Selfies Are SO Funny!

Hey!  What's so funny?  Diane Broccoletti Leonard (left), Carol Mingione Greene (center) and Robin Roselle Oratio take the time to snap a selfie (above) and then crack up (below).

Two-Fers!

While the NPHS Reunion was an ongoing hub of chatter and nonstop mingling, many people took time to seek out an old friend and engage in a quieter conversation.   Here are just a few examples:

Girls Named Sue (sort of):  Susan Krisburg (left) and Suzanne Dumont Millan

Gary Garwacke and Linda Allen Dickert

Gary Garwacke (again!) and Beverly Gaston Kochard

Suzanne Dumont Millan (again!) and Emily Polskin Zylber (right)

Stony Brook alumni Paul Auerbach (left) and John Cregar.

Marilyn Gross Stillman (left) and Nancy Eddy Hanna

Dance Fever

The dancing never stopped at the NPHS Reunion on October 18, 2014.  If the DJ didn't leave at midnight -- who knows? -- maybe everyone would still be dancing today.  Check out the action.

Greg and Janice Hansen Lake take a moment from dancing to pose for the camera

Greg and Janice Hansen Lake slow things down along with other classmates including Wendy Perslin (left) and Marilyn Gross Stillman (right).   They might have been dancing to a song from The Righteous Brothers.  

Howard Polskin and Kathy Miller Senna share a chuckle with Emily Polskin Zylber.

Dancing cheek to cheek: Bob Kelley and  Kris Delunas (left) and Ron  and Michelle Schneider 

Women in white:  Wendy Perslin (center) kicks into high gear along with Kris Delunas (left).

Once around the horn with the Melhorns:  Carl and Carolyn do their thing.  

Hello from Dave Mills...Who Still Has a Crew Cut

Dave Mills at the 2009 NPHS reunion.

I received a touching email from Dave Mills, NPHS class of 1969, who was unable to make the reunion.  I've taken the liberty of including the note below with a few minor edits.  The note was sent to me by his wife Jay who has not only patience but a good sense of humor.  She wrote, "I am writing this for Dave Mills.  He hasn't come into the 20th century yet...."

Dear classmates:

I missed the reunion.  I thought it was in November, not October.  That's what happens when you're 64.  I was happy to see the video spent most of the time focusing on cleavage not name tags.  Looks like everyone had a good time and I'm sorry I missed it.

I live in Robbinsville (east of Princeton and Trenton).  My wife Jay typed this note.  If I typed it, it wouldn't be completed until 2015.  I miss all the gang.  Everybody looked good.  I will be sure to circle the date on the calendar for the next reunion no matter how years pass. I may be 64, but I am still in the game.

Best wishes and regards,

#40
Dave

PS -- I still have a crew cut.

There's Got to Be a Morning After

Following an energetic night of dancing, drinking and reliving old memories, a hearty band of NPHS reunion party-goers managed to make it to breakfast at the hotel on the morning (9 a.m.!) of October 19.  Check out these early risers.

Dressed to thrill:  Some of the leading ladies from the NPHS class of 1968 are locked and loaded Sunday morning, ready to greet the day.  (From left to right): Nancy Waller, Judy Nazemetz, Linda Shebey Luegers, Gerry Garatino Burns, and Adrienne Jacobs Graubard (foreground).  

Dude, where's my car?  NPHS Reunion scribe Howard Polskin searches for his car Sunday morning outside the hotel.  He later discovered he took a cab from Manhattan to the reunion.  (Not really!)

Scrambled memories or scrambled eggs?  Bob Kelley and Judy Nazemetz take a minute to recall some of the high points of the Saturday night reunion.  

Sister Act:  Jill Marks Hix and Noel Marks (brother and sister) enjoy their early morning breakfast.  

Wayne's World:  Wayne DiNardo chows down Sunday morning after keeping the midnight oil burning Saturday night.  

Lights!....Cameras!....Advil!.....I Mean Action!

Steven Greene, the talented and resourceful husband of Carol Mingione Greene, has produced a wonderful 30-minute+ video of the October 18, NPHS Reunion.  You can check it by clicking here.

NPHS Reunion Postings Will Continue the Weekend of Oct. 24

Classmates:

I'm away on business but the blog is always on my mind.  I'll start posting more images from the Oct.18 reunion festivities on the weekend of Oct. 24.  Many thanks to everyone who sent in photos.  If people have some good shots, please forward to me (electronically!).

Howard
hpolskin@gmail.com

Saturday Night Fever Continues

We're getting lots of NPHS reunion photos from classmates who attended the festivities Saturday, October 18.  Here are a few more.

Wendy Perslin Trimarche and Bill Thompson.  Wendy moved to another town in New Jersey and never graduated from NPHS, but she retains many cherished friendships with North Plainfield friends. 

