Volume 4, Number 3, October 1999
MIDNIGHT SUN ONLINE
-The Online Newsletter for Robert E. Peary High School Alumni-

MSO WEB SITE - http://www.pearyhs.org

Page 4

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999
From: Brian Brennan BBRENCOL@aol.com (1981)
Subject: Dr. Brennan

Thank you for such a wonderful memorial to Dr. William F. Brennan on
the opening page of the MSO, we deeply appreciate your warm sympathy.

We would also like to thank all alumni and former staff for the kind
thoughts, prayers, and condolences to our uncle Dr. Brennan.

Born in Carbondale, PA, Dr. Brennan was a scholar, a teacher, and a
leader. He had spent the last few years of his life battling lung
cancer. He is now resting in peace.

Dr. Brennan was 73 years old and residing in Bethesda, MD when he passed
away, we will all miss him dearly.

Brian, Tim, and Frank Brennan
R. E. Peary Alumni

**********

From: Neal Lee Pizzano npizzano@erols.com (1976)
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999
Subject: PEARY COOKBOOK

Send me your FAVORITE Recipes! We are putting together a cookbook of
Peary Alumni Recipes to be SOLD at the Peary Community Homecoming 2000
in June next year. If we get tons of recipes, we will put out advance
copies! What a collective treasure! Ideas are welcome for design.
Send recipes to npizzano@erols.com Subject: Recipes

Faculty and Students recipes!!!! Hurry as time is short!

**********

From: Betty L. Lopez boophaven@aol.com (1975)
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999
Subject: Update

I found out about the website from Connie Scuderi Gallerizzo.
Occupation: Interior Design/marketing, Children: Daughter, Haven DOB
6-27-95 4 years

Memorable Incidents: Variety show; driver's ed;

Since High School: Taking care of sick family; working

Memorable Teachers: Vicki Scheideman-homeroom for all 3 years; Tom
Nawrocki-well, you know why;

Chairing the 25 Year Reunion-please help me!! Give me as much info as
possible about where to contact you; ideas for a great reunion;
times/places/dates/activities/family or just alumni/etc.

**********

From: Charles O. Blaha coblinda@future.net.tr (1973)
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999
Subject: Update

I found out about the website from a classmate. Occupation: U. S.
diplomat, Spouse: Linda Robinson, Children: Alexandra DOB 1992 and
Camila DOB 1996

Memorable Incidents: Junior year soccer season. Senior year play, Long
Day's Journey Into Night

Since High School: Duke Univ., grad 1977. Univ of Va. Law School, grad
1981. Trial Attorney, Wisconsin State Public Defender, 1981-91. U.S.
Foreign Service, 1991-present. Postings: Panama, Havana (Cuba), Adana
(Turkey).

Future Plans: Return to State Department, Washington DC, summer 2001.

Memorable Teachers: Mr Pine, my soccer coach. Mr Gibbs, my English
teacher and Director.

**********

From: Sue Ann Symington Goby suegoby@coconet.com (1969)
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999
Subject: I missed the reunion!

Hurricane Irene was threatening south Florida on Oct 15 and I had to
cancel my plans to attend the 30-year reunion. As much as I miss you
guys, I would not board a commuter plane from Naples to Miami during a
hurricane watch.

Hopefully there will be some pictures posted on the website. How badly
did Ken Roseman treat the memory of the cheerleading squad?

**********

From: Eileen Brown Carter ecarter236@aol.com (1965)
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999
Subject: Reunion 2000

As some of you classmates have found out the joint 63/64/65 reunion has
been changed to August 11, 12, 13, 2000 and we would like a headcount by
class how many of you are coming I wish to thank those of you that I
have received email and talked with on the phone for your responses and
for those of you that have already sent your money and requests. Am
still trying to locate a few more classmates the count started out to be
approximately 280 then we minus the ones that have passed on that leaves
265 then you find a few and that leaves a total of apprximately 104
still missing. Please take a look at the missing ones and see if you
know where any are. I guess that all for now Eileen

**********

From: Christopher Jackson revjackson99@hotmail.com (1984)
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999
Subject: Update

I found out about the website from Jean Schuler in a telephone
conversation. Occupation: Baptist Minister, Spouse: Carolyn

Memorable Incidents: One assembly hall where we played Rick James' song
"Superfreak!" The Mr. Peary Muscle Man Talent contest. Imitations of Dr.
Dumai. The delicious steak and cheese sandwiches in the cafeteria. The
humongous chewy and soft cookies!

