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Phylis Tyler (McCafferty)

Dear Dot, thank you for sharing the sad news and i will add my prayers and energy for Jerry.  Also , Dianne, as i have mentioned to you, I cannot make the October reunion and if there is a zoom possibility or chat rrom that would be fun. 

I am all in favor of continuing the memorial scholoarship fund and will send a check shortly.  I have meant to do that already for Dick, but, alas, I got distracted!!  I hope everyone is faring well and we can at least staymore in contact with each other 

Thank you Dianne, for all you do to herd the WHS 1962 cats!!!!!!  :)
Phyllis

Douglas Barbour (Barbour)

Still trying to process the news about Jerry. If anyone can make it back from this it would be him. I thought he was going to attend the last reunion but he cancelled. I was hoping to talk him into coming up for this one. This is very sad news.

Robert Chamberlin

I want to add my additional thoughts and prayers for Jerry and his family.  Also, sorry to hear about Tom Massey's passing....we shared a similar connection with the sea.

Am so sorry to hear of Phil Manley's passing . We  began our friendship many years ago as Cub Scouts with Rick Youlden's Mom as our Den mother.  In past few years we have had lunch with Phil and his wife in Honolulu, and on a different occasion at his vacation spot  as well. I loved talking to him about the company he built around medical imaging software that he developed.  He was also a par golfer....way out of my league.

Bob Chamberlin

Mark Valencia

MESSAGE TO THE WHS CLASS OF ’62 FOR ITS 60^TH REUNION

  In the waning Autumn of my life I think of our class often—both those long gone and those still here.  After a few beers and tokes I sit by my pool at dusk and listen to ‘Golden Oldies”. As the sky over the Ko’olau mountains purples and grays, my thoughts drift to my youth and the valuable life lessons I learned from you in that sheltering womb that was Westwood and Westwood High School.

It was there that I learned my basic faults and attributes. In my later life I tried to manage my faults—not always successfully-- and enhance my attributes.

I learned that my behavior was eccentric–in retrospect I probably had ADD—but that I also had a gift for looking at problems in a different way.  I discovered that pursing these alternatives with follow-up hard work could lead to outcomes others considered useful.

I learned that if you stand up for yourself, situational outcomes may be more favorable for you. But I also learned you have to know when-- and when not to push. This came in handy in dealing with bad bosses and colleagues—and just downright nasty people-- I encountered in my career.

I learned that speaking one’s mind has consequences. This is one lesson that I did not apply very well and my career suffered because of it. But I like to think I learned how to do it more ‘appropriately’ based on my Westwood High experiences.

I learned to trust—and the hard lessons of false expectations. In my post Westwood life, I have had few friendships as deep as  those I made there. Indeed, I have had few friends that I trust sharing my inner thoughts with like those in my Westwood days.

Most important, I learned how to sort of navigate socially. You all helped me learn how to do so and taught me what was socially right and wrong. I was friends with a wide range of classmates with both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ traits. This helped me recognize such traits in others and better understand people I encountered along my way.

With your help I made it around the race track of life. Oh I scraped the wall a couple of times –but I did not crash and burn. I owe that to all of you.

So have a wild and crazy 60^th Reunion . Although I can’t be there in person I will be there in spirit!!

Cheers, Mark (Gink)

Claire Kroll (Fusaro)

A Message from Sue Mariano

Dear WHS Class of 62 friends,
It is with a broken heart that I announce the death of my husband, Dick Mariano, on November 2, 2022. Dick had cancer but most recently was enduring many embolic strokes. On October 30th he had a massive stroke and hemorrhage and quickly slipped into a state of unconsciousness and passed on the date mentioned above in this note. We were married for 57 years and had recently attended our 60th class reunion luncheon together. He was the love of my life and life will not be the same without him.
My best to everyone,
Susan Peters Mariano

Dorothy Silver (Perkins)

Sue, I am so very sorry for your loss. You and Dick made the cuttess couple. It was so great to see you both at the reunion.  I will remember Dick as a very carismic and handsome guy .May the Lord bless  and keep you and your family in his arms at this sorrowful time. It is never easy losing someone you love.

Bless you,

Dot Perkins

George Trethewey

Dear Susan,

Dee and I were so sad to learn of the loss of Dick.  More heartbroken of the fond memories that we have had throughout the WHS years and in the lifetime beyond sharing the joy of you and Dick being so happy together with reunions and special times.  May your happy memories help you through this difficult time.  We hope to alway keep in touch as we have through the years past.  Know we love you both very much. 

