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What people had to say...

Steve Green: “The Class of Sixty-Five”

To the TJ Class of 1965 Reunion Committe, participants, and classmates who were there in spirit:

I burst with enthusiasm when I think about our reunion this past weekend  and how incredibly wonderful it really was!!!!!!  Some of the pictures I took (and also asked a spouse to take with me in them) of us on the front steps of TJ really convey the JOY AND GLADNESS we all felt at this reunion. 
 
The glow from the weekend still surrounds me.  I feel so lucky and blessed to have been a part of this class.  From the reactions I have gotten from friends and acquaintances here in NYC where I live, this blessing is proved over and over again:  "I have no desire to go to my high school reunion," "There were riots for 2 years at my high school," "There were only 10 people at my reunion," etc. etc.   The smiles on the faces of all my classmates in my pictures proves how lucky we all are.

As the plane approached LaGuardia airport on my return flight home Sunday night, I couldn't believe my eyes as I saw that the Empire State Building (my favorite!) was lit up in RED and WHITE!!!  Tears of joy came to my eyes as I took this as an additional sign that our 40th reunion was something we will all treasure for the rest of our lives. 

From the "dull roar" of Friday night's "meet and greet" where we approached each other staring at the class photo ID before looking up to see how we look today, to the oh, so comfortable feeling on Saturday morning of being back at TJ, sitting at the assembly and enjoying the slide-and-history presentation, to having lunch with our buddies in our cafeteria as "back in the day" . . .

After returning from the bus tour of Richmond, which was quite enjoyable, I went back into TJ by myself and walked the halls.  The school looks so wonderful!! Clean and shining!  I took a picture of the gym, which looks great, and of the hallway on the 3rd floor by my homeroom (304) . . . I'm telling you, those of you who weren't there won't believe how great the 'ol place still looks!  She's been kept up very well!!!! 
 
Saturday night's dance was so much fun!  Good food and drink, and GREAT MUSIC ! !   Larry and Larry did a great job . . . and it was great to sing and dance together and to get a chance to talk to old friends and meet some new ones.  

Actually for me the highlight of the weekend came on Sunday morning when, after the brunch, Johnny Schwartz got up and thanked everyone and opened up the floor to comments.  These were priceless.  To hear how some people were hesitant to come to the reunion but were encouraged to do so by the website and emails from fellow students. . . it was incredible to hear everyone's feelings.

Can't wait for our 45th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheryl Sporn Gross

What a wonderful time was had by all!  Many, many, many thanks to all of you for a delightful weekend!

Judy Glaser Markowitz

I know I speak for all when I say "Great Job!" to all those responsible for a memorable weekend and the hard work leading up to it. You, John, Charles and all of the board members are to be commended for a weekend I will never forget.

Chas Davidson

Hey, if this wasn't a good reunion, I don't know what would be. Congrats to everyone.  I think some people would have partied longer if something else had been scheduled. Good planning, good people, good technology, good entertainment, good food=A GREAT REUNION!!

Russell Flammia

Congratulations on what seems to have been an absolutely marvelous reunion!  I was first alerted to your activities by the article this morning in the Times Dispatch, and have spent the last hour gazing at the pictures and names on the website.

I was in the Class of '66, but I had many friends in, and have many fond memories of, the Class of '65.  During the school year 1964-65, for example, I was the Manager of the Cross Country and Track teams, and as a result, I actually found my picture (very small) in the Monticello section of your web-site!

Edward J. Westlow

All of you did one great job with the reunion.  Linda and I really enjoyed the experience and appreciate all your hard work. Can't wait for next time.

Again hats off to all of you for a first class job.  When is the next one??  How about 45 and make it real informal.  I think everyone enjoyed friday nite and that was low prep!!

Ellyson Robinson III

It has taken me awhile to respond to you because I just could not find the proper words to say to you what a wonderful job you and the committee did and the most wonderful time I have had in my life in a long, long time...

The friendship just came like no time had lapsed between so many of us - the smiles, the laughter, and the memories were just awesome!!

You would be happy to hear the PJ Party girls have kept in touch almost daily since the reunion - time doesn't change many things, right??

Every event was special, and extremely heart warming, not one stood out over the other - each gave all a chance to touch and feel the friendship that only a life time can give to each and every one of us.

