Obviously,
when I do pass on, any and all
updates to this site will cease. If
a newspaper obituary appears
anywhere, there is no way for anyone
but me to add it to the RCR site.
So, I wanted to share my thoughts on
RCR's influence on me personally as
well as some parting messages.
Hopefully, this hasn't happened
before my 100th birthday. :-)
Please know that I loved all of you in
RCR. A HUGE thanks to those who
provided positive feedback about
anything on this website and to those
that contributed to this website.
The
40-year reunion was the best and
I know the attendees would agree
that we owe a huge thanks to
Karen Facciola, Debbie Pugliese,
Joanne Rosato, Deb Nash, Judy
Morreale, and Mary Kay Swerediuk
for making it a success.
I'll never forget Bucky's happy
hour, meeting some of you for the
first time, the spontaneity,
the laughs, driving around
listening to Maroon-5, picking
veggies in the field, Susan
Spadafora's Mom's house, the
late night picnic table talks by
Bell Road School, Pixie Falls, the
dinner at Phil's sister
Anita's house, the Savoy,
the walks in the old neighborhood,
losing the pot and Patty
Barber finding it many hours
later, swimming (I can't even
remember where the pool was but it
was nice!), the bowling at King
Pin lanes, listening to
the custom 70's music
CD Karen Facciolo made
for us, Ernie
Moyer's singing
along to the
music, Saneen's
and Rick Nasci's pro
scores!, the Dennis
Revere Wine Bottles and
bowling shirts from Judi
Morreale,
. . .so much fun in 3 days!!!
It was a real privilege to know and
communicate with this group throughout
the years. We shared a lot of
memories, laughs, and at times,
sadness.
Hey, how about that Covid-19 nightmare
many decades ago, huh? That was
certainly a low point. Does anyone
still have their masks?
To my brother Phillip Parrish - heck,
we only saw each other in person twice
since 1972 - once in 1975 for a week,
and 1996 for a week. I love you and
wished we lived closer to each other.
Sometime in mid 2021, I lost the
desire to attend any events anywhere.
I didn't like driving anymore
especially in the dark. Concerts,
reunions, parties, and celebrating
holidays became a thing of the past. I
had never imagined this would happen.
I don't have a specific reason for
this. Some friends suggested seeing a
doctor. I reminded them about the
driving part. :-) I still felt
relatively healthy, just sort of
mentally drained. I found myself
rehearsing conversations that I know
I'd never have.
Not sure my wife Maria will ever see
this, but I loved her with every cell
of my being. Maria, her daughters
Airish and Maricriz, and her son Jawo
helped to make me feel like the
luckiest man on earth.
I LOVE YOU Maria! It was
forever. XXOO I love you so much!!!!
Krista, Steve and granddaughter Gracie
- you brought me such joy with
your music and the times we laughed
hysterically together throughout this
life on earth. I love you!!
Dr.
Phil Domenico and Gloria, you are
and always will be special to me.
Phil, who could have predicted the
re-connection decades after meeting
in 5th grade? This site would not
exist had we not met. Love ya man!
come
closer Corey - alas, we're together
again, my son!
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
-
If I can stop one heart from
breaking,
I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again -
I shall not live in vain
(Emily Dickinson)
Love seeketh not itself to
please,
Nor for itself hath any care;
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair
(William Blake)
fifty
[ fif-tee ]
noun,pluralfif·ties.
1.a cardinal
number, ten times five.
2. average I.Q. of a Donald Trump
supporter.
Donald
Trump is living proof that a con man doesn't
have to be smart if his victims are stupid
enough.
Below,
are all the emails that were sent
following the memorable 40 year reunion.
Aug 8 2010 - Joanne Rosato
WE DID IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYONE
SEEMED TO HAVE A GREAT
TIME>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I can't believe I am still
up........ Lord, help me sleep
past 7..........
xoxoxo -
Aug 8 2010 - Joanne Rosato
First thing, I should be sleeping
!!!!!!!!!! hope everyone had a
grand time.. I missed talking to
so many people....... I can't
thank all of you enough for making
the 40th our best yet... Yes, it's
hard work I quit too many
times to count!!!!!!! Then I see
the smiling faces of old friends
connecting and new friends in the
making...... That is why I enjoy
calling, talking to all of you....
The reunions are not about me.
It's all about you and the class
of 1970 !!!!!!!!!! God bless all
of you with good health, family
and much happiness........
Joanne
Aug 8 2010 - Debbie DiCaprio
Hi Dennis, Just wanted
to THANK YOU for all the hard work
you did to make this weekend so
great.
