Andrew Warde High School's 30-Year Reunion Successful & Enjoyable

Our reunion was a tremendous success. Thirty years after our graduation from Andrew Warde High School, 160 classmates from the Class of 1976 and 220 people attended the gala event at Testo's Restaurant in Bridgeport. It was an exceptional evening.

Reunion committee member Donna Palenchar summed up the night by offering her thoughts to the committee. "Was that the best reunion ever? I think, by God, we did it. The largest turnout ever. The night went by so fast."

Yes, it did go by fast. It seemed every time I turned around I ran into someone I haven't seen in ages. I think most of us spent the night chatting with our high school buddies and catching up. The relaxed atmosphere and smiles on everybody's faces made the night enjoyable for everyone.

Judy Gadacy wrote, "Truly, you should still be in a euphoric state, simply from all the positive feedback that continues to come your way. Such a memorable event! I have received numerous phone calls and emails from classmates who simply said, "They had a blast," and are wondering when the next event will take place. They cannot wait! I wonder if an annual event might be something to think about; not of the same magnitude as Saturday, but just a D.J., food, conversation?"

And, another from Vicki (Marx) Drisdelle, echoed the feelings. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, committee, for a wonderful reunion last evening. It was great! The time flew by. I think everyone had a great time - hope you were able to enjoy it and not just work all night. The turnout was wonderful and it was so nice to see everyone. I can't wait for the book - another great idea. And having some teachers attend was genius too! The website was phenomenal. All in all a tremendous job."

Special thanks must be extended to Tony Procaccini, who orchestrated and organized the planning of the reunion. It was a huge undertaking, but Tony is a veteran at spearheading reunions, and he is to be commended for an outstanding job. He is detail-oriented, and everything ran smoothly. Tony, thanks for volunteering to be committee president.

"Everyone, without exception, said they had a great time. Many complimented us on having teachers there, the Memorial tribute, the "Jam session," the picnic and other new and previously used methods," Tony wrote. "Let's gloat in the good feeling we helped rekindle for the proud Bicentennial Warde Class of 1976!!!"

The reunion committee worked tirelessly from the date of our first meeting, April 29, through the day of the reunion. Imagine starting from scratch. That's exactly what we did. Decisions had to be made regarding the reunion date, Web site, location of the event, budget, and contacting as many classmates as possible. It seemed daunting and overwhelming at the start. But, committee "phone blitzes," constant emails, and diligence at taking care of even the most minute of details ensured a successful evening.

Special thanks to Mike from Celebration Entertainment in Stratford for providing the music for our reunion. Mike's selection was upbeat and encouraged us to hit the dance floor. He provided enjoyable background music during the course of the early evening socializing.

I'd be remiss if I didn't send out special thanks to Joe Malgioglio for providing us with the video of our days at Andrew Warde High School. Many classmates expressed my sentiments. It was eerie watching the video. It seemed archaic, and it felt as if we were watching film from the 1920s. The unsteady black-and-white footage without sound provided a stark contrast of the "technology" back then with what we have today.

Joe's video played on a screen during the reunion, and everybody seemed to enjoy it. I was shocked when I saw myself in the video with two of my closest friends from high school. Joe made it a point to see me and inform me that I was on the video. He even gave a DVD of the film to me and Joanne Amelung, who was also on the film. Joe, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And how about a special thanks to Mr. Bob Genualdi, our headmaster, for accepting an invitation? It was also great to see Ed Bengermino, John Honey, and other teachers from our days at Warde. That was a nice touch.

Mark Waxman, thanks for reading my blog. It was a pleasure to meet your wife, Sherri, and I enjoyed our conversation at the reunion. It was heartwarming to hear your story about visiting your childhood home again. You're not the only one who drove around Andrew Warde High School, either. In fact, I did it again today, just for "old times' sake." I sincerely hope you had the opportunity to drive to Osborn Hill School, too. Believe me, it still looks the same. There weren't too many of us who went to Osborn Hill, but those memories will never fade, either.

I look forward to our next reunion, although the passage of time can wait, I'm sure. Time has been good to many of us. Thank you to all who helped make the reunion a memorable and rewarding evening.

Paul