Another five SWCS classmate photos - on to the Surf Club!

BEMUS POINT, New York - By now everyone should have read Randy Carlson's email about our July 1 meeting at the bar/restaurant-formerly known-as-the-Surf Club.

Sounds like a fun evening and we will even have a space in the restaurant reserved for our Friday night shenanigans, beginning at 5 p.m.

Below are five more SWCS Class of '66 classmates who have indicated they will be at the reunion. Will they be in Bemus Friday? You will have to show up yourself to find out the answer to that.

See you in July.

The place formerly known as the Surf Club

BEMUS POINT, New York - The remodel of the former Surf Club is stunning...

And that's where we will be for the Friday night portion of the SWCS Class of '66 50th reunion July 1.

Here are a few pix, contributed via Mike Coon... Thanks Mike!

Change of pace - SIX photos of Class of '66 classmates

MAYVILLE, New York - My computer went into overdrive (probably from installing a new operating system) so I decided to post another group of photos while it was being sooooooo cooperative.

Plus, Gloria Boutelle was able to get me a photo of DeeDee Tyler, the first shot below...

So this afternoon's Gang of Five is actually a Gang of Six.

And this Gang has all said they will see us in Bemus and/or Mayville.

See you there, too...

DeeDee Tyler

And another five SWCS Class of '66 50th reunion attendees

BEMUS POINT/MAYVILLE NY - My SWCS yearbook flopped open again this afternoon as I was moving debris, - er, I mean important papers - around on my desk.

And so while it was open I made copies of photos of five more people who say they will be coming to the July 1-2 reunion.

Friday night is in Bemus Point at the old Surf Club. Saturday night is a cocktail party, dinner, and dancing at the Chautauqua Suites in Mayville.

I hope the Chautauqua Suites are a nice as the photos of the rooms indicate. I'm going to be there for both nights!

Here's the next gang of five...

5 more classmates from the Class of '66 50th-reunion rogues' gallery

MAYVILLE, New York - Today's Gang of Five includes two amigos I have kept been in touch with some in the last decade(s) - Ward Romer and Bob Swanson.

Ward lives in Ithaca. Bob is in the Jamestown area. (Sorry Bob, but if I try to guess exactly where you live, I will be way off, probably).

Ward came to last year's SWCS 60s reunion in Lakewood. Bob I have seen a few times here in Schuyler County at the annual Bagley Bash in Valois, NY. I missed that hangover-inducing affair this year. I arrived home to NY too late to make the event.

Here are photos of five more classmates who have said they will see us at Mayville July 2. Maybe in Bemus Point, Friday July 1, too.

More pix of those coming to the Class of '66 50th Reunion

MAYVILLE, New York - Here is another set of five photos taken from our SWCS Class of '66 yearbook. 

These five folks have indicated they will be at the reunion weekend - July 1 and July 2 - in Bemus Point Friday night and Mayville at the Chautauqua Suites Saturday. 

If you haven't told Randy Carlson that you will be attending Saturday's event, let him know ASAP. Just click on his name to get his email link...

In looking through the yearbook for photos, I couldn't find pix for Dee Dee Tyler or Don Larson... If either of those folks - or someone else - has a high school photo of either of them circa 1966, please ship it along to me. I will post it in the next batch.

See you in Bemus and Mayville.

Reserve your spot at the former Surf Club for Friday night

BEMUS POINT, New York - The Class of '66 Friday night event - part of the 50th Class Reunion - will be at the former Surf Club, now the Ellicottville Brewing Company.

I don't care what they call it today - Friday July 1, surf's up for the Class of '66.

Randy Carlson and his committee of reunionistas have negotiated a price reduction on some of the drinks (beer for sure Randy says). Plus, if people want to have a meal, it's possible that the committee can arrange something for 5-5:30 p.m.

While that might seem early, the restaurant can't promise service after that. The restaurant doesn't take reservations. It will be July 4th holiday weekend. And admit it, you hit those senior early-bird specials all the time now.

If you are interested in the meal part, click on Randy Carlson's name to let him know ASAP. There may be a limit on how many folks can be accommodated.

But no matter what, come to Bemus Point and the Surf Club, er, I mean Ellicottville Brewing, Friday night. The SWCS Class of '66 will be there.

SWCS Class of '66 reunion - look who's coming in July

MAYVILLE, New York - The list of Who's Who (as in who is coming to the 50th reunion) is posted on the left hand side of this class website.

But it seemed fitting to post yearbook photos of the attendees. 

