50th Anniversary Reunion Weekend
Friday, September 23, Villa Penna's

Attendees at Villa Penna's:
Don Alessi and wife Cindy
Mary K (Brennan) Clarke
Richard Carnago
Deacon Ralph Chase and wife Rosemary
Robert Daigle
David Davis and wife Nanette
Joan (Detloff) Scherrer and husband Donald
Judith (Dombrowski) Szefi
Carol (Dronzkowski) Piper
Bart Fiumano and wife Diana
John Gadioli and wife Linda
Jerry Gagnon and wife Helen
John Gloss and wife Patricia
Patricia (Gosselin) Nienstedt and husband Rick
Ronald Greb and wife Mary Ann
Carolyn Harper
Bob Hazzard
Fred Hughes and wife Aurelia
Dorothy Jarczynski
Mike Kebbe and wife Georgiann (Oldani) Kebbe
Ralph Koch and wife Ann
Fred Korytkowski and wife Althea
Barbara (Koszewski) Madak and husband Michael
Marvin Laubach and wife Christine
Kathy Lauer
Marge (LaVigne) Shaughnessy and husband Michael
James Le Blanc and wife Catherine
Richard Mahlmeister and wife Rose Marie
Louis Mascia and wife Ann Marie
Virgil Matczak and wife Ellen
Elaine (Mathia) Robb
Patricia (Max) Baxmann
Don McAtamney
Joe McClellan and wife Ann
Judy McFarlane
Lorraine (Minne) Schneider
Carol (Mobley) Brovage and husband Joseph
Francis Morin and wife Henrietta
Leon Noel
Paula (Notarangelo) Fasulo-Kann and daughter Carolyn McInnis
Judy (Nowak) Kowich and daughter Chris Kowich
Ralph Olechowski and wife Martha
Karin Pettke
Marlene (Rehdorf) Louwers and guest Roger Ptak
Dolores (Rogalski) Loch and husband Thomas
Tony Sciarrotta
Chuck Shubnell
Dwight Sobczk and wife Gloria (Moebs) Sobczak
Pat (Soper) Bastien and husband George
Diane (Strobl) Fowler and husband Calvert
Margaret (Taube) Tebo and husband William
Joe Tracy
Nina (Tranchida) Istrate and husband Michael
Cori (Vocino) Del Fuoco
Sharon (Widrig) Schneider
Donna (Wieczorkowski) Jeszke and husband Thomas
Judith (Winiemko) Marchinda and husband Louis
Christine (Wroblewski) Kovach and husband Kenneth
Ted Zolnoski and wife Carolyn

Joe McClellan's Opening Remarks

Good evening and welcome to The St Anthony Class of 1961 50th. Reunion.
 
Some announcements:
      1.     Grace will be said by Ted Zolnoski at 7:10P.M. with a sit down dinner to follow.
      2.  50/25/25 Raffle winners will be drawn after dinner.
      3.  Left over money.
           (8) reunion tickets with classmate name on it will be drawn right after
           dinner.   Each winner gets $25.00
     4.   Mike Shaughnessy will take group picture right after dinner by the
           staircase down the hall.
           A group picture of classmates that have attended group meetings
           will also be taken then.    
     5.  Please down load any pictures that you want to share to Bob
          Hazzard’s computer before leaving the reunion.
  
61 classmates with 37 guests are here tonight.
2 members of the class of 1939 are joining us, Jerry & Helan Gagnon.
I think that they were chaperones at our 1961 “A” dance?
When Bob Hazzard told me about your plans to join us.
I told Bob, well I guess I can’t ask who is the oldest?
Who do you think looks the oldest?
It may not be them!
It may be me!
At one of the meetings we talked about putting hearing aid batteries in front of each dinner plate.
It was rejected.
I asked Bob if he thought we should revisit that decision.
Bob said that we could get the hearing aids in our school colors.
 
But I can ask some other questions.
How many classmates have new knees?
New hips?
How many have had cataract surgery?
How many need hearing aids?
How many wear hearing aids?
 
How many have had heart surgery?
Shows our age I guess!
 