Sandra Koflanovich Jantz and  Suzanne Dumont Millan.

Bill Orloff and Doug MacNeil.

Richard Muglia recalls his experiences as a lawyer in London while talking with Nancy Eddy Hanna.  Richard recently moved back to the States.  

Tongue in cheek?  Claire Cox Krusch (left, class of 1970) mixes it up with upper classmen (from left to right), Sue Peterson Hondru, John Dandeo, Patty Smith Dandeo, and Susan Eddy Hey.  

Saturday Night Fever -- in Warren, NJ

Lorrie Allen Jairdullo (left), Angela DellaVentura, and Chick Jairdullo (class of 1966).

(Still) standing tall: Nick Thul (left) and Bob Kelley.

Take a hike! Former center Rich Andronici (left), Wayne DiNardo (center) and Richard Searle.  

All classes were welcome! Sue Peterson Hondru (left; class of 1967), Patti Smith Dandeo (center, class of 1968) and John Dandeo (class of 1967).  

A Couple of Couples

Hart to Hart: Judy Feller Hart and Robert Hart (betcha that wasn't the first time that line was used).

Adrienne and Roger Graubard.  They hosted the raucous after-party.  Rumor has it that they supplied all the beverages and chips at Woodstock in '69.  

Raise Your Arms if You're Sure (Having Fun)

Most classmates hit the dance floor hard at the NPHS Reunion on the night of October 18.  The creeping rust of arthritis was put aside for a few hours, old injuries were forgotten, and slinky dance moves from 40 years ago were suddenly recalled.  The air in the ballroom room crackled with the athleticism, energy and the exuberance of the dancers.  And then there was Linda Shebey Leugers who took it to a whole other level.  Here she shows her best 1968 moves flanked by Adrienne Jacobs Graubard (right) and Angela DellaVentura.

The Cocktail Party Before the Cocktail Party

Emily Polskin Zylber (drink) catches up with Karen Kretschmer Hochanski (center) and Carol Mingione Greene.

If we learned anything at NPHS, we certainly developed the skill to party -- I mean network with liquids.  Although the official cocktail party didn't start until 7, classmates who checked into the hotel early, checked out the bar scene at 6:00 p.m. About 20 classmates convened for a lively hour before dressing for the evening's event in the hotel's ballroom.

Marilyn Gross Stillman (left) poses with Janice Hansen Lake, our hard-working NPHS Reunion Committee co-chairperson.  If the  Committee was a for-profit enterprise, we'd give Janice a raise and a promotion.  Instead, we'll shower her and her Class of 1968 NPHS Reunion Committee co-chair Gerry Garatino Burns with our gratitude and affection.  Well done ladies!  You put in countless hours.

Whadja get on your SAT scores?  Uh....wrong decade.  Beat Steiner and Marilyn Gross Stillman are probably checking out their retirement portfolios.

Ron Schneider and his wife Michelle.

(from left to right): Karen Kretschmer Kochanski, Janet Medinets Doctofsky and Carol Mingione Greene. 

NPHS Classes of 1968 and 1969 Hold "Awesome" Reunion Night of Oct. 18

Joe Cioce (center, blue shirt) busts some moves.  

More than 120 classmates from the North Plainfield High School classes of 1968 and 1969 attended their reunion on the night of Oct. 18 at the Somerset Hills Hotel in Warren, NJ.  The evening featured a full buffet dinner, live DJ, cold beer and warm memories.  It was a perfect fall evening in central New Jersey with colored leaves falling lazily from thick clusters of trees surrounding the new hotel.  The Garden State never looked better.

Most attendees described the event as awesome as they reconnected with old friends, swapped phone numbers and email addresses, and kept two bartenders hopping all evening.  The dance floor (above) was never empty as classmates boogied, jived, shaked, rattled and rolled, ignoring the wear and tear of six decades on the planet and wind sprints on Krausche Field.

The DJ played his last song at midnight.  The party-hearty stragglers -- about 40 -- drifted to room 411 for the after-party hosted by Adrienne Jacobs Graubard and Roger Graubard.    Sue Henry opened the door to her hotel room to accommodate the over-flow crowd.  The Rolling Stones would have been proud.  (This reporter retired to bed at 2:30 a.m. and the wine was still flowing.)

Sunday morning, bleary-eyed classmates met for breakfast in the hotel dining room.  More smiles.  More tears.  And many promises to meet once again for a reunion in 2018 (yes...that's right....four years from now when it will be the 50th graduation anniversary for the class of 1968).

If you have captured some great images that you would like to have posted on this blog, please email hpolskin@gmail.com.

(From left to right, standing): Paul Auerbach, Meryl Blumberg Broadbent, Richard Searl, Richard Andronici, and Gene Ferraro, who faked out everyone by wearing Wayne DiNardo's name tag. (Kneeling in front): Richard Muglia.