Bob and I had a wonderful
time. Very happy I got
to meet you. Take care and keep in
touch. Hugs, Debbie
Aug 8 2010 - Elizabeth Rocco
Hello to everyone that went to the
reunion. Many of you are
still there having brunch and
bowling. Hope you have a
great day. I just wanted to
say how great it was to see
everyone again. Deb Nash and Judi,
I looked for you to say goodbye
and couldn't find you.
:-( I had so much fun
dancing and with you.
Looking forward to our 50th!!!!!
E
PS- I'll be sending my pictures to
Dennis to post for us.
Aug 8 2010 - Denise DiSimone
A big thank -you to you , Karen
and Debbie Pugliese it was a
wonderful reunion and you did a
lot of work for this special
weekend. I think someone
told me that Peter Kunkel made
the music CDs for
everyone. If that is so,
thank -you Peter that was so
thoughtful and the music is fun
and uplifting.
I am so glad to have been able to
visit with so many classmates that
I haven't seen in years and
I think I even visited with some
that I didn't know back in the
day.
Denise
Aug 8 2010 - Mary Strange
Thank you, thank you, thank you to
the people involved in putting
this reunion together! I do
believe that Denise forgot to
include a very important person in
her email. Without the hard work
of Joanne in locating people
through phone calls, white pages,
Facebook, Classmates and whatever
other sources she used, many of
the attendees would not have been
there. I believe that everyone in
one way or another helped Joanne
and Karen, Dennis & Debbie
make this reunion the BEST
ever! I am so glad that I
chose to attend the Friday night
at Bucky’s, Saturday at 12 North
and Delta Lake Inn (enjoying the
wonderful talent of Vinnie
Espostio). What a great class-The
Class of 1970! Mary
Aug 9 2010 - Debbie Nash
E,
Yeah, we looked for you to say
good by but we thought you had
left. It was great seeing you,
made me feel like we were back in
6th grade! So much fun.
Naw, I think we should do a 45th!
Let's not wait another 10 years!!
PLEASE let's go every 5 now!! Love
to all. It was a great weekend,
reconnecting with everybody and
seeing everybody after all these
years. I totally got to establish
new friendships with those who I
didn't really hang out with back
then and it was amazing. Karen and
Deb H., love you two and remember,
we are going to do dinner and
comedy show at the casino and
other things....we have to keep in
touch and enjoy each other while
we can. Phil, so glad we buried
the verbal hatchett and got that
out of our systems! Gloria is a
great person, we missed her at
bowling. Rick and Terry, so happy
for the two of you and hope we can
do things together now that Rick
is back! That's awesome! Thanks
Rick for bringing a new friend
into my life.
It was tough saying goodbye to my
girl Saneen and Judi. It was a sad
day yesterday but so happy to see
them both and spend time with
them. I had the honor or hanging
with Judi for 3 days, day and
night and we had a blast and Jude,
I love ya!! Saneen, we will be in
touch. We have so much to catch up
on. Ernie, what can I say?? I LOVE
YOU! You're my peep. Elizabeth,
Val...love you both. Great to
connect with you guys too! Of
course my girl Dianne B. always!
So many to mention.
Okay everybody, I will close for
now. Love you all and like my
daughter says "The Class of 70
Rocks!" LOL!!
Aug 9 2010 - Ernie Moyer
Ditto and more kudos for the
ladies who made the sacrifice to
bring the reunion to fruition. I
would especially like to say thank
you to the "special group of
ladies" and express my
appreciation for your concern.
MUCH LOVE, "Ernie"
Aug 9 2010 - Valerie Catalano
Hi Everyone.......
I feel the same way as Deb - lets
do a 45th.......
I had so much fun seeing everyone
again........it feels like
"family"......
I love what your daughter says,
Deb.......(The Class of 70
Rocks!!!!) That is so true!!!!
Love you all, Val
Aug 9 2010 - Karen Facciolo
Joanne should work for the FBI or
the CIA. She never gave up until
she found some information on a
classmate. We would talk many
times a day and I was always shock
at who she found and what she had
to do to get it. Not a easy task!
Aug 9 2010 - Terri Ryan
I FEEL THE SAME WAY......
WHAT A GREAT TIME...... THE
WORD TIME IS KEY THOUGH.....
NOT ENOUGH OF IT
THE 70'S WERE GREAT
AND SO ARE ALL OF YOU
TAKE GOOD CARE AND WE WILL SEE YOU
SOON
LOVE,
TERRI
Aug 9 2010 - Vito Piemonte
Thanks to everyone who had a hand
into putting this reunion
together. Best one
yet. I got to see people
that I have not seen in
years. Friday night was
great also. Thanks to
whoever put the cd together
brought back some great
memories. Thanks again to
all.
