•

9/17/2022    50 + 1 LOHS Class of 1971 Reunion Night                                           Speech by Barry Foster

[Several people have asked that the speech given on the night of the reunion be printed since it was so hard to hear.  The acoustics were not great, my voice was already gone and it was unreasonable to try to insert a speech into the happy reunion of old friends who hadn't seen one another is such a long time.]

Hello Everyone.  In case you don't recognize me, my name is Barry Foster.  In high school, I was much shorter; I had brown hair; and I was much younger.  I'm the one that has been sending you all those irritating e-mails over the past several months.  Sorry about that.  I am not a natural public speaker so I'm going to be reading these remarks rather than going off-the-cuff:  there you have it.  Bear with me, this should be five minutes max.  Go!

Welcome to our 50+1 reunion!  I guess that means that fifty-one years have gone by since we graduated from high school.  Dang, that is so hard to believe.  I've heard people talk about arriving at their 50th reunions and joke about coming into a room of old people and feeling like they must be in the wrong room: they can't be in the right place.  We may not look like the person who's pictured on the name tags hanging around our necks and if you're like me, you might occasionally be startled by who looks back at you in the mirror in the morning, but I gotta tell you as I look out at you all:  you all look like a million bucks.  

Thanks to you who traveled huge distances to get here:  Hawaii, Mexico, the East Coast and everywhere in between.  Thanks so much for making such a great effort.  Thanks to all of you who have come short distances, too.

I want to send out a special thanks and welcome to the spouses of our classmates who are with us here tonight.  You deserve an award for bravery.

To my husband, Bruce:  you deserve an award for so many reasons, not least of which for marching through the last 46 years with me.

A big shout out to Neil Jaques who is sponsoring us at the country club today.  We really appreciate you doing that for us, Neil:  this is really a great venue.

I'd also like to thank a terrific committee who put in the hard work and time to make an event like this happen:  Peggy Meece Sigler, Judith Kenny, Barb Roberts Henkes, Teri Smits, and Nancy Pruitt Spear, Nancy who always wanted to be last in the list for some reason.  It was Nancy's hard work in putting together the class web site from scratch that gave us such a great head start at this reunion project.  It has been in place for 11 years, allowing us to keep up with classmates and friends all this time.  High praise to Nancy:  you're the best. 

We also worked with Janeane Hayes Boyd and Cheryl Herder Bell whose contributions were much appreciated.

Barb Roberts Henkes' daughter, Laura Stone, who is with us tonight, is responsible along with Barb for the flower arrangements on the tables tonight:  thanks for volunteering your time and talents.

We had a lot of help in finding lost classmates from all of you and we had some success in that so thanks to you all, too.

We each had a unique experience in high school.  I went into those four years having lived in Oswego my entire life.  I went to Mrs. Cross' Nursery School with Dana Griswold, Susie Martin, Paul Coombs, Nancy Foster, and Neil Jaques. I met Anne Dosskey in the first grade.  I was buddies and reading rivals with Patty, as she was then known, Bowman in Mrs. Fagan's third grade class at Uplands.  I can still remember marveling at how far Kenny Newland could throw a baseball in fourth grade.  Shanley Trudeau, Bill Ralston, Al Pajunin, Chris Hanson, Carolyn Iff, Bruce Ludders, and Rob Wirtz were all in my immediate neighborhood growing up.  So many others were just blocks away.  Lots of you have stories of growing up in a Lake Oswego just like mine.

Others came to the town later, even well into our high school years.  After leaving what had been familiar to you, you carved out a niche for yourselves in a new community and school, not an easy thing to do.

In high school we watched in awe at Mr. Hadley's mad-cap antics demonstrating physics principles.  We learned sportsmanship and teamwork from the likes of Coaches Long and Popple.  Miss Murty and the other English teachers tried to inspire a love of literature.  We did drill after drill in response to Mrs. Seachris's pleadings to try to learn Spanish.  I'm not sure what to say about Mr. Mendenhall. 

