Colorado All-Class Reunion/Soire

COLORADO/ROCKY MOUNTAIN PEARY ALUMNI…

This first Colorado/Rocky Mountain All-Class Get Together was held Sat March 21, 1998 at Dave & Busters in Denver, and hosted by Janet Peters (’80) and Ron Bostwick (’77).

From Ron, reported April 23….

On March 21st, Peary High School opened its doors again. Only this time it was 2000 miles from Arctic Avenue. Nineteen grads spanning classes from 1964 to 1985 walked into a Dave & Buster’s in Denver not knowing who they’d meet. It was just like the first day of school again. And like eager students racing through the halls on one of those Tuesday’s after Labor Day, we were met by families with even younger children, out for an afternoon of food and games. None of them was heading to a homeroom.

This party was a great example of why everyone should go to their reunions. We all had only one thing in common….over the course of 20 years all of our individual paths had crossed in the same place. But that limited commonality, that lack of knowing what to expect or who we’d see, didn’t stop us from coming out and spending 4 hours together meeting, talking and laughing. We all walked away with new memories of old friends or just new friends.

Those who made it included: Peggi Green Lowe ’64, Carlton (Corky) Lance ’64, Bill Johncox ’69 and his brother David ’71, David Hunter Miller ’69, James Clark ’70, Kay Coleman Smith ’72, Carol Cole Eaton ’73, Brenda Keller Eaton ’76, Laura Kelly ’77, Laurie Stahl ’79, Pete Zaemes ’79, Nancy Ashworth Callahan ’80, Janet Peters ’80, Andy Torri ’81, Ken Thomas ’81, Nicole Wantling ’85 & Tiffany Goodwin ’85. (I hope I didn’t leave anyone out)

We played some pool, ate some appetizers and ran up a $400 tab. I think everyone thought it was $400 well spent. (you haven’t lived until you’ve had a $4.50 Breckenridge Avalance Ale) Yearbooks from the late 60’s, late 70’s and early 80’s somehow appeared. But no one disappeared when shown their senior pictures. Some group pictures were taken but the Kodak Kleptomaniacs struck in the developing. None of them came out. This just means we’ll need to do it all again. We’re shooting for a backyard BBQ/picnic, going to a Rockies game (too bad they don’t play the Orioles) or a hike in the mountains. Look for us to rival the DC area get togethers.

But, hands down, the best story to come out of our reunion was one we couldn’t have planned any better if we had tried. As people were arriving and our group kept growing (some brought wives and kids), I thought it would be a good idea to explain to our waitress the nature of our affair. This might prevent grumblings on her part when we hit our cresendo.

When I told her we were a group who didn’t know each other but went to the same high school in Maryland, she replied “I’m from Maryland!” Now at this point I’m thinking “Hmmm, she’s gotta be from Baltimore or PG County or maybe Frederick”. So I say “Where?” Damn if she doesn’t say Rockville. “Where’d you go to high school?” I shockingly ask, getting ready to add another name to our ranks. “Magruder!” she bursts.

You ready for a small world story? Turns out she was born in 1977 (wait a minute….I GRADUATED in 1977. Is she even OLD ENOUGH to be serving us alcohol?)… she had Janet Peters as a Day Care teacher and grew up on Marianna in a house that backed up to Brookhaven. For me this last part was special because I believe it was the house where my brother Stan’s friend, Bill Osmond, grew up. It was the only house on Marianna without a fence so we all used to cut through the yard to get to Brookhaven.

So I officially named Tricia Collins as an honorary Peary High Alum.

If you don’t go to your reunions, see what you’re missing?

Many thanks to Janet Peters for getting the ball rolling on this thing.