Love always,  George and Dee  xoxo

Peter Meisenzahl

Dear Sue : Jan and I were distressed to learn of Dickie's passing , especially after we just had the pleasure of your company at the reunion .Dickie will be remembered as a good classmate , a good teammate on both the track and football teams and as an overall great guy . We hope your family keeps you close and takes good care of you during these sad days .

All our love and support :

Peter & Jan ( Keltie ) Meisenzahl

John Spears

Sue
Not knowing you and Rich well, but liking you both from a distance and admiring your high school relationship and 60+ years of life together, the consoling words I have are:

congratulations for an achievement I hope to reach next year.

So many people I know, have known, work with, and teach have never even met the loves of their lives, let alone shared decades with them.  Our Job on this planet is probably not to live out happy loving lives until the sun burns out.  I believe the stars call to us and our future generations, but only after we better manage ourselves and our Earth.  But shared love makes a difference, strengthening our overall uneven efforts. Yes, we all face individual endings, but leaves off trees "leave" stronger trees and better forests behind them. In that sense, the love of your life is far more than a "was."  It will always be. 

John

Jerry Seavey

Hi Westwood High Classmates,

I want to thank you very much for the thoughs, prayers and positive energy you sent me. It sure helped me recover from my accident and I have returned back to my normal healthy self. Now I am working on paying off the medical bills and expenses, so thank all of you who contributed to the GoFundMe.

My next outcome is to conduct the NLP & Coach Certification Training that Marilou and I are teaching in Dubai this January/February.

It is amazing how time flys... 60 years went by so fast.

I look forward to seeing you at the next class reunion.

Best wishes and thank you again,

Jerry Seavey

Douglas Barbour (Barbour)

Jerry, 

Why should I not be surprised that you leave a hospital bed to fly to Dubai to do a training. I am so happy that this accident had a happy ending although the experience must have been awful. I would very much like to see you at the next reunion. Stay safe. Doug

Ruth Abernathy (Peksens)

Hi Folks,

I would like to thank Claire (Kroll) Fusaro for gathering and preparing for us a wonderful memory album of our 60th class reunion. (The photos of Dickie really tug, don't they.) When I told my friends that Rudi and I were going, they were amazed that we actually still gather at all, much less have so many attend.  I appreciate not only Claire's most recent contribution, but also that of the organizers of the event (as I recall): Dianne (Watson) Rankin, John Cookson, Claire (Kroll) Fusaro (again!), and Ann (Eosco) Smith. Dianne seems to be our biggest motivator and class cheerleader, just an amazing and enthusiastic leader! John probably didn't realize that he would be our class treasurer for the rest of his life (thanks for hanging in there, John!), and Claire was there quietly gathering and putting things together for us until we receive it like a gift.  Ann (Eosco) Smith pulled the party off like a pro. She found the venue and arranged the menu and remained unruffled the whole time. Did anything go wrong? Not a chance. And if it did, no one knows. I know there are others who contributed to the success of our reunion; I thank you, too.  My recall is admittedly faulty, but I know you understand...

Our next reunion will be in 2027.  We will be around 83 years old. Hope to see you all there! Dianne, I will help, I promise.

❤️

Deanna Aldrich (Henry)

Ruthie, thank you for your post about our reunion. You said so well what many of us were thinking. Thanks to Claire it was great to see all the wonderful pictures from the day! My adult kids were amazed that even two of our favorite teachers attended. So let me add my thanks to all who made the day possible, and I too am looking forward to our next reunion.

Dee Henry (Aldrich)

John Cookson

Ruth- Thanks for your post and Claire for the work. I suggest that we don't wait until we are 83. Maybe a celebration that the class of 62 have a 62 year reunion.

Marcia Vandam (Ringel)

I agree with John. Missed the last one but would love one sooner! 

Ruth Abernathy (Peksens)

What a great idea, John! And it would be wonderful to see you, Marcia. We missed you and your husband in the fall. We can have a big collective 80th birthday celebration. Much better than 83, but still kind of shocking...

Marcia Vandam (Ringel)

Ruthie, 

 Just moved to Bethesda Maryland about 4 weeks ago. If you are still nearby maybe we could meet for lunch? Hope all is well.