Over course of the next few weeks, I will post pix of people who have indicated they will be coming to the soiree(s). In some cases, if a classmate's photo didn't appear in the yearbook, I'll try to find something circa 1966. 

Randy Carlson and his merry band of Class of '66 reunion organizers have been working hard on this thing since last July. It's going to be a great party, both Friday night and Saturday.

We might all have to stay awake until 10 p.m.!

Here's the first five likely attendees, in the order they appear on the list:

Becky Schroth

SWCS class of '66 classmate Jim Carr has passed away

PHOENIX, AZ - Several days ago I received a very odd email from Jim Carr's email account.

It simply said, "Jim is in hospice." 

That was it, nothing else. I responded right away, knowing that he was probably close to passing away. He had been ill for several years, sliding downhill inch by inch. We were in contact. He sometimes would tell me about regulating his pain with various combinations of prescription drugs, alcohol and medical marijuana. We also spent a lot of time walking down the memory lane of our days at SWCS.

I found out about his death from his daughter Lisa, who posted the information below on Facebook.

I have a million stories about Jim Carr. We were close friends in high school and beyond. Along with Bud Hooper and Bob Fulcher and Craig Fransen, we cheated death many times in those growing up years - first in speedboats, on motorcycles and finally cars.

A very young Jim Carr

I'll save those tales for our Class of '66 reunion July 2, at which I'll be making a toast to Jim, who will be missed by many of us.

That's all I can write now. I lost another good friend. 

Dalton Berringer will join the SWCS Class of '66 reunion

MAYVILLE, New York - This just in.

Dalton Berringer and his lovely wife Loretta will join us Saturday night at the Chautauqua Suites for our 50th Class Reunion.

Dalton Berringer on the left...

Some of you reunited with Dalton five years ago at a reunion in Jamestown... CLICK here for the link to the story and photos from that great party.

Dalton still lives in the Lakewood area, but I'll let him tell you all about himself July 2 when we all converge on Mayville for the reunion.

Ten years ago I wrote a blog about Dalton and his partners in musical crime at SWCS. He was a good guy then - and is a good guy still today. In case you want a look at that blast from the past, CLICK here for "They were the Music Men at Southwestern".

In the meantime, if you haven't dispatched a check to Randy Carlson to reserve your spot (or spots), please do so ASAP. And yes, my check is literally in the mail today.  

Some sailing news - passed along by Linda Dawson

 
LAKE CHAUTAUQUA, New York  - Linda (Anderson) Dawson (aka Winni) passed along the link below to a nice piece about, well, sailing on Lake Chautauqua.

It's appropriately called Ice Breaker... 

Read on and you will see why...

Chautauqua Lake Icebreaker

A logo - and time to send $$$$ for the Class of '66 reunion

JAMESTOWN, New York - The July 1 & 2 SWCS Class of '66 reunion is coming up fast. Really fast.

Or, as we say in Mexico, muy rapido!

In today's batch of emails, I received the two logos included in this post that will be part of the reunion, somewhere. And given the Bud Light images in the one at the bottom of this page, I see the steady hand of classmate Mike Coon.

The plan is still on meeting up - somewhere - in Bemus Point Friday night for a social soiree. Then Saturday it's at the Chautauqua Suites in Mayville for drinks, dinner and dancing. (Not necessarily in that order, of course. You can dance your way right into the party if you want.)

BUT! If you have not dispatched your $45 per person for the Saturday night event, please do so ASAP.

Make the check out to Randy Carlson and mail it to:

Randy Carlson

35 Gifford Avenue

Lakewood, NY 14750

If you forgot allllllllll about sending a check, don't feel bad. You have lots of company. Me included.

See you July 1 in Bemus Point!

It's Bemus Point Friday for Class of '66 50th reunion

BEMUS POINT, New York - The first night of a doubleheader SWCS reunion (July 1 and July 2) will take place in Bemus Point, a place many of the members of the SWCS Class of '66 spent many fun hours.

Some of those fun hours were spent in joints like The Surf Club or the See-Zurh House.

The details of what will be taking place - and exactly where - are sketchy at the moment. That said, the Jamestown High School Class of 1966 is also planning on being in Bemus that night. Bemus should be hopping.

The Surf Club was purchased by the Ellicottville Brewing Company and has been remodeled, so it's a good bet. There is also the Bemus Bay floating stage nearby. As of this writing, the floating stage does  not have a band set for July 1. But they will, I suspect. I seem to remember that Dana Bolles is a pretty good musician. And Dan Sundquist? Well, he has a collection of guitars and ukuleles. 