Aug 9 2010 - Joanne Rosato
Karen did the cd with her son
!!!!!!!!!! she knew everyone
would love it... she also did the
decorations, memory board.. we are
glad all of you enjoyed it.... now
we have to figure out how to top
this one !!!!! thanks
to Mary Strange,Clarence Farrier
for finding people on base and
other people who told us where
people were.. maybe we can find
100 more next time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aug 9 2010 - Joanne Rosato
...seems like there is never
enough time.. We could have hung
out another hour there.. A lot of
us wanted to go see Vinnie
Esposito at Delta Lake Inn.. He
was so pleased to see so many of
his classmates came to hear him
sing !!!!!!!!!! God
bless all of you and thanks for
making our class reunion a big
success by coming!!!!! see
you in 2015.............
Joanne
Aug 9 2010 - Joanne Rosato
...let's not forget the one who
hung up on me or the brother in
Texas that put his answering
machine on after they told me to
call back !!!!!! LOL if
people only knew all these
stories........ The important
thing is seeing so many of you
having a good time. God willing I
will see you in five years..... As
Frank Sinatra sang, The Best is
Yet to Come !!!!!!!
xooxxoo Joanne
Aug 9 2010 - Angela Bonavita
I would like to echo all the
comments below. I had a
great time and I too made several
new acquaintances. I think
my mom knew more of my classmates
than I did. Still in Rome,
but heading back to the hot
weather in Texas
tomorrow. Looking
forward to the 45th also. Angela
Aug 9 2010 - Joanne Rosato
...it was wonderful seeing you
Ang. your Mom is a sweetie !!!!!!
keep in touch let's not
forget Dr. Phil for the fantastic
music. he put a lot of time and
thought into it .. I appreciate
all of his work. maybe he can dee
jay part time !!!
Aug 9 2010 - Valerie Catalano
Hi Everyone....
Yes.......thank you,
Phil.........the music was
GREAT!!!!!!! Everyone
enjoyed dancing and having a
blast!!!!! I never did get
to meet your wife.....next time I
will for sure.
Thanx again.....
- Val :-)
Aug 9 2010 - Valerie Catalano
Oh My Gosh........I am just
listening to the CD you gave to us
at the reunion......and, one of my
favorite songs of all times is on
there......It is track 6, La, La,
La, I love You!!!!!!!!! I've
been trying to find this song for
years!!! You have made my
whole year!!!!!!! Thank you,
thank you, thank you!!!!
Listening to this CD will remind
me of all of you every single
day!!!!!!!
Love you all,
Val :-)
Aug 9 2010 - Karen Facciolo
Hello,
I woke up today and I have no
voice, I know I had one before I
went to bed last night ! I am
convinced my family and other
friends have prayed for this
moment to happen. They all have
had to put up with me for months
talking about the reunion. I have
a tenacity to stone them all. But
at least I have the RCR
group.Thank the Lord, I can let my
fingers do the talking.!
Best reunion ever. I can't get
over what a good looking, young
group we all are.Thank you all for
coming. You ALL made it worth the
work. Now I won't know what to do
with myself. Let see, maybe I can
...cook and clean house and watch
TV and get some rest. BORING
I'll get a list together of all
that came to the reunion and ask
my side kick Dennis to please put
it up on our site.
Thanks, you made me so very, very
happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy
the CD!
Karen
Aug 9 2010 - Debbie Nash
No Karen, thank you and Joanne and
Deb for all your hard work. You
guys are awesome and I am sure we
can't thank you enough for all you
have done through the years to
bring this class together. Next
one will be even better. Can't
wait for 2015!
Aug 9 2010 - Phil Domenico
I want to personally thank you all
for making this a most memorable
reunion.
From Joanne to Karen, Dennis, Deb
H, Judi.
To all who participated, I bow to
you.
And, to all who showed up, thank
you.
Hope you had a good time.
I was so happy to see so many good
folks and old friends.
The awards were handed out to
those who did the most, and all of
us got that special CD from Karen.
A number of special gifts came to
me as well, and I thank you for
the love (Judi! Judi! Judi!).
I wore my "Dr. Phil 1970" bowling
shirt to King Pin Lanes on Sunday,
and had a blast.
Unfortunately, my bowling average
hasn't changed a pin in 40 years.
My bottle of "Dennis Revere" red
wine won't be opened until Dennis
comes to visit.
We're going to see his daughter
Krista play in NYC on August 21st.