We acted in plays; we played music and sports of all kinds; we went to Home Ec and Shop; we typed; we participated in student government.  Some of us went into a small classroom and learned about how to work with what they called a computer which the rest of us knew to be pretty pointless.  We voted for May fete and homecoming queens; we went to football games; we went to a lot of assemblies.  We skipped school.  We got into our own high jinx and antics.  We made some trouble.  We got to know the vice-principal.  Some of us were very good, for all the good it us.  Some stayed in the shadows and came into their own later.

And then (suddenly?) high school was over.  We started the next stage, like it or not.  Some of us went to college.  Some didn't.  Some got married and some didn't.  Some had to wait to get married.  Some had children and some decided not to.  We've worked at jobs of every description and had our careers and our hobbies.  Many are still working and volunteering.  We've enjoyed life and have been challenged by it.  Sometimes illness has put us through our paces.  Plans worked out and plans fell through.  Sure bets weren't.  None of us have come through unscathed.    

And sadly, not all of us made it to this 50 year mark.  We've lost some dear friends, some of them young, too young, some older; beloved friends, husbands, wives, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers; all of them warriors. We're richer for having known them.  Beside me here is a table in their memory with a couple of books with some words about their lives.  Please take some time to look through. [the books are from the 'In Memory' pages on the web site]

Peggy Meece Sigler has put together this table of yearbook senior class photos with black outlines around those of us that we know have crossed over.  

Our class web site will remain up and running for the foreseeable future.  We'll announce future get-togethers:  some classes are doing these mini reunions very casually yearly for whoever can get meet up.  We'll be happy to post your ideas.  We may want to do a 70th birthday gathering or a 55th or 60th reunion:  any volunteers?  See me later.  

I'd like to remind you to take pictures tonight and post them onto the class website.  If you run into problems posting, just contact us through the site and we'll help.

Alright, everyone.  I went over my 5 minute mark by a bit.  I apologize but I am done now.  Enjoy the evening.  It's so great to see all of you.

•

9/9/2022         REUNION INFORMATiON

Lake Oswego High School

Class of 1971    50+1 Reunion

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Location:    Oswego Lake Country Club

                   20 Iron Mountain Blvd, Lake Oswego, OR 97034

Time:          5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Parking:    Main lot and side lot (to the left of the club as you look at the club from the road, off Fairway Road.

Attire:        Dressy casual (denim is fine, just no holes).  The club has a dress code but it's fairly easy-going.  If you want to take a look, you can see the specifics here. 

Check in:  The check-in desk is on the main level of the club near the top of the stairs.  You'll get your name tag and then be directed to the main event downstairs.  There is an elevator, if needed.  Those who have not prepaid, the payment for tickets is $60 by CASH or CHECK only.  There is no discount for late arrivals.  We'll get a name tag written up for you if you're buying a ticket at the door. 

Drinks.  There will be two no-host, CASH ONLY bars set up, one inside and one (weather permitting) outside.  A variety of beer ($8), wine ($12) and mixed drinks ($12) will be available as well as a variety of soft drinks ($3).  The prices include gratuity.  Coffee and decaf will also be there (free!). 

Covid precautions:  We will have masks and hand sanitizer available.  We ask everyone to respect people's choices around this issue. 

TIMELINE FOR THE EVENING

5 p.m. to 6 p.m.    Main check in, name tags, greet old friends, grab a

                                  drink, eat a little food

6 p.m.                   A very quick welcome speech. 

6:30 p.m.              Dinner available, grab a plate and continue mixing

7:00 p.m.              Desserts available

10:30 to 11 p.m.   Wrap up the evening

Any help would be greatly appreciated in breaking down after the event has wound down. 

Picture Gallery on the Class Web Site:  A 50+1 Reunion Picture Gallery will be on the class web site for anyone to upload photos to.  It's super easy to do yourself or you can reach us through the “Contact Us” tab on the web site for help.  Everyone:  take lots of pictures and post!  Identify as many people as you can.