We owe a great deal of thanks to members of the committee.
Members please stand.
Not only did they meet regularly, you saw some of them at the welcoming tables, putting flowers, a card and note pad plus a tassel for each classmate on the tables. Plus taking care of the cake and memorabilia table.
You know who they are from all my e-mails.
 
Some of you have come from out of state to be with us.
Deacon Ralph Chase from Ohio.
Margaret (LaVigne) Shaughnessy from TN
Pat (Max) Baxmann from FL.
Joan (Robb) Doran from AZ.
Dolores (Rogalski) Loch from FL.
Chuck Shubnell from NV.
Dwight Sobczak and Gloria (Moebs) Sobczak from SD.
Judith (Winiemko) Marchinda form SC.
Thank you for coming!
 
General Douglas McArther said in his retirement speech at West Point that no matter where he was, his mind always went back to the Point, the Point, and the things he learned there.
In our case, our minds went to home and St Anthony!
Thank you for coming home tonight.
 
I want to take a few minutes to thank two very important members of our class.
One is here tonight. Dr. Bob Hazzard.
The other Cindy (Wikarski) Anthony could not attend.
If it was not for their keeping up to date contact information all these years, this reunion would not have happen.
Bob and Cindy went the extra mile to make the other reunions happen too.
Please join me in applauding both Bob’s and Cindy’s contributions to our reunions.
Thank you Bob and Cindy.
 
When I started the gatherings last October, it was not my intent to be chairperson of our 50th. reunion. But that was the first question.
Are we having a reunion?
Bob had no intention of organizing this reunion.
But Bob made major contributions of his knowledge about our class.
I will always remember Bob at our gatherings.
Bob always sat at the end of the table with a big smile on his face. While I sat in the middle, chairing the meetings.
Bob, you enjoyed that way too much!
 
Some of you may remember the e-mail that I sent out about remembering.
Well tonight is a night to remember.
Remember the first class education that we received at St Anthony.
Being chairperson, I have talked to a lot of our classmates over the last 9 months.
The overall message that I heard was that the education we received at St Anthony served us all very well.
2 classmates have doctor in front of their names, Dr. Ralph Olechowski DO, and Dr. Bob Hazzard in engineering.
The rest of us have done very well too.
From skilled training in various fields to undergrad and graduate degrees in many different fields.
Remember the sisters for giving us this ability.
 
Remember our classmates who have passed before us.
Remembering Paul Garner, Bob Richards, husband of Joanne Pavel and Ed Kann, husband of Paula (Notarangelo) Fasulo-Kann, who have passed away in the last 3 months.
Paula is here tonight.
Laughter is a wonderful tonic.
We wish Elaine, Joanne and Paula well!
 
Remember Ted Demptz and Barb Muscat who were killed in a car accident.
What good people they were.
I always remember them together with Mike Schott, a Warren Policeman.
I saw Mike at a party 15 years after the accident.
Mike was standing by himself, away from the others sipping on a drink and staring off into the distance. I approached him from his side.
He looked at me and said words that meant that he was reliving that accident.
Being a police officer and being called to an accident that included friends from high school must have been very difficult part of his job.
 
Tom Hill, one of my favorites.
What a great sense of humor.
One day Sister Coleman, my English teacher for 2 years and the best teacher that I have ever had, was talking about imaginary characters.
Tom was sitting in the first row directly in front of Sister Coleman.
Sister Coleman said that there are imaginary characters like Santa Clause.
Tom threw up his arms and screamed “O NO” and laid his head down on the desk sobbing.
Sister Coleman looked down at him and broke into her beautiful wide smile and enjoyed the laugh with us.
 
Remember our generation is called the Vietnam Generation for good reason.
But when you look back on our lifetime, there have been only a few years where the US has not been at war. We are The WAR Generation.
Born into World War II, and living through Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, 9-11,  Iraq and Afghanistan.
 
Freedom is not free!
So tonight let’s honor those classmates and spouses who have served us and our country by being a member of the armed forces, and or firemen and policemen.
Some are not here tonight.
 
When I call your name, please stand.
 
