME at a great spot, Stonewall Kitchen.  I LOVED this store and grabbed a 3-jar special of their preserves (after tasting everyone they had open) while I waited for Paul to arrive, only to come home and find out they are carrying this brand right here in Florida at Publix when I found a jar in Mom's fridge!


Ron & Jamie Burns & Paul Salacain

In Other News

Robert Ginsberg let us know that our classmate Neil Dohren passed in March this year.  Neil and Robert were best friends since Mrs. Becker's class in Wood Park Elementary.  That was my class too.  I wish I could find the class photo.  I have added his name to our remembrance page on our website. 

One of the things I wanted to do before this newsletter was add the 2024 Reunion video to our website and that is now uploaded along with the one from 2022.  I have a goal of getting pictures up from our other reunions but that is going to mean some more digging, scanning and movie making so don't hold your breath!

In the meantime, if you are interested in sharing stories about yourself, your life since high school, about memories of your childhood in Commack, your friendships with other classmates or whatever, I will share them in a newsletter.  You can't really expect me to run around the country doing Pop-up reunions for content can you?

If you don't come forward, I may have to call you!  Don't worry if you have writers block.  If you want to share, I am happy to talk and take notes and be your ghost writer.  

Finally, I will be on that cruise next month with Mom and my sisters - GIRLS TRIP!  Who knows what will happen but I do know you should not expect another newsletter until the leaves are changing again!

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