Have a great time!  It's going to be great to see everyone.

•

8/26/2022       REUNION GENTLE NUDGE

                        by Peggy (Meece) Sigler

We hope you'll decide to join us!

Are you still undecided about attending the reunion? Concerned about the setting or what to wear? Wondering who will be there?

SETTING: At the Country Club, we'll have spacious rooms that open onto two decks with plenty of elbow room and fresh air. Face masks will be available for those who are more comfortable wearing one. And there will be no background music over which to yell. We hope you'll be too busy catching up!

ATTIRE: Dress up or keep it casual - your choice! Jeans? The OLCC dress code (attached) allows denim with no holes.

CHECK IT OUT: Visit the Class of '72's Facebook page to see for yourself - lots of photos of their recent reunion, also at OLCC with 200+ attendees from LO + Lakeridge. 

WHO WILL BE THERE? On our class website, the Class Profiles list all 460 of our classmates while 247 classmates have created a profile, 56 are deceased, 85 have purchased tickets for the reunion, and 29 are bringing spouses/partners.  Of the 219 names on our Lost Lakers list, your dedicated committee located 67 classmates. You probably know where a few more of those folks can be found. Get in touch and ask someone to join you!

MORE QUESTIONS or CONCERNS? Please reach out to any of the committee members. We hope you'll decide to join us!

Your 50+1 Reunion Committee -

•

8/1/2022          REUNION TICKET PRICING UPDATE

As of the end of July, the "early bird" pricing of reunion tickets has ended.  With the beginning of August, the new price is $60, still a great deal.  The Class of 1970 and the Class of 1972 in the same venue with similar menus had tickets priced at $70 and $90, respectively.  

We'll be posting more information about the events of the reunion as we get a bit closer but don't hesitate to reach out if a question pops up.  Stay cool out there and have a great rest of your summer.

•

7/2/2022          REUNION UPDATES

Hello Everyone and happy Fourth of July weekend!

Now that we've rounded the corner into July, it's time to send out a few reminders regarding the reunion.

1.  TICKETS:  There is one month remaining to buy your reunion tickets at the $50 level before the price goes up to $60 on August 1.  You can make that purchase HERE.

2.  GOLF, 18 HOLE SCRAMBLE:  This is going to be a blast, a fun, low-key mixer for all skill levels  We've had really strong interest and sign ups but there are still several spaces remaining.  A few spouses are participating so bring yours, too.  Fill out this form to be on the list and to find out more details.  For people coming from out of town, there are clubs to rent at the Charbonneau pro shop.    

3.  FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS:  The Friday night before the reunion, the Lake Oswego High School varsity football team will have a home game, playing  Beaverton's Mountainside High.  In late August or early September, we'll send out a survey to see how many of you are interested in attending:  the athletic director of the high school has offered to reserve seating for our class.  Tickets will be available at the gate for a jaw-dropping $6.

4.  LOST LAKERS UPDATE:   There will be just one last mailing for our Lost Lakers search.  All told, we've been able to account for just over a quarter of all of the people (about 250) we've been looking for.  Considering that we haven't seen or heard from many of these folks since we graduated, we are happy with the results.  Sadly, we've added a few listings to the 'In Memory' listings.  On the positive side, we have new sign ups and several tickets sales from recently found classmates.

That's it for now.  Buy your tickets, have some fun golfing with old and new friends, try to remember the old football fight songs, and celebrate finding missing classmates.  Meanwhile, fire up the barbeques and have a happy 4th!

We're looking forward to seeing you in September,

Your Reunion Committee 

•

6/23/2022       ARE YOU UNSURE ABOUT ATTENDING THE 50+1 REUNION?

Summer has finally arrived, bringing our reunion that much closer.  Activity on the class site is spiking, indicating a lot of interest.  Now is a great time to move over to the reunion page and purchase your ticket - and one for your spouse or guest!

