New Names on the Memorial Page

Since our reunion, we've learned of several deaths:

Louise Parten Long on January 14, 2015
Robert W. Blackmur (English teacher) on January 15, 2015
William R. Schwalbe in August 2015

You can find more information on the Memorial page.

 

50TH REUNION INFORMATION
Friday Night Drop-in Happy Hour

What a fun night!

About 50 people dropped by the Happy Hour at the Hilton on Friday night.  We were all able to crowd into the small private dining room, but it was a tight squeeze.

Once the nametags were in place, the years melted away and conversation and laughter flowed freely.  We heard stories from high school about who had a crush on who, who was dating who, who lived in the neighborhood, which elementary schools we attended, etc.  There was talk about what we wore, what kind of cars we drove, who our favorite (and least favorite) teachers were, how far we had to walk to school, who our favorite bands were, etc.

People brought old yearbooks and other assorted memorabilia.  Sue Hedke wore her class ring.  We scrutinized the Ramsey Junior High School photo from 1961 and pointed out our own photos.  We amazed each other by remembering the names of people in that photo we hadn't thought about in years.  And we paused before the poster of our deceased classmates and reminisced about them and when they were all here with us.

Ellen Goldenberg, Laurie Perkins, Rosemary Hultman and (Karen) Sue Johnson Cummings took the light rail to Twins Stadium to see the Twins play the Angels.  Ellen brought her Angels t-shirt, but borrowed a fuzzy fleece jacket to ward off the unseasonably chilly night.

Ken Hande and his wife also dropped in to the Happy Hour before they took the light rail to the Twins game.

Gerry Harding Cronquist and Janie Howdeshell Cronin visited the Mall of America earlier in the afternoon.  Gerry said there are many more choices at the Mall than in Eagle River, Alaska.

Some classmates came to town earlier this week to visit friends and family.  Others plan to hang around after the reunion for the same reason.  

We told each other stories about what we've been doing for the past 50 years.  We told each other lies ("No, you haven't changed a bit.").  We laughed a lot. And we promised we'd stay in touch.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by.

School Tour  NOW OPEN TO EVERYONE!

This information is being posted on this page AND the "Breaking News" page to make sure eveyone sees it.

We just received final approval from Washburn letting us know we'll be able to open the school tour to everyone who wants to join us.

 

The school engineer has asked us to park in the Staff Parking Lot on the 50th Street side of the building.  The driveway into the lot is located on Pleasant Avenue, and the exit from the lot leads to 50th Street.

 

We anticipate the bus tour will be returning to Washburn around noon on that Saturday, and the riders will pause briefly for a box lunch at the picnic tables near the entrance to the football field. When you arrive at the school you can look for the group at the picnic tables.  We'll be going into the school through Door 10 on the 50th Street side around 12:30 pm, and think we'll be inside from 30 to 45 minutes..

 

John Tietz and Tom Crouch (member of the Washburn Foundation and husband of Paula Eliason Crouch) will be at the school to conduct the tour.  Tom will be telling us about the school today, and how the Washburn Foundation is helping students and teachers.

 

Saturday Night Event

As at our past reunions, our Saturday night meal will be an APPETIZER BUFFET with smaller plates. Your Reunion Committee organized it this way to encourage you to get up periodically, to mingle, and to keep you from staying planted at one table all evening.  If you move around, you're sure to bump into someone you haven't seen for a while (maybe, for a very long while).

Our evening at the Officers' Club runs from 6:00 pm to midnight, and we know that's just not long enough to visit with everyone who will be there. Do your best to circulate and you'll see more people.

The Hilton's courtesy shuttle will take hotel guests to and from the Officers' Club.  Check at the front desk for a schedule.

Our dance floor will be set up on the lower level of the Officers' Club with a bar and additional seating. The DJ has promised to play songs we remember, and will be open to requests.  We're hoping the separation will work downstairs for dancers, as well as upstairs for classmates who want to talk.

