West Seattle High School Class of 1966 (Facebook) – https://www.facebook.com/groups/100946721346/ (men and women)
West Seattle High School Women Class of 1966 (Facebook) – https://www.facebook.com/groups/237715156397592/ (women only)
West Seattle High School Class of 1966 (Official Website) – http://www.westseattle66.com/ (for all alumni)
1966 50th Class Reunion
Class of 1966 by Carol Rice Benner
Tom Friberg and Margaret Wakelee, Class Representatives
“West Side High Our Alma Mater, we stand true to thee…” How many times have we sung that?!! We sang it as new students and when we were seniors, finally being able to belt out “FIRM AND LOYAL, TOO!!” Then it was graduation time. Now it’s time for our 50th reunion.Seems like yesterday we graduated. Time goes too fast.
Our lives have changed in the last fifty years or even in the last five. Some of us live in West Seattle. Others live on the other side of the country or even the world. We’re married, divorced, widowed and single. We have children, grandchildren and (although it’s almost impossible to believe) even great-grandchildren. Many of us are working, some in new careers. We’re also writing, traveling, gardening, hiking, painting, performing on stage, restoring vintage cars and volunteering in our respective communities. Some of us have struggled with poor health. Almost all of us have experienced the loss of loved ones. We have lots to discuss, not just what we’ve been doing for the last fifty years but what we intend to do next.
Our committee has planned many activities to celebrate our 50th! They’ve been working hard to make it a fun time for all.
The hard-working 50th Reunion Committee is pictured below.
From left to right, Tom Friberg (Center), Greg MacPherson, Vinette Meduna Tichi, Dotty Smith Mahaffey, Kathy Braymer Shepard, Adelle Hermann Comfort, Patty Jacobsen Spangler, Margaret Wakelee, Jeanne Kleyn, Colleen Grady, Sue Coghill Lindblom, and Ruthi Sundnes Winter. Missing from this photo are Dave DuBuque and Nancy Noble Hammond
Remember the beach movies and songs from the ’60s? Who could forget Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and the great sounds of the Beach Boys! Remember getting sunburned at Alki (our favorite beach spot) and Hamilton View Point where we saw a beautiful view of the city.
Our Beach Party Committee,
pictured above, wants us to remember and celebrate the fun times of our youth.
First row, left to
right: Tom Friberg, Greg MacPherson, Sue Coghill Lindblom, Adelle Hermann
Comfort, Jeanne Kleyn, Patty Jacobsen Spangler and Margaret Wakelee
Second row, left to right: Dotty Smith Mahaffey and Colleen Grady
Third row, left to right: Kathy Braymer Shepard and Ruthi Sudnes Winter
Schedule of Reunion Events
Thursday, June 2, 2016, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Welcome Party at The Bridge, 6301 California Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 206-402-4646
This is a no-host, low-key event, providing an opportunity to renew old friendships and perhaps make new ones over drinks and/or dinner at a friendly, neighborhood bar.
The Bridge serves craft beers, fourteen draft beers and a variety of other drinks. Food is casual and includes soup, salads, burgers, chicken, tacos, tamales and steak. You can come by after an early dinner or eat dinner in the bar. Whichever you choose, do come and join us. We’ll be glad to see you.
Their menu can be found at http://www.thebridgeseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/TheBridge_RegMenuJAN.pdf
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Golf at the West Seattle Golf Club – Tee Times 1:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Before you go to the Welcome Party, consider signing up to play a round with former classmates at the West Seattle Golf Club. Sue Coghill Lindblom (sue@westseattle66.com) and Greg MacPherson (greg@westseattle66.com) are setting up tee times, so please contact them as soon as possible. At present, we have 24 places reserved.
Sue and Greg may be able to add more places if we give them enough lead time. Trophies will be given for: ‘Best Swing,’ ‘Best Putter’ and ‘Champion’!
Friday, June 3, 2016
Beach Party with Dinner at Normandy Park Cove, 5:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Put on your sandals, your Hawaiian shirts, your shorts, whatever makes you think of summer at the beach and prepare for an evening of fun and sun.
Located at 1500 SW Shorebrook Drive in Normandy Park, The Cove is a community beach club. Its high-ceilinged clubhouse has a wide wall of windows and a huge roofed deck that face Puget Sound. Outside the building are interpretative trails, two creeks, a duck pond for salmon rearing and 700 feet of waterfront.
It’s a great place for a beach party!
During registration, our classmate and recent Hall of Fame member, Tom Collier will play songs from the 60’s and 70’s on the vibraphone. (Talk about a blast from the past.)
Two tasty appetizers (an around-the-world cheese board with specialty breads and crackers and a grilled vegetable platter with roasted garlic hummus and parmesan ranch dressing) will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
When we line up for dinner, a DJ will spin more old favorites. Dinner will be served buffet style between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. We will be able to choose from grilled wild salmon; pork tenderloin with huckleberry sauce; truffle and parmesan risotto; green beans with caramelized onion butter; organic baby spinach with grape tomatoes and balsamic dressing; and fresh baguettes with butter. Fresh-brewed coffee, tea, iced tea and ice water will be available throughout the evening at a no-host bar.