Are you on the fence, pondering whether to attend the upcoming 50+1 reunion? We found the following article which explores some great reasons for attending a 50-year high school reunion.  If you find yourself wondering whether to go or not, please have a look through this. It’s a very well-written and thought-provoking read.

We hope to see your name on the “bought a ticket” list and see you at the reunion in September!

https://sixtyandme.com/dont-want-to-attend-your-50th-high-school-reunion-5-reasons-to-go/

Enjoy the great weather and summer fun, 

       Your Reunion Committee

•

3/14/2022        50+1 Reunion Donation Update

Last week we put out the call for donations to lower the ticket prices for the 50+1 Reunion coming up this fall.  Thank you very, very much to those who have  generously responded.

We do have a ways to go before we can significantly reduce the ticket price, though.  So far, about 5% of the 228 people on the class site have donated. 

We totally understand that not everyone is in a position to donate money toward this goal.  If, however, you can, please do consider donating.  Let's not let the cost of a ticket be the reason anyone would miss the reunion.

Here's the quick link to make a donation:  donate here.

Have a great week, everyone. 

Your Reunion Committee:  Barry, Peggy, Teri, Judith, Janeane, Barb, Cheryl, and Nancy

•

3/7/2022           CALL FOR DONATIONS:

REDUCE THE 50+1 YEAR REUNION TICKET PRICE

To help lower the cost of tickets for the upcoming reunion and make our "50+1" the best-attended reunion ever, we are asking for your donations.

Donations now will help lower the cost of individual tickets so that everyone who wants to will be able to attend.  Please help if you can. 

If life has treated you particularly well, an extra-generous donation will be much appreciated.  BUT, a $10 donation is every bit as welcome as a $500 donation.

Follow this link to the class web site Donation Manager for more information and to make a donation.

Thank you to the following people who have donated since our 40 year reunion.  Their support has kept the web site going and allowed us to pay the deposit on the venue for the upcoming event: 

Kathleen (Boyle) Alley, Al Arthur, Steve Barton, Cindy (Beach) Beck, Kathy (Bowen-Jones) Williams, Pat Bowman, Barry Foster, Gerd Hoeren, Tom & Laurie (Mullen) Groves, Neil Jaques,
Judith Kenny, Dan and Peggy (Meece) Sigler, Teri Smits, Tracey and Nancy (Pruitt) Spear, Patty (Jameson) Stemmle, Ronn Woolley, Erik Zerones, Denise Ziegler

Sincerely,

Your Reunion Committee

Barry, Peggy, Teri, Judith, Barb, Janeane, Cheryl, and Nancy

•

3/3/2022    50+1 Year Reunion Page opens

We've launched the first edition of the 50+1 Reunion Page on the Class of 1971 web site.  You'll see the tab for the link on the upper left column of this page or click here.

Plans are marching forward and we're getting excited!

•

2/21/2022  FIND THOSE MISSING CLASSMATES for the reunion September 17, 2022!

As we head toward our 50 year reunion this fall, let's make a big push to find as many of our missing classmates as possible.  The list of missing is about half of the graduating class.  Most of us have friends we still know from high school and maybe some of them haven't signed up on the class web site yet.  Please encourage them to do so and to come to the reunion.  If each of us can get a few old pals to sign up, we'll really liven up the party:  the more the merrier. 

Where are these people??  Let's find 'em.

*** Click on this link to update your profile on the site, too, as we gear up for the reunion. *** 

Thanks for your efforts!

•

9/4/2021 NEW CLASS WEBSITE ADMINISTRATOR

As of today, I will be stepping aside as site administrator.  I’m happy to announce that BARRY FOSTER will be taking over!  A big thanks to Barry for taking this on.  I have no doubt he'll do a fantastic job.

