Class of 1954's 50th Reunion
October 1 and 2, 2004
It was great! Were you there?
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Reunion Recap
The Class of 1954's 50th Reunion was a great success!
We had a large turnout:
76 alums for the Friday, October 1, Reunion Dinner Party (122 total people)50 people for the Saturday, October 2, Buffet Brunch
After the Friday afternoon hospitality suite informal gathering, we met in the main party room for greetings, conversation, reminiscing, drinks, dinner, and dancing. Glenn Spoerl, MC, welcomed all attendees. Ed Unterberg gave an excellent, brief speech about Empehi and the '50s. And many alums provided nostalgic, humorous, or otherwise "pithy" remarks during our post-dinner "roving mike" comments session.
This was "the big one" - our 50th, and virtually all who attended had a great time seeing and talking with old friends and classmates. The reunion truly was a memorable event for everyone there. For those who couldn't make it, we're sorry. It was a terrific time!
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November 2004
Empehi Class of 1954 Fiftieth Reunion
Judging from all the letters, e-mails, and phone calls we've received, we had a great time! They started coming in on Sunday, October 3, and are still coming in.
People's comments fall into two broad categories: first, it was a great party…everyone had fun, starting with the afternoon reception party and ending with the Saturday brunch; second, people sincerely enjoyed renewing old friendships and acquaintances and reliving past experiences. We can't ask for anything more! That's what reunions are all about.
All of you were sent a printout of known names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. It came to our attention at the reunion that some of you had information on the “missing” people. It's the Committee's intention to expand the known list as much as possible, and, with your help, we can do that. So please, if you have any information, however incomplete, send it to a committee member, so we can update our lists. We plan to issue updated lists at least once per year.
A group of us in Western Michigan initially got together to plan this reunion, and we soon discovered that we truly liked each other socially. We get together 3-4 times per year for lunch, walking the beach, or a game of “Crolf”...but mostly to talk and enjoy each other's company. We added the Melchers as a result of the reunion and look forward to adding more west Michiganders to our “Michigan Mafia.” Our next “meeting” is on November 5. Perhaps some of you have discovered classmates living within easy driving distances and would like to do the same thing. It's amazing how fast the years melt away - and how much fun it can be to get together and talk about old (and current) times.
You may recall at the reunion that Glenn mentioned we had a few dollars left over and would donate that remainder to Morgan Park in our class name for items not normally covered by public dollars. Others thought that not only was the idea good but that we should expand on it. To date we have collected an additional $600 from alums - for a grand total of almost $1,000. We hope more alums will do the same. Your donation will go to a tax-exempt organization and will be tax deductible from your federal income taxes. We're working with Mr. Charles Alexander, Morgan Park's principle, to finalize the details. Upon receipt of your donation, we'll send individualized letters giving all the tax information needed to complete your tax returns. Make your checks payable to “Empehi 1954 Fiftieth Reunion.” We'll write one large check to the school. We hope you, too, will contribute to this very worthwhile cause.
We'll stay in touch; we hope you will, too.
The Empehi 1954 Fiftieth Reunion Committee
P.O. Box 1175
Saugatuck, MI 49453
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If you're a '54 classmate and didn't attend the Reunion or provide the committee with your contact information, please send it to Glenn Spoerl at: 4GOODHANDS@WMOL.com for future reference.
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The Reunion Printed Program:
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Empehi Class of 1954 50th Reunion Committee
Those who have never actively participated in working on a reunion committee have no idea of how much time and work is involved!
The following Class of 1954 50th Reunion Committee members spent a great deal of time and effort - for more than a year - in creating the committee, phoning, e-mailing, and researching in an attempt to locate as many class members as possible (a daunting job), traveling to meetings and potential venues, brainstorming possible events, venues, programs, menus, and music, making all of the arrangements with the facilities and people involved, creating mailing lists and invitation letters, the event printed program, table decorations, and name tags, hosting the hospitality suite, manning the registration table, and coordinating and MC-ing the actual reunion events - all while "going out on a limb" financially in case sufficient attendees didn't sign up to meet the guarantees (fortunately, they did!).
For the entire Class of '54, we sincerely thank the following committee members for their tireless efforts in diligently trying to plan, organize, and conduct the best possible reunion:
Glenn Spoerl, Chuck Thompson, Betty Crider Henderson, Don and Marion Quarrell Hixson, Louise Sandburg Ores, Bob Gibson, Doris Douglas Clark, Dorothy Gronau Chapman, Ed Unterberg, Tom Heuss, and many others...
As Chuck Thompson remarked during the "roving mike" comments, "Thank you all for attending; have a great time! Thank all of the committee members who worked so hard to make this event a success. And please join me in a special, huge round of applause for the person whose determination and persistence kept us all going - without whom we wouldn't be here tonight...Glenn Spoerl!"
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1953/1954 Morgan Park Football Teams Reunion Events
A large and enthusiastic group gathered to watch the Mustangs crush Taft in the football game and for the team dinner
on the night described below.
"An invitation from Butch Morrill:
Save Saturday, October 2, 2004, on your calendar. The 1953/1954 Morgan Park football teams are getting together in Chicago to attend the MP/Taft game. A team dinner will follow, complete with a tribute to "Antone."
A block of rooms is booked at Double Tree-Skokie, and a bus is rented to take us to the game. Wives are included. We have a commitment from 15 teammates already. We need to fill in some of the linemen from the '53 team.
This should be great fun, and we hope all team members can make it. Please give me a call (301-733-0556, which is
Hope to hear from you soon. All the best,
Butch Morrill"
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Class of 1954 Officers and Personalities
January Class Officers:
President: Jack Kalchbrenner, Vice President: Jim Stirling,
Treasurer: Ken Muhr, Secretary: Arlene Plebanek
January Class Personalities:
June Class Officers:
President: Ed Unterberg, Vice President: Betty Crider,
Treasurer: Dick Colquitt, Secretary: Dorothy Gronau
June Class Personalities:
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This Web site page was created and is maintained by the Empehi Class of 1954 50th Reunion Committee.
The "Webmaster" is Chuck Thompson, Class of '54.
© Copyright, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Empehi 50th Reunion Committee and the MPHS Reunion Committee All rights reserved.