I will tell you from the bottom of my heart there were moments during the reunion that my heart was breaking for our beloved friend HENRY, but there were moments in my heart that I truly knew he was there with us ("He was shining down on us from heaven, like so many friends we've lost along the way"), thank you for your memories and love for him!!!

On a lighter note, I'd like to drop a line to Larry and tell him what a wonderful job he did with the music but somehow I got away without his e-mail- if you could share that with me I would be very appreciative!!

As I said, coming ALONE, there is NO such thing. We will always have each other NO matter how many years pass, we all have a bond no one can take away-WHAT A BEAUTIFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE!!!

Again, Thank you for standing behind your word at the memorial for Henry, JOB WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!

Retta Zimmerman Tucker

The reunion weekend was great.  You and the rest of the team worked so hard and it is greatly appreciated.

Ronnie Feibish Thomas

The CD's were awesome.

Sandy Jones Kerr

I am thankful that this group worked so hard to make my 40th reunion very special.  You all deserve many, many thanks and rest!

Joyce Councill Reid

Thank you for all the careful planning you did for the retreat.  Even though I wasn't able to attend, I enjoyed Angie's weekly compilation of classmate emails on various topics and was extremely impressed with the extensive website.  What fun to recall different classmates and their accomplishments and antics.  You deserve a really restful vacation.

Susie Johnston Sellner

You guys did a wonderful job with the reunion.  Thank you for all the hard work.  It was a lot of fun.

Helen Clanton Boynton

You all did a marvelous job!! I loved seeing all the guys & girls from 1965--some I haven't seen since then

Let's do it again

Bruce Roberts

Although this is a little late, you and the committee did a great job and the weekend was more enjoyable than I would have imagined.  It was such fun seeing familiar faces and meeting people that I did not remember. Even my husband, who is not a reunion fan, thought the event was very well planned and enjoyed seeing everyone's enthusiasm.

Rosie Brummer Herold

We have been out of town since the day after the Reunion and just returned last night.  Although this thank you is a little belated, I wanted to add my thanks for all your hard work.  The Committee did such a wonderful job which was certainly evident by the fun that was had by all.   All three days were super!  What fun it was to make new acquaintances, as well as renew old friendships.

My sincere thanks for a wonderful, wonderful weekend.

Lynda Alston Bare

Thanks again for your great work!

Phil Pollack

This is Judy (Huntley).  I could not make the reunion but do thank the benefactors who are generously sending out the package. Hopefully, I will be able to make the February reunion....
 
Thanks again for all your efforts.
 
Judy Creasy

The reunion committee did a fantastic job, and I'm so appreciative that all of us will receive a complete memory package thanks to the generosity of the various benefactors.  Tonight I enjoyed cycling through the photos on the website and will spend more time printing out the list of classmates, looking at the picture of those who attended and the key to their names...

Thanks again for your hard work and generosity in making the memories available to all of us.

Susie Johnston Sellner

SO GOOD to hear from you with news of all those goodies!  I can't wait to go to our website and look at everything!  Those of us up here in NYC are coping with a transit strike, as you must know by now.  Lucky for ME, I live across the street from the hospital where I work!  But this strike has really put a damper on the holiday season for many people.  However Bill and I are fine (he's been getting picked up every day by a co-worker) and I am busy wrapping Chanukah presents for our families. I hope this finds everyone well and may I take this opportunity to wish all my Tee Jay friends a very HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Love Y'all,

Cheryl Sporn Gross

...what fun to continue to hear from people-but now, really you cannot just drop the word "romance" without puttin' two and two together!!!! You mean some of us can come to the get-together in February??  I'd love it!!  I need another chance at being sociable-I must admit I was totally unprepared for the feelings our reunion brought out in me.  I'm not a crowd person, so I really have to work at it!...

Judie Reed

I just finished looking at the web page for the 40th reunion and all I can say is WOW!!!.  Since I could not attend, I really enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces in the event pictures.  It appears that EVERYONE had a wonderful time. The TJ site is GREAT and so well done.  Thanks to all who made it possible.  Although, I missed this reunion, I hope to make it to the next one.