A very special gift came to me
from Peter Gallichio.
On his 8th birthday in 1960, I
drew a birthday card for him.
The cartoon inside was very
primitive, and the words made
little sense.
But his mother held onto it for 50
years, and now it's a masterpiece.
Admittedly, there were moments at
Bucky's that were tough.
Deb Nash was as anxious as I to
get over our past and move forward
together.
Meanwhile, we mingled with the
same folks, danced side by side,
bowled, and shared an amazing
weekend.
Finally it was too much, and we
got a few hugs in there.
I think Joe M. said it right:
"Phil, you gotta know how to be
sincere with your apologies".
I also made peace with a few
others for things that happened
over a decade ago.
Don't know about you, but I'm beat
up from all this.
This deep emotional stuff is
draining...not to mention sore
muscles from bowling.
Dennis Parrish, Susan Spadafora,
Patty Barber, and myself were the
four Romanteers this weekend.
Gloria was with us much of the
time, but she's an early nighter.
When the dust settled each night,
there were the 4 of us.
We hiked Pixley Falls and the Pine
Bogs out on West Thomas.
We walked the old neighborhoods in
Far East Rome, including Riverdale
and Gansevoort Ave.
We visited Bucky Giardino at his
store and checked out his old
photos.
We banged on Laverne Turner's and
Cleo Valentine's door, trying to
stir things up, but neither
answered.
We walked through the Revere dump
and parking lot - our playing
grounds as kids.
We hung out at Susan's mother
house with Saneen and husband,
Foster and Susan's brothers.
We hung out at my sister Anita's
on Sunday after bowling, eating
great italian food, drinking red
wine and Mojitas.
Dennis opened his bottle of
"Dennis Revere" for the occasion.
It was dark by the time Glo and I
pulled away to drive home.
We were inseparable.
I wonder. Did everyone fall back
into their respective cliques,
even after all these years?
It kind of looked that way to me,
but I'm not an expert on who knows
who.
The guys I used to hang with are
either dead or MIA (though I saw
Dave Castor at Bucky's Friday
night).
That may have been fortunate in
one sense, cuz I got to hang with
new folks this time.
Let me tell you: Dennis is
hilarious...but not for Saneen's
ears.
Susan and Patty are real troopers,
and lovely people.
We just couldn't stop laughing all
weekend.
My only regret is that we didn't
hold the silent auction, or maybe
held it too silently.
We'll have to put our collective
heads together to do it right next
time.
Anybody want to be on the Giving
Committee?
Let's do it again in 5.
Much love,
Philly
Aug 11 2010 - Dennis Parrish
I’m still catching up with emails,
Phil. I’m missing everyone
and savoring the memories of the
weekend. Thanks for writing
this below and I look so forward
to seeing you and Gloria August 21
in the big apple. I wish all
of RCR could be there. It
was great hanging out and being
surrounded by four Ed
McMahons – you guys set me
up for much of my arsenal of one
liners!! Ha ha
Much love Dennis
Aug 9 2010 - Saneen Armstrong
Hello everyone. I just
walked into my door from the
airport.
I want to say THANK YOU to
everyone from the bottom of my
heart who played a part in this
reunion from Karen, Joanne, Deb,
Phil and Dennis for our beautiful
website and anyone else that had a
part in putting this event
together. I believe
connecting through the RCR group
really made us closer this weekend
before we even got there.
I had the best time of my
life. I laughed so hard all
weekend that my jaws hurt.
lol!!
Seriously though, I really love
you guys and I'm just not saying
that without truly meaning
it. I talked all the way
home to my husband about how much
I really love you guys and what
you all mean to me. I am
sitting hear crying as I am
writing this. You can make
friends when you are older but
there is nothing like the
childhood friends that you grew up
with. I just didn't know
that I would feel this deeply
after leaving you all. I
miss you all already.
Thank you, thank you and thank you
for memories that I will never
forget. AND THANK YOU FOR
COMING BOWLING WITH ME. I
HAD A BLAST!!!!! Rick you
are an awesome bowler and thanks
for the pointers.
Love to all of you. Talk to
you soon.
Saneen
Aug 9 2010 - Peter Kunkel
The credit for the music CDs does
not go to me but to Phil Domenico
I think. A labor of love. Thanks.
I did put the small slide show
together using materials stolen
from RCR website and the yearbook.
Anyone interested, I can
send you a copy of it that plays
on any DVD player and does not
require a computer or software. I
would like to hold off just a
little and see if I can't get some
photos from this reunion and add
them at the end Just send me your
address via email. Please, do give
me a little time as I have to make
copies one at a time.
