| ICC Class of '79 |
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EDITORIAL - 2007
I’d no sooner arrived at an early July party when the hostess, an ICC grad from the mid-70’s, looked at me and exclaimed, “A free clambake! How does the Class of ’79 manage to host a free clambake?!” (She’d just noticed an article about our annual picnic in one of the local papers. While most people focus on “significant” years when planning a reunion event, we’ve created a tradition of staying in touch on an annual basis.) Well, no one person makes it happen. Everyone does—from planners to workers to donors to guests. |
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Since our 25th reunion, the ICC Class of ’79 Reunion Committee has worked together as a team, welcoming input from all classmates and encouraging new members to join the crew. We get together frequently during the year—almost monthly—to ostensibly plan our summer party. You’d think that we’ve been in touch continuously since leaving the halls of ICC. A few have, but as a whole, our current group of ten has gotten to know each other and establish friendships that only began when we started planning the reunion bash. At our meetings, we share food and drink, laugh (often so hard that we cry), convey good news and bad, show pictures of the first grandchild and of vacations, and at times, mourn together. On paper I “lead” this crew, but all are driven by their commitment to each other and our mission of keeping classmates connected. Oh, I occasionally tap the table at a meeting saying, “Focus! Focus!” when multiple conversations cause us to veer off topic. But every committee member has a vital role and brings ideas, passion, and spirit to the cause. Looking back, the high school years are golden for some, with sports triumphs and social circles that hum with popularity. For others, they are merely to be endured until the dispensing of the diploma yields liberation. |
 Kathy Kelly, Mark Reamer, Kristina Kwacz, Sandy LaBelle, Carmello Sauca, John Moore, Donna Bellanger Gleason, Jack Cleary, Ann Marie Spierto Mink, Linda Petersen Dale Fisher, Helen Klobukowski Fisher, Mark Turner, Scott Longe, Ed Van Wagner, Kevin Keegan, Sue Savosky Mercado, Keith M., Kevin Grattan and Mary Strunk Mark Rossman, Joe Comeau, Kevin Johnson, Kevin Holsapple and Henry Alecksynas Click for larger picture
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I suspect that most of us fall somewhere
along this continuum. In reconnecting through our
annual party—our window for classmates held together
by the thread of the ICC Class of ’79—the differences
blur as we learn about each other’s lives as
adults—caring more about who we are now then who we
were back then.
No man is an island, yet as our fast-paced, Western culture spreads many of us to the four winds, there is less and less that keeps us connected. In providing an opportunity for this extended “family” to reunite once a year, we hope to keep one link open and alive. It may be rooted in the past, but is very much grounded in today. And as the years pass and our numbers continue to decline, I suspect it will become more important until any remaining differences that some may hold are finally realized to be meaningless. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen “The Big Chill,” but the tagline still rings true: "The story of eight old friends searching for something they lost, and finding that all they needed was each other." Donna, Mark, Mark, John, Kathy, Joe, Kevin, Jack, and Linda—-the Class of ‘79 rocks! Thanks for all you do to keep the fire burning. To the rest of the “family,” www.icc79reunion.com is here when you’re ready.
Kristina Kwacz
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