The following was written by Mark Waxman, who celebrated his 50th birthday on the same day as our class birthday party. Mark (pictured at the far left in the photo below) also won a raffle prize. He shares his thoughts about the party and his return to Fairfield with his wife, Sherri.Being able to celebrate my 50th with the class was very special. My wife, Sherri, had been trying to figure out how to celebrate my birthday. When this opportunity came up, to have a birthday back in Fairfield with friends from high school, I knew this was the right way to celebrate. We all came of age together back in high school. To be able to celebrate another milestone, turning 50, with the people I went to school with was very special.
Fairfield has changed so much since I left in 1981. I see new houses, lots more people, lots more traffic, and many different stores downtown. Of course, there are some things that are the same, such as Duchess, Poster Hardware, the Pike Diner, and the Angus Steak House.
Driving by Warde, Osborn Hill, Fairfield Woods and the library all brought back good memories. I didn't get a chance to see my old house this time. I did two years ago during the 30th reunion (documented elsewhere). It's still a nice town, but so different from where I live in Ohio.
The turnout was great. I think we must have had around 50 people, if not a few more. The committee did a wonderful job at Bravo's. Being able to see you, Tony Pro, Steve Syarto, Bill Biedermann, Tom Yanik, Bob Berman, Nina Bonnacci, Wendy Williams, Tommy D, Bob Vadas, Joe O'Brien, Debbie Kamlani ... boy, the list just goes on and on. I don't think I got a chance to see everyone.
I believe I was the only person who brought his spouse to the party. I know someone approached my wife, trying to figure out which classmate she was. Of course, since she's from Ohio, there was no connection, but it was fun to have him ask her who she was. I thought the birthday cake and raffle was a ton of fun. The food was good also.
I won an interesting raffle item, the Mary Kay gift set. Fortunately for me it made a nice gift for Sherri! Sherri and I spent Friday in New York City with my dad and stepmother. We came up to Fairfield on the train Saturday afternoon. Steve Syarto and his children, Chloe and Conner, picked us up at the Fairfield train station and took us to our hotel, the Marriott in Trumbull, which has been nicely upgraded since our stay there two years ago.
After a quick change, we headed back to Steve's house. His wife Marilyn had prepared some snacks and we had a nice visit with her, their kids, Steve, and then Tom Yanik showed up. I hadn't seen Tom in a long time so it was nice to catch up with him. His three kids are the same ages as our three. Then Bob Berman and Bill Biedermann arrived.
After hoisting a few beers, we headed to the party. Sunday morning we woke up and invited Steve, Marilyn, Chloe, and Conner to the hotel so the kids could go swimming. We all had breakfast together.
Steve and the kids then took us to the train station and we headed back to the City to meet with my dad and stepmother. On Sunday night I had special plans. We made reservations at Bobby Flays Mesa Grill. The dinner there was absolutely fantastic. The wine, appetizers, food and desert were more than we expected, and the service was fantastic. It was truly a meal and a restaurant to remember.
Monday, we took a trip to the Empire State Building, then walked up 5th Avenue from 34th to 55th and then over to my Dad's place (55th Street and 1st Ave). We took my Dad to lunch and had a slice of "real" pizza. The pizza in Ohio is OK, but nothing like pizza in New York City. We had an uneventful flight home this evening, getting home around 8:30pm. We had a wonderful weekend.
Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.
Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.
Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".
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