It was wonderful to see you all
after forty years absence.
Aug 10 2010 - Debbie Nash
Amazingly written as usual Dr.
Phil.
Yes, I agree it was a very
emotional weekend. Saying goodbye
was hard, looking at all my
classmates and wondering why we
didn't connect like that in high
school...very emotionally
draining. When I went to work on
Monday I looked like I had been
out on a drunken binge the night
before. So tired and still am, but
I think more emotionally drained
than anything else.
I would be happy to organize the
silent auction for next reunion. I
am sure Judi would be my partner
in doing so. Judi is a special
person, as many of you learned
this past weekend. She's one in a
million. I was able to spend three
days with her, day and night, and
I could spend the rest of my life
with her...she's amazing.
As Phil said, we buried the
hatchett and vowed to never let it
happen again. For that I am
grateful. Life is too short and
everybody is worthy of love and
respect. I didn't get to talk to
Gloria alot, but she seems to be a
very friendly and fun person. It
was all good.
Karen, Joanne, and Deb H., I have
offered to be involved in the
planning and the work of
organizing the reunion. So once
again, let me say I am willing to
do whatever to help; just let me
know. Let's make the next one even
better girls, if that is possible!
Love to all!
Deb Nash
Aug 10 2010 - Joanne Rosato
when someone asked about the cd, I
said Karen and her son did it..
they recorded it all,. I failed to
mention that Deb Pugliese did the
labels with help from a friend and
all to put it together.... she
also did a lot of leg work for
gifts and stuff. She knew I wasn't
able to do it and helped Karen
with so much. So, a big thank you
to her and mea culpa !!!!!!!!
Aug 10 2010 - Dennis Parrish
This reunion weekend truly was and
will remain one of the most
memorable events of my life.
I knew before coming that it would
be fun, but had no idea just how
great a weekend it would be.
Since I never made it to RFA, I
loved seeing the people I knew
well from Staley, Columbus, and
Bell Road. But as an added bonus,
finally meeting up with so many of
you that I didn’t know or hang
with back in the day, was the
icing on the cake !! I did
not want the weekend to end.
My heart was warmed when you made
me an honorary graduate of RFA’s
1970 class. I heard someone
yell “speech” after Karen placed
the cap on, but I would not have
been able to speak without
breaking down. I was caught
by surprise with all that and
quite choked up.
I was thanked by so many of you
regarding the RCR website, but the
real legwork lies with Joanne and
Karen. What they did in
preparation and classmate finding
takes much more energy and effort
than me sitting still here editing
a website.
I was glad that so many of us
resorted to dancing at this
reunion, especially since I had
heard there was almost no dancing
at the 35 year. Many thanks
to Dr. Phil for keeping the vibe
and pulse going with the
music! Dancing keeps us
young !! It was an extra
treat to continue dancing to
Vinnie’s music at the Delta
Inn. And I must add that the
ride from 12 North to the Delta
Inn was most enjoyable with Karen
and Debbie. I could listen
to you both for hours! Maybe
you two could make a CD of
conversation for me….. I’d be
curious to play it in my car to
see if the windshield fogs up
again. ha ha
Bowling !!!! Wow, was that
fun or what ?!!! I had
planned on attending just to
watch, but I know that bowling
will need to become a permanent
part of any future RFA weekend,
thanks HUGE to Saneen !! I
can still hear you laughing dear!
I have to say too, that I was so
happy to hear and read that some
RCR people repaired their
relationships with each
other. We are family, yes we
are, and that is forever !!
I look forward to the 45 year
reunion and more graduates joining
RCR online. Keep spreading
the word!
I know it would be difficult for
the out-of-towners, but I really
believe a smaller scale annual
event is not only feasible, but
desirable. I’m talking about
something like a happy hour at
Bucky’s - nothing too
complicated, just a chance to get
together to laugh, reminisce, and
check out Karen’s heels. (smirk)
The date could be set way in
advance so people mark their
calendars, etc. I’m 5 hours
away from Rome, but I will
certainly be there.
I love you all !!! Thank you
for being part of my life !!
I have a lot of RCR email catching
up to do this week, and want to
thank some of you individually.
Dennis
Aug 10 2010 - Valerie Catalano
Good Morning, Everyone.....
And, Karen and Joanne and Phil and
Dennis and Debbie and EVERYONE who
made this reunion happen - THANK
YOU SO VERY MUCH...........Life is
good especially when you can spend
it with our 70's reunion
classmates........:-)
Karen - do you know if our group
picture is going to be in the
paper?????
Have a great day, everyone!!!!!!
