Update 10-12-04

Hi, 

The sad news first.

As Barbara Endy Ianniello already let us know, Jerrie (Clamp) and Mickey Rachoi's daughter Karen died late last week, at 33, after battling leukemia. To repeat what Barbara already wrote: Karen was a beautiful woman who was scheduled to be married weeks after her sudden diagnosis this July. She put up a brave fight.

Robin Feit Baker, Paul DeMartino, and Barbara all passed our best wishes on to Jerrie and Mickey this weekend.

Also, Judy Hartstone wrote to say: Please pass on the sad news that my mother Marcia Hartstone died at age 82 on September 29th, very unexpectedly as she was in pretty good health. I'm glad she moved up here to Bainbridge Island three years ago so we had this time together. I saw her just about every day. Some of my classmates might remember her.

Further, one advantage of living all your life within ten miles of where you were born: At my cousin Stu Gerowitz's memorial service this weekend -- he died way too young, at 56 -- almost 400 people gathered to pay tribute to his life. Some, he'd known since they were all kids.
One disadvantage of technology: my sister Marilyn woke me, in California, by phone way too early this morning. She was sitting on a bench in one of our too-rarely-visited family plots in Rego Park trying to explain to her daughter Hally who all these people had been. So let me take a moment to mention Max & Dora, Sarah & Louis, Rose & Nieman, Murray & Sadie, and Mollie, Lillian, and Ethel. The youngest, my mother, would have been 90 today; the oldest, 140.

On to happier stuff.

Of the 150 classmates who get this newsletter weekly, 43 were able to get word to us quickly enough to help the committee secure reservations for the 40th Reunion. Oddly, 35 were from out of town. Many said either weekend was great, but 13 preferred August, with 6 for July. That, compounded by the hotel's calling to say that they had other parties interested in both weekends, let us grab the August 5th, 6th, & 7th. My intense apologies to Jean Cohen Oklan, whose son is getting married in Vermont that weekend, Sharon Hoenig Barry who will be on her way to a cruise in Alaska, and Mary Sipp Green, who will be setting up an exhibition on Martha's Vineyard. With 10 month's advance notice, we hoped we could accommodate everyone, but, obviously, some people are far more organized than we are.
Tentative 40th Reunion Details:
When: August 5th, 6th, 7th (Friday night through Sunday noon)
Where: Hilton Long Island/Huntington, 598 Broadhollow Road, Melville, New York, 11747
Cost: $100 per person
Package Includes:
Friday night cocktail party with snacks and cash bar (7:00 PM -- Midnight)
Saturday night buffet with open bar & DJ (7:00 PM -- Midnight; Dinner at 8:00)
Lobby area with cash bar available both nights to continue parties
Teachers comped for both parties
Also: Hotel rooms available at $129/night
Some specifics:
The committee has already advanced the $750 deposit needed to secure the reservations. Since there are only 5 people on the committee, if a few other people want to pay their hundred bucks early, that would help divide the initial cost a bit more evenly.
Dennis Shapiro is this reunion's designated accountant. He was drafted by Paul DeMartino, who did it last time. Paul figured that Dennis just retired so he needs something to do.
Dennis will be setting up a bank account specifically for this party, so all checks can be made out to him and sent to him at: 495 Wateredge Avenue, Baldwin, New York, 11510. Please note "Reunion" in the corner.
That said, we don't need a whole mess of money right now. A couple hundred bucks, yes, but our next deadline isn't until February 1st. On that date, we owe the hotel another 1000 bucks. That gives me all of January to nudge at least 10 more of you to mail your checks to Dennis.
Our 3rd deadline is June 15th, when we have to pay at least another $7250. That's based on our commitment of at least 90 people attending at 100 bucks each, for a total of $9000, minus the $1750 we will have already put down (Mr. Fiveson, stay away -- there's math here, and I know it makes you nervous). If we have more than 90 people already committed by June 15th, of course we'll owe the hotel more money.
We'd like to know, as much as possible, who's coming by June 15th, but we can accept people right up to the evening of the Saturday party -- you'll just have to pay cash. The point is that we want to stay as flexible as possible and have as many people attend, but we also have to be aware of expenses. So aim for June 15th. You can probably send checks till mid-July. But at the door -- cash.
A number of people have asked if it will cost them less than 100 bucks a person if they're only coming to the Saturday night party. The truth is: No. The Friday night party is only costing us about 5 bucks a person, largely for the rented bartender. The hotel is giving us the 500 buck room on the grounds that we're giving them 9 grand for Saturday night and committing to 35 rooms in the hotel at $129 per night (I'm not going to do that math, Robert, but it's approximately another 4 1/2 grand). And this is a relatively small party for them. It wouldn't pay for the themed table centerpieces at my nephew's bar mitzvah.
Another part of that 100 bucks -- about 10 bucks per person -- is a pool to comp our former teachers to the party. We're expecting about 10 teachers. (10 x 100 = 1000. Divide that by the at least 100 people we expect at the reunion and you get 10 bucks each, Robert. I think.) It's a real nicety to comp the teachers, and other class's haven't been able to, but we'd like to try. Though their husbands and wives, presently, are on their own. (Sorry.)
June 15th is also the approximate deadline for making hotel reservations at the group rate, subject to availability. That means that if a series of weddings wants to book the rest of the hotel earlier, our group block vanishes. So I'm not saying to make your reservations now, but probably by early spring.
There will be a lot of other things that obviously we can work out by group discussion in the next 10 months. But it's a long time till the party, even with as quickly as time seems to pass. One thing I would like to do though is thank the committee. Alphabetically: Joan Aires Cleven, Paul DeMartino, Robin Feit Baker, Dennis Shapiro, and Danny Stellabotte. We'll be depending a lot on these people, so thanks from all of us, well in advance.
There's also a mess of short notes people sent along with their votes, that I'll pass on next week.

Finally, Barbara Blitfield Pech just sent me this: I just picked up my 2005 calendar and noticed that August 7th, a possible Sunday for the reunion, is National Friendship Day. I don't care if this is a "Hallmark Holiday," it sure got my attention in the "irony" column!

Rich