UPDATE JULY 2021
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THE 55-YEAR REUNION WILL BE HELD next month, August 20 and 21. The historic
event will begin on Friday, August 20, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., at the Elks Lodge located
at 3400 North Nevada in Colorado Springs. From the I-25 freeway, get off at the
Fillmore exit and head East a few blocks to Nevada and turn left to go a few blocks to
the lodge. There will not be a full-scale meal. Hors d’oeuvres will be served, consisting
of platters of meats, cheeses, veggies, rolls, chips and dips. If you want more to drink
than the coffee that is complimentary, there will be a cash bar at which you can buy
other options.
The reunion will continue with a picnic on Saturday, August 21, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
in the gazebo that has a three-tiered turquoise colored roof at Metcalfe Park located at
704 East Ohio Avenue in Fountain. To get to the park, stay on old Highway 85-87 from
Security until old Highway 85-87 becomes Santa Fe Avenue. Stay on Santa Fe Avenue
until you get to Ohio Avenue. Turn East on Ohio Avenue and go 10 blocks until you
reach the park. Tables, chairs and water will be provided. Attendees will buy their own
lunch items at three food trucks, to wit: Solsage (selling sausage burgers, pork burgers,
classic hamburgers, fries, etc.); Crepes-n-Go (selling a variety of sandwiches with meat
and non-meat items stuffed inside a crêpe, a French-style thin bread); and, Lori Lynn’s
Cookies & Cream (selling a variety of ice cream desserts, cupcakes, and fresh-baked
cookies). If the food-truck lunch items do not appeal for whatever reason, attendees are
welcome to bring their own lunches to the picnic.
Registration Fees. Attendees will have three (3) options for registration fees, to wit:
(a) Friday event = $25.00 per person. (b) Saturday event = $10.00 per person.
(c) Both events = $35.00 per person. Deadline to register = July 31, 2021.
How to Register. Make your check payable to WHS66 Reunion and send it via postal
mail with the form on the one-page flyer in a separate attachment with this newsletter.
P.O. delivery Problem. Due to the P.O. returning several people’s envelopes, be sure
to add the Manuszak name on the envelope, to wit: WHS66 Reunion — Manuszak .
Then write the other address information (P.O. Box etc.) as listed on the flyer.
Accessibility. Both parts of the reunion will be accessible to attendees with disabilities.
Open to all WHS classes of the 1960s. Just as all of our past events (luncheons,
reunions, etc.) always have been open to all WHS classes of the 1960s, both parts of
the August 2021 reunion also will be open to all WHS classes of the 1960s.
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TO VISIT OUR CLASS WEBSITE that was assembled and has been maintained since April 2009 by our Class Committee member and Webmaster, Paul Snell, please go to: www.1966whs.com
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FEEDBACK from READERS includes the below-listed entries that were submitted in
response to information contained in previous updates.
This [May 2021 update] was great, Donnie. Thank you! Enjoyed all of Twila's words,
especially the end "you JUST might be able?" The Boogie Woogie dance [video in the
May 2021 update] was too fast for me and my feet, now and even when young. I didn't
believe you wrote the "spoof" [April 2021 article] either. Funny that Gillie called your
humor "fanciful" [May 2021 update]. Your humor is Precious! It is very delightful.
— Cheryl Minehart Belt, Class of 1966
Donnie, thank you so much for your kindness and support. The aorta surgery went well,
but acquired an infection so was in the hospital longer. While there, they did a CAT scan
and found a kidney mass, so they did a biopsy. I should be fine when I get some rest.
— Mike Adragna, Class of 1966
Thanks very much for the June 2021 newsletter. I appreciate all the time that was put
into writing, editing, and publishing it. Your article on anxiety associated with reunions
was very good. Daryl, your work on the flyer is very good and much appreciated.
— Mick Martin, Class of 1966
Donnie, thanks for the [June 2021] newsletter. It was very nice.
— Maryellen Brada Manuszak, Class of 1966
Hi Donnie! I'm missing being a part of the Reunion Committee. I just know they're all
having a grand time putting everything together.
— Gillie Walker [residing at St. Croix Island since 2016], Class of 1966
[Note from Donnie: She played a pivotal role in the 40-year reunion in 2006, the 45-year
reunion in 2011, and the 50-year reunion in 2016. Just as an office manager is the
backbone of a professional firm, Gillie was the backbone of the planning committee in
organizing all three reunions. Putting in endless hours, she wore several hats in the
course of doing a variety of tasks. Her name was synonymous with all three reunions.
President George W. Bush once stated in a public message to Osama bin Laden and
his Al Qaeda cohorts, “You can run, but you cannot hide.” My paraphrase of that remark
is that, with Gillie scouring the Internet, you cannot hide forever as Gillie will eventually
find you. In the course of my 52 years of volunteer work in the nonprofit sector in
Colorado, I have dealt with hundreds of individuals who have intersected my activist life
at one point or another. I do not hesitate to say that Gillie easily ranks in the upper one
percent of those with a fierce passion for what she does.]
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CLASSMATES’ MEMORIES of HIGH SCHOOL INCIDENTS are stored in the online
archives folder of this email box. Listed below are a few snippets from the archives.
Edith Freeman Smith: “The only thing that stands out were the dress codes stating
girls were not allowed to wear pants to school. Because I had to wait for a bus to
transport me to high school, I remember wearing jeans under my dress and removing
them once I got to school. Nowadays, jeans under a dress is a fashion statement.”
Kathy Simones Ferrier once wrote about the time it was her turn to feed the mice after
school in Mr. Cantrell's biology class. Afraid to feed the mice, she didn't get the key from
Mr. Cantrell. Because the mice weren't fed, the next day Kathy discovered that one
mouse ate the other mouse and the only thing left was the tail. Kathy said she was
"mortified" upon finding that in biology class.
Ron Petty noted in his 2006 reunion speech the April 1966 incident when he fell down
the canyon while hiking on the slick and wet rocks of Silver Cascade Falls. Thanking
God for his miraculous survival of that fall, Ron noted that he revisited Silver Cascade
Falls 40 years later in 2006 and was amazed how dangerous that area still is. Bruce
and Donnie were with Ron the day he fell into the canyon. Bruce walked to the bottom
of the canyon to find Ron, while Donnie went to the top of the canyon and drove Bruce's
car to find somebody to notify police and rescue teams to help the badly-injured Ron.
Lydia Romero Fine once wrote that she always shared her I.D. with Rhonda so that
Rhonda could get in Gieuseppe's Bar. Lydia said she and Rhonda sat at the same table
and the waitress never knew they used the same I.D.
Joy Payne Humphrey: “I worked at the Kwik Shake and had great experiences with
many people from all different school years and classes. I know my parents thought it
was an awful place, but I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. Even though there
were all kinds of rumors about the Kwik Shake being a rough hangout, I can’t think of
any truly bad crimes or anything really awful happening.”
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This update was prepared by me.
Respectfully submitted,
Donnie Martínez (July 1, 2021)
Known at WHS by stepfather’s surname Collier
Martínez is my birth certificate and legal surname
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