- Val
Aug 10 2010 - Valerie Catalano
Hi Saneen and everyone,
again........
I know what you mean, Saneen,
because I'm getting teary-eyed
just reading your email.
It was a great surprise running
into you the morning you checked
out. Your husband seems like
such a nice guy........I'm so glad
that he was able to come, too....
Love to all,
Val
Aug 10 2010 - Chuck Halpin
What a great reunion! Thanks
to all who helped put this amazing
weekend in place. It was so
good to chat and discover what
many of you have been doing the
past 40 years. Hanging
around Bucky's on Friday night and
shooting the bull with so many old
friends was awesome. Deeply
saddened by the memorial.... Glad
to see so many from out of
town. I missed the mud
wrestling - does anyone have a
video of it they can post on our
site?
Aug 10 2010 - Debbie Pugliese
Dennis, It was wonderful
meeting you in person.
I knew you were a sincere and kind
man not only because you started
the RCR but by your written words
as well. It was only
confirmed when I was able to meet
you. It surely was a memorable
event. Getting the
group together on the website not
only rekindled relationships but
created new ones as
well. That's why when
we finally did get to connect with
old friends, it had more
meaning. I am so glad
that people feel the same about
keeping these friendships
active. At this point in our
lives we are all past the drama of
trying to impress our peers along
with seeing what we can accomplish
in our own life. 40
years is a long time and we
all have endured happiness along
with hardships. We can
identify and relate and to each
other. Most of all we
can be good listeners.
Top that off with laughter and we
have the world in our hands. Have
a wonderful week and thank you
again.
Debbie
Aug 10 2010 - Steve Miroy
It was good to see everybody
again. I'm not sure I can wait
until the 50th! I'll have to find
another excuse to visit Rome,
perhaps for no good reason at
all. Steve Miroy
Aug 10 2010 - Debbie Nash
Yes Steve, I could tell you were
having a good time and were very
happy to be there...we all were.
We're planning on a 45th. See you
then!
Aug 10 2010 - Jules LoRusso
Dear 1970 RFA grads, Just wanted
you all to know I had a blast at
the reunion. We are blessed
to have such a great class.
Look forward to keeping in touch,
and the next reunion.
Thanks also to our organizers who
made this all possible.
Cheers Jules LoRusso
Aug 10 2010 - Cindy Carmody
Thanks for all your help with the
reunion. The website is
awesome. I still live in
Rome... Cindy
Aug 11 2010 - Dennis Parrish
Thanks for that reminder Joanne.
Geez, I certainly neglected to
mention Debbie Pugliese and Judi
Morreale in my “thank you” email
earlier !! Judi is my
lifetime buddy and she used to
keep me in check when I was 12 and
getting in trouble back in the
day. Judi, you did so much
from a distance !! The
bowling shirts, and those Dennis
Revere wine bottles…… too much
!!! They’ll last until the
next reunion. I saw you
called me Monday night – I’ll call
you this week.
And Debbie, thank you so much for
your hard work too. The labels on
the CDs help make it a keepsake
that I’ll take to my grave.
Those labels were such a great
idea! I listened to the CD all the
way through repeatedly on my
5-hour drive home, loving it and
thinking of all of you!
Karen, the songs are great and
please thank your son as well for
his help.
And speaking of that CD, wasn’t it
awesome to have it blasting away
during the bowling?!!! Since
I was bowling on lane 12, I had
the extra pleasure of listening to
Ernie singing along with some of
the songs. Ernie, lemme tell
ya buddy…. If you lived near me,
you and I would venture in some
serious recording here. You
have a great voice that should be
shared!
Dog gone it, I miss you all……
still going through reunion
withdrawal…… missing Roman
accents……
Den
Aug 11 2010 - Debbie Nash
I know how you feel Dennis...I
miss everybody too. I have been
very emotional this past week and
still am. It will take some time
for that to fade...it was just so
nice seeing everybody and sad
knowing that you can't hang with
them on a regular basis. For me,
Saneen and Ernie and Judi who were
such important people in my life
back in the day. Elizabeth
too...she was my on and off again
best friend at DeWitt. It was just
so good and so sad all at the same
time. So, I know how you are
feeling Den. At least we have more
to look forward to, perhaps annual
get togethers for those who are
within driving distance and want
to hang out for a weekend. I know
we are all be so grateful that
Karen and Joanne have plugged
along all these years making it
possible for us to reconnect.
Definitely we owe alot you to
Dennis. I feel if not for the RCR
this reunion would not have been
such a memorable one. The RCR has
brought all together so that the
tireless efforts of Karen and
Joanne culminated in bringing
about the most attended reunion
ever. I personally am very
grateful.