Since High School: I took classes at Montgomery College-Rockville for
about 3-3.5 years. I began attending Washington Bible College in Lanham,
MD and graduated (slowly but surely) in 1995. I got married on Christmas
Day 1994. We've traveled to Haiti and Cancun, Mexico together. My
father, Albert Cook Sr. died in 1993. I was ordained as a Baptist
preacher July of this year, though I have been working within the church
since December 1989. Also I was working for NationsBank (now Bank of
America) for 11 years.

Future Plans: I want to start my own church or Christian ministry soon
to help people know and understand how wonderful Messiah Jesus is! (As
I and so many others have found out!) Carolyn and I want to buy a home
in the near future. We hope to adopt an infant boy.

Memorable Teachers: Mrs. Rosen-she left the faculty before 1984 for some
tragedy. Mrs. Luck (Math teacher) for her jokes. Mr. Gardener (Math)
looked like Fred Flintstone! Mr. Hill (Homeroom) corrected my vocabulary
because I did the morning announcements with Michelle Himes. Where is
she? Mrs. Edwards (English) she turned me on to Literature and poetry
and writing.

**********

From: Carol Clark Embrey smembrey@aol.com (1972)
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999
Subject: Update

I found out about the website from a class of 1968 graduate. Occupation:
customer Service Manager of Bank of America, Spouse: Sumpter, Children:
Matthew 11 soon to be 12, Bryan 7, soon to be 8

Since High School: Graduated from Union college in Barbourville, Ky 1976
with B.A. degree, started for work for current employer, Bank of America
in 1978 been there every since.

Future Plans: Have kids graduate from school, pay for college and retire
in hopefully 14 years or so, travel with spouse, relax and enjoy the
peace and quiet.

Other alums I know about? Tom Armentrout lives 4 houses from me in
Monrovia, Ken Koenig lives 2 houses from him. Greg Fry coaches little
league baseball in Mt. Airy.

**********

From: Kerry Lee Daniel aka Mary Hight KeriDaniel@aol.com (1965)
Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999
Subject: Do I have to give you Geritol booster shots?

I'm writing this note to all my class of '65 alumni-buds. For a moment,
pretend I am a person who took nursing classes MANY years ago, flunked
"NeedleWork 101: How to give a painless injection," and have decided to
use EACH and EVERY ONE OF YOU as guinea pigs in my refresher course.
Now imagine that YOU are one of the MANY '65ers who are too lazy, too
busy, too smart, too rich, too poor, too hoity-toity, too fat, too bald,
too skinny, too WHATEVER to even consider participating in our upcoming
reunion...WATCH OUT! I'm coming after you...with my RUSTY needle...
pumped full of extra-strength GERITOL...and it's aimed squarely at your
collective posteriors. If you don't soon willingly get off your a__es
and participate to make our upcoming reunion a success, I will taunt
you, tease you, flail you, nudge you, bug you...NEEDLE you SO MUCH you
will soon find it easier and MUCH MORE FUN to just go along with it.
Don't you remember your moms telling you that shots always hurt the most
when you resist them? Besides, it's not nice to make Nursey mad; she
has a terrible temper.

Now that I have everyone's attention I want to make a serious and urgent
plea. Bob Lau has given a tremendous amount of his time, energy and
hard work to bring into your living rooms and hearts one of the most
fabulous WEB sites in cyberspace. Bob, with the assistance and spirit
of Neal Pizzano and others.... Who would ever have imagined that Robert
E. Peary High School, dead in the '80s, would rise like a phoenix from
the ashes more than a decade later. Many schools with long histories
and vast traditions don't have ANY WEB site at all, much less the
information-packed, fun-filled one that we have. Many people have
helped keep it going, but Bob deserves a big hand for his vision and
determination; and has given us a great gift.