Brenda Soffee Whitfield

... this is a bit late, but better late than never (!)  Marshall and I loved ALL the events we attended and had so MUCH fun connecting with others.  I'm sorry it worked out so that I was unable to do very much...but I felt I was instrumental in getting Carol Maier Matuschek to attend.  Thanks so very much for all of your efforts...now I will recognize (at least a few) of my classmates on the streets of Richmond.

Rita Savage Earl

I don't feel I have ever adequately thanked you for everything you have done for our class.....notice I say "for our class" because what you did for the reunion goes much farther than those 3 days. The reunion and re-establishing old friendships has added a whole new dimension to my life for which I am very grateful!  With my daughter's recent wedding, I watched her with many high school relationships with whom she's remained close (9 years later) and I actually grieved for the ones I had and lost.  It was impeccable timing to have the reunion just 3 months later!...I'm sure you have heard this over and over, but one can never hear praise too often...The extent to which you and the committee went with the plans was phenomenal!  Each event served a different purpose and served it well.  Friday night was the perfect means of breaking the ice.  Saturday afternoon helped me reach back in the depths of my memories to find so many forgotten tidbits about Richmond as well as TJ.  Being in the building brought me right back to those cherished moments...it was so unreal.  Much of what I heard about TJ, I had forgotten or was learning for the first time.  I left with a renewed sense of pride for my old alma mater and a thankfulness that someone has continued to fight for her existence.  Saturday night was the opportunity to spend more quality time with those we may have only glimpsed on Friday...and with the music and dancing, I actually started feeling young again!  I had thought at one point (before the weekend) that the Sunday brunch would be overkill but that was so not the case.  It was a great time to sit back and reflect on exactly what had taken place over the previous 2days, and to hear my own thoughts spoken so eloquently by others.  I wasn't surprised to discover my emotions were shared by many.  I recently received the letter opener I had ordered that was made from the old gym bleachers.  My son happened to be over when I opened it excitedly and proudly held it up for him to see.  He said, "My gosh Mom, you REALLY loved your high school days, didn't you?!  I think what he was REALLY thinking was, "MY gosh, Mom....it's really pathetic that at age 58, you still think about your high school days!"  Well, that's not the way I see it at all.....I have those feelings because we had a phenomenal group of people, some of whom were close and some who were in the surroundings; we had a wonderful environment, both academic and social; and we had a spirit that was indescribable.  To have all of that is rare.  We were blessed.  Thank you for reminding me of that... This is way overdue, but maybe my tardiness will help you to know that the feelings remain.  I will not be able to join you for your distribution party for obvious reasons.  I will be going back to Virginia this summer for both a family gathering and one with some of my TJ partners in crime.  I will think of you on the 25th and the image will be one that will make me smile!  Please give my regards to everyone there.  I anxiously await my book and DVD!  

Kathy Mapp Waugaman

It was so special to have our own reunion Friday night <01/27/2006>.  I loved being together; hopefully we can do it again…The Monticello is exceptional and I have watched the DVD.  The committee truely outdid themselves!!!!  What wonderful memories!!!...We had a special class in a special city in the greatest  country and I am grateful to have shared the experiences with Johnny and Nancy and our classmates in the 1960's and before…Take care and let's keep in touch.
 
Susan Mintzer Davidow

Thank you so much for the information on Tyler Eanes.  I was so very sad to learn that he had died and even more sad to learn how.  But I thank you replying to me.  I do know that he married Jane Longan, who I believe went to Thomas Jefferson.  Jane also had a brother, Robert C. Longan, Jr. that I believe also went to TJ and may have graduated in 1963.  If you know of either of these two, would you be so kind to let me know if they are still around.  I believe that Bob is a doctor...By the way, my second husband ... graduated in the 1965 TJ class...I saw that he was listed as "lost" on your website.  I have kept in touch with his younger sister and I will be glad to see what I can find out about <him>, if you like...My school, Hermitage, was a great rival of TJ, but I always thought that Thomas Jefferson was the most beautiful school I ever saw - what a great building - and I still think so!  I also liked your website.  I am sure that some of the group that I chaperoned in 1964 and 1965 went to TJ, I just cannot remember any last names, unfortunately. ..Thank you so much for your help; I really appreciate it.

Didi McConnell