Aug 11 2010 - Valerie Catalano
Good Morning, Everyone......
I feel the same way as you Dennis
and Debbie, (just as you write in
these emails)........it was a
wonderful weekend.....I'm just
sorry that I wasn't able to make
Bucky's or the bowling
alley........but, next time I will
be at everything....
And, Deb H. - YOU DID A FANTASTIC
JOB WITH THE PICTURES.....Thank
you so very much for being so
talented, too. You are a
very, very special
classmate/person. We all
appreciate all of the work that
you have done and getting the
pictures out so quickly. I
really enjoyed looking at them
first thing this morning getting
into work. And, say "hi" to
your husband, too. I'm so
glad I got to meet him.
And, Karen, I just love the
CD......that was such a good
idea......It will be with me
forever and forever........
I don't want to miss anyone who
helped out so much, so THANK YOU
EVERYONE!!!!!!!
Have a wonderful day! Miss
you..... - Val
Aug 11 2010 - Elizabeth Rocco
I just listened to the CD this
morning on my way into work.
I loved it! It brought back
so many memories. What ever
happened to great music???
Thank you to everyone that created
the CD. I was wondering who
did it. I told my husband
that he could listen to it after I
have heard it a few more
times. I know that he will
enjoy it too.
So many great moments at the
reunion. Everyone else
pretty much summed them all up,
but I have to agree with all the
feelings that were being shared in
that room and at Lake Delta.
I have been telling everyone what
a wonderful time that we all had
and I can't wait to do it
again. I think that mini
reunions in the interim are the
way to go. Let us all put
our heads together to keep the
group alive and think of some
activities that we can do
together.
I can't wait to print the group
photo. It is amazing Deb
that you were able to get everyone
to pose! You are a great
photographer!
See you all soon, I hope.
Aug 11 2010 - Saneen Armstrong
Dennis, I had so much fun this
weekend. I really didn't
want it to end. I was very
emotional when I was coming
home. I love you guys.
I can't wait for 5 years to come
again. Thank you so much for
coming bowling with me. I
had a blast. I feel like we
all connected in a very real way.
Thank you again for forming this
website. It truly was the
beginning of pulling us together.
Yes, I remember this email and Deb
and I did connect and then we lost
each other again, but never
again. Saneen
Aug 11 2010 - Saneen Armstrong
Again I want to thank
everyone. The reunion, the
website, the bowling shirts, the
pictures, the cd and I could just
go on and on. I don't know if
everyone received my first email
the night I got home because it
was late and my computer was
acting up, but I had such a
blast. I can't wait for the
next 5 years. Seeing Deb
Nash, Susan, Joanie, Judi,
Ernie....... I could go on
and on. It was so special to
me, beyond words.
I LOVE YOU GUYS!! I MISS YOU
GUYS!!!
Saneen
Aug 11 2010 - Elizabeth Rocco
I have just finished reading all
of the e-mails describing the
weekend. It sounds like
there were a lot of fun things
going on. I hope that the
next time I will be able to
participate in more of the
activities.
I wondered about what Phil said as
well, regarding the cliques.
I don't know if I noticed that as
much as I did in school. I
suppose that people naturally
gravitate toward the people that
they have a history with. It
was nice to actually meet people
for the first time after 40
years. The RCR definitely
contributed to forming new
relationships.
I wanted to ask Karen and Joanne
about the donation to
Hospice. I don't know if I
missed something but did we
collect donations for the
charity? I thought we were
going to sell 50/50 raffle
tickets. Just curious.
Also, for the people that made the
baskets, I am sure that everyone
was disappointed that nothing came
of it. I think it was an
example of how information can be
miscommunicated via e-mail.
Initially, when the basket idea
was brought up, I volunteered to
keep a list of names of people who
wanted to donate one and then
forward it on to Joanne and
Karen. I believed that was
my part in it and it ended
there. If there was supposed
to be more to it, I apologize that
I was not aware of it. I
hope that the baskets that were
made went to a worthy cause.
Everyone did a beautiful job on
them. The next time we will
plan better in that regard.
Dennis mentioned the
dancing. I personally love
to dance and had so much fun on
the dance floor. The
opportunity to dance doesn't
present itself often enough,
except with my grandsons to some
good old Farmer In The Dell or
Hokey Pokey! :-)
I think we will continue to have
reunion conversations as memories
keep popping into our heads.
It was a great night!
E
Aug 12 2010 - Rick Nasci
Hi Gang!