And the fun doesn’t just end there! There’s more! As a special treat, you’ll have your choice of eight different kinds of Husky’s ice cream for dessert.
At the Beach Party and at Saturday’s All-School Reunion, a professional photographer will also be on hand. Murray’s Studio has been photographing West Seattle’s reunions for the last forty years and they do a great job of it. They will take two kinds of pictures. First will be photos of the entire class. These will be taken on both nights and produced in color in an 8”x10” format. You can purchase the set, including name lists, for $25. Second, 4”x6” color pictures of elementary school groups will be taken. The price will be $10 each, name list included. On Friday night only, Murray’s will take formal pictures of small groups, couples or individuals. These pictures will be retouched and are quite a bargain. You will receive an 8”x10” color photo or one 5”x7” color photo and four wallet-sized color pictures for only $25. (The studio’s regular price is $100.) You must have cash or a check. No credit cards.
If you’ve prepaid for your wine at registration, you will be given a ticket and can pick up your wine before you leave the party. No wine will be sold at the party as it had to be ordered via your registration form.
A fabulous setting, good music, delicious food and great company, who could ask for anything more? It should be a memorable evening.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
All-School Reunion at West Seattle High School 2:00-5:30 p.m.
If you’ve ever attended an All-School Reunion, you know that the class
celebrating its 50th reunion gets the biggest and best room in the place.
This year, the big room will be ours! We’ll have several hours to continue earlier conversations and to start new ones, some with old friends from other classes.
Finger food will be served. There will be classic cars to see. We’ll take a class photograph.
Our own Gary Smith will be the Master of Ceremonies at a recognition program in the auditorium. Scholarship students, monogram club members and this year’s Hall of Fame inductees will be honored, as will we. And we’ll be first on the program!
After Party –
TBD
Following the festivities, it’s time for one last chance to chat with your classmates. Location of this event is to be determined. But keep an eye on our Facebook page and website for updated information. As soon as we know – you will know!
’66 Classmate News
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News from Hall of Famer Tom Collier |
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On November 20, 2015, the second of three Tom Collier recording projects was released to the world on Seattle’s award-winning jazz label, Origin Records.
The title of the album, Across the Bridge, is a tribute to his growing up in West Seattle, and refers to a certain span across the Duwamish Waterway connecting downtown Seattle to West Seattle, where Tom spent most of his youth.
The CD’s nine original compositions and their titles were inspired by childhood places and memories, shared by album’s producer and electric bassist Dan Dean who lived across the street from Tom ("Harmonious Effusion on Olga Street"). Other compositions on the album pay homage to his first neighborhood ("47th ‘N’ Hudson"), early schoolyard friends (“Genesee”), high school memories ("Gold ‘N’ Blues"), after school haunts ("Beach Drive") and ("The Junction"), favorite theater ("The Admiral’s Point of View"), and even typical early morning West Seattle weather ("Fauntleroy Mist").
Across the Bridge, and Tom’s other CDs can be purchased through Amazon.com.
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A Special Thank You |
Patty Jacobsen Spangler |
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The Class of 1966 owes a great deal of thanks to Patty
Jacobsen Spangler. Everyone on all the reunion committees for the past many
years would agree that Patty deserves a BIG thank you for all she has done to
bring us together! |
Reunion Quilt Raffle Benefits Scholarship Fund
Becky Hendricks Callahan
In late January, via our Facebook pages for the WSHS class of 1966, Becky Hendricks Callahan volunteered to coordinate and sew a quilt from your contributions of our school colors of blue and gold. These quilt squares were due on April 1st of 2015.
But even if you didn’t get an opportunity to contribute a square, you have the wonderful opportunity to buy raffle tickets to win the quilt.
The money that is made will be donated by our class to the WSHS Scholarship fund.
Raffle tickets will be $5 each and 3 for $10. So bring your cash and good luck at being the lucky winner!
Deceased Classmates Memory Board
Now for the hardest part of the article: deceased classmates.
Please let the committee know by May 28, 2016, if you learn of the passing of a classmate in order to update the memory board to the last day possible.
Didn’t get a registration form and still want to attend?
You should have received your registration form by approximately February 26, 2016. If you didn’t receive your registration form, visit our website at http://www.westseattle66.com to find a form, as well as pricing for golf, the main event and pictures.
While we hoped for registrations by May 6 and we cannot refund money after May 15, we want you to contact us if this is your first opportunity to know about the reunion. We want to see you!
Please email Kathy Braymer Shepard at kathy@westseattle.com
Until our 50th – Carol Rice Benner, WSHS Class of ‘66
