Thursday Night Cocktail Party

Our first event….at least as a reunion activity…..was a cocktail party at the Hawaii Yacht Club in the Ala Wai yacht harbor.  (Actually, some of us had traveled to the islands days or weeks early and got a jump on the festivities….Pat Houston Quandt & Leon, Nancy Tiller Reeves & Harry, Karen Rasmussen Peifer & Mike.  Mrs. V treated Pat, Nancy, Karen, et al to a royal tour of the Polynesian Culture Center.  Cathy Tennant Nyfeler and Jim arrived on Wednesday.  We had breakfast on the Moana lanai…under the banyan tree…with Lucy Ikeda Molloy and Pam Hoyt Butler.) 

Some of us may remember in 1958 when several of our erstwhile classmates stole a barkentine from the Ala Wai yacht harbor and put it on the reef just off shore……sorry seamanship!  But I digress.

We had a good crowd….regardless that our change of venue sent some to the wrong place….a great time, and prizes for the lucky ones.  Music was provided by Rudy Molina, formerly of the Royal Drifters.  Nobody fell in the drink, we didn’t steal any yachts and I believe a good time was had by all.

Friday Visit to Radford High School

This was a follow-up to our visit to the school in 2000…..and the place gets better with age…..or is it we who get better?  Anyway, we were met by the administration and escorted by member of the Class of 2006.  Again, we had a great turnout of classmates, and reminisced on teachers we had, the biology pond, the football field….and clearing same of rocks, working in the cafeteria, and on and on.  Since we are the senior class (the first graduates, we were seniors for three years….57-58, 58-59, and 59-60, we provided 8 of the 20 entrants to the first island-wide Hawaii Junior Miss pageant, we represented the first basketball team, first track squads, first football team, we established the idea of a Senior Patio) we take a special interest in RHS. 

We were amazed at the improvements that have been made in the physical plant….a graphics lab to die for, a communications class training future radio and TV personalities,  computer labs, programs to help new student s become oriented to Radford and Hawaii, a new scoreboard for the football and baseball fields….but no biology pond…..it was filled in years ago.

We had planned a special celebration of dedicating a plaque to Coach Velasco.  This is a three dimensional plaque presented by the first athletic teams of 1958, 59 and 60 in memory of the head coach we all knew and were influenced by.  However, as you might imagine, things still work on Hawaii time, and it wasn’t ready in time for the reunion.  It will be dedicated at some future date yet to be decided.

We were then invited to classmate Noelle Sutherland’s house in Wahiawa for lunch.  Noelle and Jim, her husband, have recently completed a house in the rainforest overlooking the Wahiawa plain.   After lunch, several couples continued the around-the-island journey…..hmmmmm I think I remember doing that.

Saturday Dinner/Dance

Well, it wasn’t the Senior Prom and it wasn’t the Kaiser Dome, but it was very familiar.  This dinner/dance was held at the Hale Koa Ballroom, the classmates were there, the food was first-rate, and the music was inspiring…..look, if a bunch of old jocks can be coaxed up to the dance floor to do “YMCA” it’s got to be inspiring! 

But, talk about bringing back memories!  It was a night of dancing to the music of the 50s and 60s, catching up on news of friends from the past and making plans to see each other more often…Cathy and I already have trips back to Hawaii and to Arizona and Florida scheduled.

Plus, we held a silent auction to raise money for the Class of 1960 Scholarship Fund for some deserving Radford senior.  Lucy is doing the final accounting and will make the presentation to Bob Stevens, the current principal and former RHS football coach.

Sunday Picnic

On Sunday, we repaired to the beach at Ft. DeRussy……gee, when was the last time we did that?  Once again, we visited with many of the same classmates and took stock of lives, loves, grand kids, and tried to stay away from discussion of ailments.  When I was a student at Radford, I never knew how good the shade under the banyan trees really was!

There was a reluctance to leave this event, as we knew it was the last time we would see each other for a few years….we hoped!  All good things must come to an end, however.  I do want to report that everyone’s leis were thrown into the ocean.  ALL of them returned to shore….so, until we meet again!!

Wrap Up

Who was at each event?  I don’t have all the lists…I left them with Lucy, but here is my best recollection:

Sweetie (Cablay) Moffatt                                                                                 

Ray Choy                                                                                                        

Harry Clagg & Dorothy                                                                                   

Louis Cruse & Joyce                                                                                       

George Ferge                                                                                                  

Andrew Fermahin & Sandy Edwards                                                                                       

Jan Franzwa Trent & her sister                                                                                     

Gertrude (Gonzado) Viola                                                                               

Bill Harris                                                                                                        

Pat (Houston) Quandt & Leon                                                             

Pam (Hoyt) Butler                                                                                           

Rosemarie (Iereneo) Anderson                                                

Lucy (Ikeda) Molloy

Noel Keoho ‘61                                                                                              

Linda Kuba Sharer                                                                                          

Leon Laquihon                                                                                    

Terry Lawrence & Maria                                                                                 

Amy (Merz) Johnston

Albert McDougal ‘61                                                                          

Clifford & Blanca Mukai                                                                                  

Gary & Lynne Nuibe                                                                           

Jim & Cathy (Tennant) Nyfeler                                                

Jack Padua

Maria (Pellerin) Sniffen                                                                        

Betty Jo (Prado) Manewa                                                                                                        

Nancy (Perry) Ortiz & John                                                                 

Karen (Rasmussen) Peifer & Mike

Ellen (Robinson) Pelissero                                                                                

Jaime Roldan                                                                                                   

Noelle Sutherland & Jim Conte                                                            

Ann (Tegge) Penner & Leonard                                                                       

Nancy (Tiller) Reeves & Harry                                                            

Stanley Tochiki                                                                                    

Ruth Yanagisako Hickman                                                                               

Ron Rogers ’61                                                                                               

Sandy Webb Kekua ‘61                                                                                              

Ms. Barbara Velasco                                                                                       

Mrs. Sylvia Chung       

-         Some classmates didn’t have enough of Hawaii and extended their stay with a cruise of the other islands.

-         We honored those classmates who are no longer with us.

-         We renewed friendships and planned for future gatherings.

What’s Next?

Let’s see……first, our class has been invited to the Class of 1961 Reunion to be held in August 2006 in Hawaii.  Your committee is helping Sandy Webb Kekua and Rene Maples Garvin with their planning.

Second, your committee is taking a few months off.  However, we are asking for ideas for our 50^th reunion in 2010.  Shall it be in Hawaii or Las Vegas, do we have too many events or too few?  You can email or call any member of the reunion committee….you know the usual culprits; but if not, check out the web site.

Finally, Lucy Molloy is making a final tabulation of donations to be presented to the RHS Scholarship Fund.  We'll let you know the final tally.