Marcia

Claire Kroll (Fusaro)

A bit late on this response....I like John's idea of having a 62nd reunion for the Class of '62. Why wait?  Maybe we can keep it simple and make it work. Thanks also to Ruthie and others for your nice remarks.

Stu Freeman

Peggy and I are aorry for your loss in November 22..  Our prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.  

We are still in  Hilton Head and after looking at many possible moves have decided that we can remain here as long as we travel from June to  September.  We can spend time in NH at the lake nd British Columbia while we can still enjoy travel.

The idea of a 62 reunion is something I would enjoy having misses the 60th. The best to everyone and stay healthy. Getting old is not something to look forward to in your aging years.

Dianne Watson (Rankin)

Regret I am REALLY LATE in responding to reunion related posts.First, belated thanks to Claire for creating a terrific scrapbook  of our 60th reunion for us.  The positive comments about the reunion really touched my heart. Getting to reconnect with so many was the highlight of my year! There's one more person who contributed to the effort that I'd like to add-Gail Troilo. She helped with the restaurant selection, contributed to the memorabilia table, and best of all deserved an award for her dramatic poetry reading! 

I also like John's idea--a 62nd Reunion for  the Class of 62--Has a nice ring to it. Will be glad to help make it happen if I'm still around. And keeping it simple and in daylight also sound like good ideas

Was thrilled to hear Jerry Seavey's miraculous news. Hearing that he not only had a complete recovery from his accident but was already globe trotting and getting back to work was amazing.

Despite being technologically challenged, I still haven't given up on a possible zoom conversation.If anyone wants to give it a try sometime, let me know.

Best to all,

Cheers,

Dianne

Susan Peters (Mariano)

Hi Classmates ,

I would be very interested in a 62 year reunion and will be willing to help again as needed and like Claire's idea of keeping it simple. Let the planning begin.

Thanks

Susan Peters Mariano

207-450-6848

Phylis Tyler (McCafferty)

Dear Dainne et al ,  I wil do my level best to be there for the 62nd reunion of the Class of  1962!!  I am still working, although it is now 3 days a week rather than 5.  That is a help for my energy level.  Hope to see everyone  at the reunion.

Phyllis (Tyler) McCafferty

Claire Kroll (Fusaro)

Dear Classmates, 

You were a wonderful class!!!!  That's the comment Miss Burns wrote when she joined our website in 2012. For many of us she was our senior English teacher; I have fond memories of that class. Frances Burns lived in Duxbury, MA and died on June 27, 2023 at the age of 99. Here is a link to her obituary. 

https://shepherdfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/7033/Frances-Burns/obituary.html

Rest in Peace Miss Burns. 

Claire 

Douglas Barbour (Barbour)

I don't remember many of the teachers except Mr. Pender but I remember Miss Burns. I wish I could have done better in her class.

Louis Amoruso

Miss Burns will always be in my memory.  She was the source of my interest in writing, although at the time, I recall I was alway annoyed at how much work I had to do to try to make her happy.  I remember one assignment we had where we had to write about our most memorable friend or something like that.  I spent a lot more hours on  it than I wanted to.  But, I got it done.  I gave it to my mother to see what she thought, and she liked it.  So I passed it in.  The mistake I made was not keeping a copy.  I got a grade, but not my paper back.  As it got toward the end of the year (and of high school), I wanted it back, but she did not recall where it had gone to.  My mother had asked me for it, but I couldn't produce it again.

It was only later when I told my mother that I had never gotten it back with the usual comments, corrections, etc.  It was then that my mother told me that it was the best thing I had ever written, and she was disappointed that she had  not had a chance to send a copy to the family whose son I had written about.  It had never quite made me satisfied, but it had to be handed in, even though it could have used more work.  But, not getting it back was all right with me, in the end, because I knew that she really must have liked it.  After all, I had gotten all my other papers back from her.  And, by not giving it back to me, it taught me that I probably should have put a little more work into it to have made it better.  I also believed that it had been good enough for her to like it, and that was what really mattered.

This taught me to get my work at least to the point where I liked it even if I was not totally satisfied, and it taught me to always keep a copy, even if it takes more time.  Miss Burns was the pinacle of a small mountain of memorable english teachers from our times at WHS.

She also taught me the importance of rewriting, which I have not done for this.  I am hoping to be forgiven..