Sometime during the evening we will be entertained by the WHS 64 Alumni Rock Band, “The Tzatskees”.  Joel Seltz, Gerry Clark, Tim Mungavan and Dan Ling have been coerced to perform again after their band retired 46 years ago. This will be fun!

People Staying at Hotel

The special Hilton rate night ended on Friday, August 22 at midnight. 

Here's the list of classmates who booked rooms at the Hilton as of Monday, August 25.

Per Barsten
Richard Carpenter
Joanne Digree Fritz
Dave Floyd
Ellen Goldenberg
Stephanie Haider
Ken Hande
Gerry Harding Cronquist
Sue Hedke
Patty Hove Cross
Janie Howdeshell Cronin
Rosemary Hultman
Sharon Huso Taylor
Carol (Kelly) Johnson Johnson
Dan Ling & Marge Fechner Ling
Dan McCormick
Laurie Perkins
Bill Pritchard
Linda Rasmussen Neudecker
Connie Rondeau Johnson
Dick Sigurdson
Evy Swan Genereux

We know some people are sharing rooms, so additional classmates may also be staying at the hotel.

Dress Info

People have asked about dress code, and we're pointing them to the photo from ten years ago on the "Welcome" page of the website. You can see a wide variety of clothing choices in the photo, and we expect the same this time.  Suits or sport coats are definitely not required for men for this event, and the women are invited to choose what they want to wear as well to be comfortable. At our last Reunion Committee meeting the women were polled and said they'd be wearing "a dress", "slacks and a top", "a skirt and a top".  Hope that helps.

 

The Officers' Club will be crowded and it's possible it might be a little warm once we get all the bodies in. There's a beautiful deck on the east side of the building, and if the weather cooperates, we plan to use it.  The Officers' Club is an older venue and it's a little on the "vintage" side.  The committee's consensus was that the reunion is less about a swanky location and extravagant food, and more about getting together to reconnect with each other.

The dance floor will be located on the lower level and we hope that will separate the dance crowd from those who just want to mingle and catch up with each other.
 

Ramsey Jr High Ninth Grade Photo


Jean Lindgren Moskalik brought this photo to our Reunion Committee meeting and we KNEW it had to be added to the website.  You WILL recognize people.

Click here to view the Ramsey Jr High Ninth Grade Photo
 

Things to Do While You're in Town

Mall of America  It's the largest shopping center in the country with more than 400 stores and 35 to 40 million visits each year.  Families love to visit Nickolodeon Universe, the huge indoor amusement park.  There are also at least 50 restaurants on the property.  An expansion of MOA is currently under construction.  Remember, there is no sales tax on clothing in Minnesota.  The hotel's courtesy shuttle makes regular trips to MOA. www.moa.com

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge  It's just outside the door and across the road from the Hilton Hotel.  There are only four urban wildlife refuges in the country. This one has a Visitor Center within walking distance and it's open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm while you're here.
www.fws.gov/refuge/Minnesota_Valley

Twin Cities Premium Outlets  This is the area's newest shopping destination, and it just opened on August 14.  It's located in Eagan, only three miles south of the Mall of America.  If you want to go, take the hotel's courtesy shuttle to the MOA Transit Station, and then catch the Red Line bus service to Twin Cities Premium Outlets.  There are 100 designer and name brand outlet stores, and there is no sales tax on clothing in Minnesota.
www.premiumoutlets.com

Gophers Football  The Gophers are playing the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at the TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus at 2:30 pm on Saturday, September 6.  You can get there by taking the Blue Line light rail to the Green Line.  But if you stay for the whole game, you'll be late for the Reunion Dinner.

Minnesota Twins  The Twins are playing the Angels at Target Field on Friday, September 5 at 7:10 pm. Ellen Goldenberg expressed interest in going, and can let you know if plans have come together to attend. You can contact her at www.ellenfaye620@gmail.com.  Ellen was out of town for awhile, but is hoping to organize the group going to the Twins game in the next week.  The Light Rail Blue Line begins at the Mall of America and ends at Twins Stadium, so it's easy to get there.  Take the hotel shuttle to the MOA Transit Station and hop on the Light Rail.