I’ve read through all the comments
on the weekend and it’s obvious
that everything was a smashing
success. I thoroughly enjoyed
myself, talked to so many people
but realized I missed talking to
many others. I guess there’s only
so much ground you can cover in
that short of a time. I saw people
I didn’t expect to see. And I did
not notice and clique stuff going
on. I think it’s more a function
of running into someone and
talking to them at length until
someone taps you on the shoulder
and you start again. That’s how it
went for me and I cherished every
minute I got to spend talking to
people. Everyone was wonderful.
It’s amazing what a little thought
association can do to carry a
conversation along. The memories
just flood back and now we are
making new memories. I am so happy
to be moving back and will be able
to see more of you so much easier
and more often. We all have many
friends from “the day” but they
would be close for a period
(grammar school. Jr high, hi
school) and then you wouldn’t have
contact with them. We all moved
through friends as we grew and our
interests realigned. To see the
grammar school pals, the jr high
pals, and the hs pals…it all
brought back different memories of
different ages and it was amazing
to re-fire the brain cells from
different periods of our lives.
I’m sure you all felt the same
when you met up with different
people.
And a BIG thank you to Joanne,
Karen, All The Debs, Phil, Dennis,
et al, sorry if I left anyone out.
You all toiled hard on all this
and it really showed, thank you
for putting in the time and caring
so that it would be just as good
as it could have been.
Sorry I missed Bucky’s but Mom’s
86th birthday kind of trumped that
one for me, as I always say,
timing is everything but I
certainly couldn’t/wouldn’t pass
up a chance to celebrate dear Mom!
I’m sure you all understand that.
Now if I can just find out who
butt-dialed my cell about 10 times
that night from Bucky’s!
Bowling was great, we all had fun.
Saneen is as athletic as ever and
a very good bowler. And a great
student! It was a lot of fun. The
laughter was infectious, the hugs
sincere, the remembrance of the
past…priceless.
So every one gets back to their
lives but I think some good
contacts were made for the future
for people to get together before
5 years pass again.
For me, I’ll be balls-to-the-wall
busy getting ready to move. My
house closes on 8/23 and I’ll be
there briefly for that and then
expect to be in-residence sometime
mid-September.
Take care everyone!
Rick
Aug 13 2010 - JoAnn Dandino
Hello All!
First a big thank you to everyone
that made last weekend so
memorable. It is a time I will not
soon forget.
Second, just last week at this
time we were at Buckey's acting
and feeling 18 again. As I was
driving home from work this
evening I was feeling every bit
the 58 years that I am!! What is
wrong with this picture?? I'm
thinking I need more Buckey times!
It was a 9 hour drive from
Virginia to New York, but it was
worth every second in that car!! I
am so glad I am a member of the
RFA class of 1970!!
Love to all.
JoAnn
Aug 13 2010 - Debbie Nash
Awww, so sweet JoAnn! I know, who
quickly it went by. I just got up
from a nap...I haven't caught up
on my rest since last weekend.
LOL! Judi and I were up at 6 and
to bed each night at like 1 or
2...so I don't know about her, but
I'm still tired! LOL! It was such
a great time
Aug 13 2010 - Robert Cianfrocco
Thanks Dennis for all your hard
work. We shouldn't wait another 10
years to get together.
Regards,
Bob
Aug 14 2010 - Susan Spadafora
I just returned to Minnesota this
afternoon and am trying to get
through all of the emails.....what
a fabulous time we all had and I
will never forget it. Thank
you to all that made it
happen...you did such a great
job....it's all emotionally
overwhelming at the moment and
will take a few days to adjust to
the re-entry to reality.
I'll be sending Dennis the
pictures from my camera.
xxoo Susan
Aug 15 2010 - Joan Serino
HI Dennis,
Thank you and I am glad to be
apart of it. I am in Rome, NY and
also can be found in the RFA
yearbook. Just listened to my CD -
very cool. As far as
the reunion - beautiful
girls and handsome
men-bittersweet- sweet hellos and
bitter to have it end so
soon. I think the idea of
sharing a 40 + years of life
story makes for a novel or epic
length narative unless you have a
specific moment in time. But
a short bio on people might be a
nice option to do for future
gatherings - and/or open mike for
shout outs. Anyway love to all,
Joan Serino
fifty
[ fif-tee ]
noun,pluralfif·ties.
1.
fifty - a
cardinal number, ten times
five.
2.fifty
- Average I.Q. of a Donald
Trump supporter
I'm grateful I had arms.
to Thomas Matthew Cooke - thanks
for trying.
Republican mail-in ballots come
with a mirror so they can reflect
on what assholes they've become.