For months now the coordinators of the Classes of 63-65, with the
assistance of Class of '66's Gale Senseman Privette, have put in
weekends, evenings and untold hours of their personal time organizing
our reunion. This is time they could be enjoying their close friends
and families. They've traveled great distances, held meetings, drafted
and mailed questionnaires, made a gazillion phone calls, plus made all
the inquiries and necessary arrangements for our eating, dining,
drinking, dancing, yacking and sleeping pleasures. But no matter how
hard they work, it will be a BOMB without each and every one of you.
YOU are the reunion!

Okay...so your days at Peary High School are faded memories now.
You've gone on to become rich doctors, veterinarians, actors,
hairdressers, shrinks, government worker bees, political activists,
real estate agents, entrepreneurs, secretaries, customer service
agents, flight attendants, photographers, graphic artists, dreamers,
visionaries, pilots, gardeners, volunteers, moms, dads and homemakers.

You've spent free time fishing, motorcycling, gambling, boating,
boyscouting, girlscouting, surfing, computing, collecting Beanie Babies
and Barbie dolls, reading, watching movies and videos, cooking,
exercising (ad nauseum). And we have all had our share of losses
—parents, friends, children, pets, jobs, homes, cars, sanity, security,
good health. We have each had experiences, joys, and losses that are
very different...and some that are similar. But the one experience that
is universal for each of us is the time we spent growing up in what was
then a pretty small town; students in a brand new school. And whether
we want to admit it or not, every moment at Robert E. Peary High
School... whether studying, making friends, building social
structures... they were all shared experiences that contributed to the
people we are today.

Many of you probably don't even remember me. I wasn't very popular
when I was in school. I felt awkward, unattractive and very unsure of
myself in sports, theater and music endeavors. I never felt that I fit
in. But I can still remember each one of you...the way you looked, the
sound of your voice, your personality...you meant something special to
me then and you mean something to me today, nearly four decades later.
Gosh if you mean this much to me, think what you must mean to everyone
else. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get together and
renew old friendships, make new ones (this is FUN... check out my other
article here), to reconnect with those who shared a delightful, innocent
and fun part of your young adulthood.

I live a day's drive from Rockville; I'm not wealthy; and my plate is
as full as anyone elses. I'm writing a book, working a physically
demanding job, mothering 3 cats, a partner in a committed relationship,
spend enormous amounts of time writing, and staying in touch with
family and friends, and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to
be when I grow up. But with all I have to do, there is NO WAY I would
miss this reunion. My God, I've had two years to plan and save for it.

I urge each one of you to commit to attending our reunion. Go...
now... put it on your calendar—August 11-13, 2000. If you think you
can't afford it, just start putting all your loose change in a bucket
and save it for reunion expenses. You'll be amazed how much you can
save in coins. For those who live close by, it will be very
inexpensive. For those at a distance... just start saving. For less
than the price of a daily pack of gum, candy bar, newspaper or cup of
coffee; for a third of the cost of a daily fix of cigarettes—you can
travel to the reunion in real style. By then the gum will be chewed up
and clinging to someone's shoe, the candy bar will have taken up
residence on your hips, the news will be old, the coffee will be stale
and the cigarettes? Let's not EVEN go there. But the memories you
carry in you heart after that weekend will be etched on your souls
forever. (I know... you're probably thinking... THAT's a little
dramatic.)

If you lost your reunion information, don't be embarrassed. There's no
shame in being a forgetful old person. But there's plenty of shame in
being forgetful AND avoiding your friends. So e-mail Eileen Carter at
ecarter236@aol.com and she will be happy to send you a new packet.
When you receive it, fill out the questionnaire and return it right
away. The reunion committee is beginning to put together the reunion
booklet and they need your help in getting that information to them as
soon as possible.

Okay, I'll get off the soapbox now. But just remember... I'm brushing
up on "NeedleWork 101" and you are my precious little guinea pigs. Don't
get cute and think you can escape, because I WILL FIND you. I have my
amateur detective license and have been told I'm VERY GOOD. LOL

**********

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