I was in the army.
Others that were in the army include:
Richard Carnago, Ken Franks, Mike Kebbe, Ralph Koch, Jim LeBlanc, Virgil T Matczak,  and Dennis Parent.
PS, Dennis Parent’s daughter graduated from West Point.
Edward Kann, husband of Paula Notarangelo served in the army during the Korean War.
Mike Chandler, husband of Toni Pietrantoni served in Vietnam.
Mike earned Two Purple Hearts and 2 Bronze Stars in Vietnam.
 
Joe Trachy served in the Marine Corp.
 
Chief Petty Officer Ralph Chase, served 27 years in the Navy.
 
Marv Laubach and John Buchanan, served in the Naval Air Force.
 
Chuck Shubnell and Ken Kovach, husband of Chris (Wroblewski) Kovach served in the Air Force.
 
Ken Kovach was also a Fireman in Detroit.
Erna (Klien) Biber’s husband was a fireman in Madison Heights.
 
Ralph Koch retired from the Detroit Police department.
 
John Gloss served 32 years in the Oak Park Policeman department.
 
Don Rhode who was killed in a car accident in 1969, was a State Police officer
Mike Schott retired from the Warren police department.
Being a lab. Tech. in the army and having a father and brother who were Detroit police officers, I know how difficult and dangerous it is to serve!
 
We are grateful to you for your service!
These classmates gave us all the opportunity to:
 
Live for today, for tomorrow is promised to no-one.
 
As I mentioned before, the sisters gave us a great education.
Our parents taught us how to be good citizens and parents.
 
I want you give you 2 examples of what I mean by good citizens and parents.
One of our classmates Don McAtamney shared with me what happen on his birthday this year with his 3 sons.
Two sons gave very nice gifts.
The third one gave tickets for the McCartney concert.
Then Don added, the nicest part of all this was that his son and wife went to the McCartney concert with them.
This son also told Don and his wife Mary Beth that he was grateful for them teaching him how to be a good parent.
The greatest gift a person can give another person is his time.
Don, and many other classmates shared similar stories.  
 
The second is Ralph Chase.
As I mentioned Ralph was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy for 27 years.
Ralph served 2 years on submarines and 5 on destroyers.
Now instead of Chief Petty Officer Chase, he is called a Deacon in the Catholic Church.
Ralph served in a parish 21 miles from his house specializing in ministering to hospice patients, before taking a leave of absence.
Ralph is currently enrolled as a CEU student (continuing education units) that will award a certificate at the end of four years through the University of Loyola in New Orleans, LA. 
The greatest gift a person can give another person is his time.
Someone said the best years of your life are after 60.
Ralph has proven this true.
We are so happy Ralph and Rosemary could take the time from his studies to be with us tonight.
 
Don and Deacon Ralph are examples of the fine citizens and parents that we turned out to be.
Deacon Chase e-mailed me a poem that one of his commanders gave him years ago.
I think it describes all of us.
 
Deacon Ralph Chase, please read this poem called.
 
THE FINAL INSPECTION
 
The soldier stood and faced God, 
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.
 
'Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?'
 
The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.
 
I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
 
But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.
  		And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
 
I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.
 
If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.
 
There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
 
'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'

 

 Thank you Deacon Ralph.
 
Ted Zolnoski will now say Grace.
Thank you Ted.
 
We are going to have the raffles right after dinner.
As well as the group pictures.
Don’t forget Slapsticks at 6:00 P.M. tomorrow is pay as you go.
The Tiger game at 1:00P.M. Sunday.
 
I now want to end this be sharing with you Letterman’s (McClellan’s) top 13 of the 50th reunion gatherings of the St Anthony class of 1961.
 
McClellan’s Top 13.
This is like playing poker.
No one listens to what the dealer is dealing.
 
1. Are we having a reunion?
2. Check out the XYZ banquet hall?
3. Can you call so and so?
4. What can I do to help?
5. Where is the reunion?
6. When is the reunion?
7. How much are the tickets?
8  Where do I send the check?
9. What time is the reunion?
10. Tell me what I can do to help?
11. Are we having a banner?
12. What time is the baseball game?
13. Is it on the agenda?
Etc. etc.
 
Now you know why Bob was smiling so much at the gatherings.
 
Thanks for coming.
Remember, Have a great time!