Nancy Pruitt

•

8/13/2021  REUNION UPDATE

A small group of classmates who first volunteered to help with the reunion met via Zoom recently to get the ball rolling.  We're investigating venues in LO and as soon as we get some choices narrowed down (dates and availability), we'll reach out for as much consensus as we can get.  Right now, we're looking at the second half of August to the first half of September 2022 for our targeted date (except not Labor Day weekend).  Very soon after that, we'll open it up for many more volunteers to nail down all the tasks that will need to happen to make the reunion successful.  Thanks to all who have offered to help:  we'll reach out soon!

•

5/31/2021

Hello LOHS Class of 1971 Alumni!

What a crazy year this has been!  When we should have been happily planning a fun get together to celebrate our 50 year high school graduation, we've had massive uncertainties regarding Covid-19 and the changing limitations around it.

Now that things are opening up, reunion venues, caterers, airlines, hotels, and car rentals are in huge demand and going fast.  Everyone wants to travel to see friends, family and just get out of Dodge.  So many people we've heard from in our class already have conflicts with any dates in the goal time period.

So, after much consideration of all of the above, we've made the decision to postpone our 50-year reunion to next year.  This will allow us time to plan well and to make this reunion exactly what we want;  the venue, food, dates, everything.  This new schedule will give all of us classmates a proper heads up, allowing the maximum number of people to attend, which really is the whole point.

Now that we have some time for planning, please consider suggesting ideas or activities you'd like to see incorporated into the celebration and consider joining the planning committee to make it happen.

We know some people will be disappointed and some people will be relieved.  These are unprecedented times that call for a flexible approach.  Though our official reunion will be next year, this certainly doesn't prevent anyone from getting together to reminisce this year.

Cheers to you all!

The 50th Reunion Committee for the LOHS Class of 1971.

•

04-13-2021

Here's a 50th Reunion update, fellow Lakers:

Out of 400+ LOHS ’71 grads, and 210 in this alumni group, 57 of you answered the 50^th Reunion Survey. Thank you!  The Survey is still open so jump in there and share your thoughts! The opinions (below) were pretty decisive, but due to COVID, we’re no closer to definite plans. 

No one knows what the COVID restrictions will be in September. On Friday, April 9^th, Clackamas County restrictions moved backwards to High Risk, reducing restaurants to 25%/50 person capacity and outdoor venues to 15%/75 person capacity. Unless COVID is fully behind us, we will follow the Oregon Health Authority guidelines which at this time require masks and social distancing at all gatherings.

50^th Reunion SURVEY RESULTS

1. Will you attend a 50th reunion in September 2021?   

YES  35 grads/62%                         NO   3 grads/5%                                          UNDECIDED  19 grads/33%

2. Do you intend to have had COVID vaccines by mid-August?

YES   52 grads/91%                        NO   5 grads/9%

3. Would you prefer a formal/indoor or casual/outdoor main event?

INDOOR   1 grad/2%                     OUTDOOR   42 grads/79%          NO PREF   10 grads/19%

4. Would you prefer one evening event or a few events over multiple days?

ONE EVE 40 grads/78%                MULTI-DAY   11 grads/22%

5. Would you like to include spouses/significant others or just grads?

SPOUSES   34 grads/67%              GRADS   17 grads/33%

6. Would the cost of the Reunion influence your decision to attend?

YES   4 grads/7%                            NO   49 grads/93%

       COMMENTS leaned to suggestions for casual, outdoors, easy, time to connect; some classmates

       suggested waiting until 2022 to (hopefully) alleviate concerns about COVID and not needing masks

       as we struggle to recognize each other anyway.

Based on your input and current COVID unknowns, we’ve decided to wait a while longer before deciding. Rather than putting effort into a big event that may be cancelled, we’ll plan to keep it simple, outdoors, and a relaxed time to get together… something that a group of us can put together, if we decide to have a Reunion in September 2021.  Thank you to those of you who offered to help organize!

Thanks so much!

Your Reunion Committee volunteers