It's clear as black and white: that's Kris Delunas lighting up the dance floor.

Willow Ave. neighbors:  Nancy Reis Mann and Jeff Sperling.  Nancy spent more than a decade in Asia.  Jeff just retired.

Oct. 18 NPHS Reunion Photos and Recap to Be Posted Sunday, Oct. 19

Classmates...watch this space for stories and photos from the Saturday night, Oct. 18, reunion of the NPHS classes of 1968 and 1969.  If you have photos from the reunion and you want them posted on this site, please send to hpolskin@gmail.com.  If you don't know how to send an image via email, ask your grandchildren.

Greetings from Dean Cook, NPHS Class of 1969: How HoJo's Launched His Career

We received the following email from classmate Dean Cook.  He cannot attend the reunion but he wanted everyone to know the following:

Dear Classmates:

Greetings to the class of 69!  Can you believe that my high school job at JoJo's actually set my career path?  After graduating from NPHS, I drove my Firebird to Florida to study hotel management at St. petersburg College.  My hotel career spanned 37 years and I worked in states from Florida to Massachusetts.  I worked at Hiltons, Ramadas and Holiday Inns.  My positions included general manager, director of operations, construction coordinator and project designer.

I have been married to my wife Donna for 42 years.  We have two sons and two grandsons.  Together, we have enjoyed cruising our boats on Barnegat Bay, the Hudson River and the Chesapeake Bay.  We also enjoy restoring or customizing several old cars, including a 1957 Chevy.  We are now both retired and moved to Pennsylvania this past January to be close to our grandkids (!).  We are building a new house near Hershey.  I enjoy playing golf, winters in Florida, and -- of course -- looking for old cars.

Love to all my friends from NPHS!

Dean Cook
dcookhh@hotmail.com

More Additions! Updated List of Attendees for the NPHS Class of 1969 Reunion

Here's the updated list of attendees for the NPHS Reunion.  New additions are in boldface.

Linda Allen Dickert
Richard Andronici
Paul Auerbach
Colleen Bersch Brown
Diane Broccolettie Leonard
Dennis Cecchini
Frank Cramer
Suzanne Dumont Millan
Nancy Eddy Hanna
Loren (Larry) Garland
Beverly Gaston Kochard
Marylyn Gross Stillman
Janice Hansen Lake
Karen Hultburg Pirozzi
Sandra Koflanovich Jantz
Karen Kretschmer Kochanski
Paula LaCosta
Jill Marks His
Noel Marks
Janet Medinets Doctofsky
Carl Mehlhorn
Kathy Miller Senna
Carol Mingione Greene
Janet Morris Smith
Richard Muglia
William Orloff
Wendy Perslin Trimarche
Emily Polskin Zylber
Howard Polskin
Joe Ricci
Robin Roselle Oratio
Ronald Schneider
Beat Steiner
Karen VonTish Andronici
Linda Wadnick Kollar

NPHS Class of 1970
Meryl Blumberg Broadbent
Claire Cox Krusch

Classmates Are Invited to the Friday, October 17, NPHS Football Game

As part of the Reunion Celebration for the NPHS classes of 1968 and 1969, all classmates are invited to attend the North Plainfield High School varsity football game on the night of Friday, October 17, NPHS Krausche Field.  The team squares off against Delaware Valley High School.  Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m. All classmates are also invited to a tour of the high school beginning at 6 p.m. and should meet at the main high school entrance on Wilson Ave. at 6 p.m.   (Anyone caught smoking will be subject to detention Saturday morning or else be forced to read all of Beowulf or My Antonia.)  If you're planning to go or would like more information please contact: Janice Hansen Lake (JaniceHansenLake@gmail.com).

NPHS Reunion Committee Meets Sept. 9

The NPHS Reunion Committee for the classes of 1968 and 1969 met September 9 to put the final touches on the upcoming October 18 reunion.  (Tickets are still on sale....contact Janice Hansen Lake:  janicehansenlake@gmail.com.)   Here committee member Effie Karpodinis Judge (class of 1968; left), Nancy Waller (class of 1968; center), and Adrienne Jacobs Graubard (class of 1968), examine photos of classmates.

Angela DellaVentura (class of 1968, left) and Janice Hansen Lake (class of 1969) share a bottle of wine and swap stories.

Karen Von Tish Andronici (class of 1969, left) and Effie Karpodinis Judge (class of 1968) take a break from their reunion committee duties.

Classmates from the class of 1968 Nancy Waller (left) and Adrienne Jacobs Graubard.

Take a bow....and a swig!  NPHS Reunion Class of 1968 and 1969 co-chairs, big shots and cat herders Janice Hansen Lake (class of 1969, left) and Gerry Garatino Burns (class of 1968).