See-Zurh House

Anyone want to put together a band?

If you are attending the Saturday night event in Mayville at the Chautauqua Suites, seriously consider the Friday night soiree, too, in Bemus. Details will be published here as soon as I get them.
 ALSO! Randy Carlson reports classmates have tracked down missing Class of 66' grads' Diane Delancy and Darlene Koterass. But he is still missing any contact information for Judy Nau Dunn.

If you are planning on attending - and haven't contacted Randy, please do so - and let me know so I can post your name here on the website.

See in Bemus Point.

Still searching for these SWCS Class of '66 classmates

JAMESTOWN, New York - This just in from Randy Carlson:

"We have contacted - and probably reached - everyone in our graduating class except for the following classmates: 

Diane Delancey Nolly, Coleen Hare Stiles, Ellen Hurt, 

Darlene Kotterass Pattyson, John Limberg, Dan Loucks, 

Denise Norell, Debbie Stabler Melec, Ann Sivi Johnson, 

Diane Thorp Hackett and Tom Wrinn

 
Winnie and Sandy Ahlgren have checked Facebook and other sources.  Other classmates have chipped in with whatever they knew would be helpful. Many thanks to them.  We seem to be down to this eleven classmates. 

If you have any information that could help in finding them, please email me at rcarlson@windstream.net.  Thank you."

In case you want to check out what happened at our 40th Class Reunion - here's a link to a posting about the first night's festivities:

Class of '66 40th Reunion - The first night.... 

A thank you from Steve & Linda Larson

SWCS Class of '66 Classmates: 

Steve and Linda Larson asked that I send along this to all of you:

 "Linda and Steve Larson want to thank all of you 
who have sent "Best Wishes" cards to Linda.  It really means a lot."

For anyone who wants to get in touch with Steve and Linda directly via email, here is a link to click on:

Steven and Linda's email address

Golfers! Watch out for Jim Carr at this summer's reunion

Jim Carr - with a celebratory cocktail

PHOENIX, Arizona - Jim Carr has not said for sure if he is coming to the SWCS Class of '66 50th reunion July 2 in Mayville. Or if he will be out with Shirley Adams and other classmates playing golf as part of the class reunion activities.

But it seems he has been spending some time out on the links tuning up his golf skills.

He sent me the two photos here, taken after he shot a hole-in-one while playing in a foursome that I believe included his son Michael. Jim has been a golfer for years, though he's been struggling with some health issues recently. 

But a hole-in-one is a hole-in-one... Nicely done, James.

You can contact him via email directly by clicking on his name.
 

The Fearsome Foursome

Golf on tap for Class of '66 50th reunion this July 2

MAYVILLE, New York - Add golf to the possible activities at the SWCS Class of '66 reunion Saturday, July 2, 2016. Yes, it's in Mayville at the Chautauqua Suites...

Is it me, or are there a LOT of sand traps?

Shirley Adams is heading up the golf efforts, so you might want to contact her (by clicking on her name above) if you are interested in chasing golf balls around while reminiscing with classmates (and spouses) about other times chasing golf balls around.

On Saturday there will be a 6-7 p.m. cocktail hour, followed by a prime rib buffet dinner. After dinner, a DJ will set up and play until midnight. I intend to nap most of Saturday afternoon so I can stay awake.

Other events - including a social soiree Friday night - are in the planning stages. But it's likely the Surf Club in Bemus Point will be one of the stops.  And there is music on the waterfront that night, too.

If you are planning on attending, it's time to get your name in to Randy Carlson if you have not already done so. PLUS, Randy is starting to collect $45 per person to cover the cost of the reunion party Saturday evening. The deadline for getting your $45 in to him is the end of April. Payments can be send to Randy Carlson, 35 Gifford Avenue, Lakewood, NY, 14750.

A nostalgia tour of the SWCS campus apparently won't happen. School officials are making some noise about insurance issues. If anyone has any pull with the SWCS administration, you might yank their chain to see if there's a possibility of getting them to change their minds.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas, y'all. Hope to see everyone in July.

Countdown clock running on July 2016 SWCS reunion

Mayville, New York - The July 2016 SWCS Class of '66 50th reunion at Chautauqua Suites in Mayville is gathering steam.

Here are the details so far:

Saturday, July 2, there will be a 6-7 p.m. cocktail hour, followed by a prime rib buffet dinner. After dinner, a DJ will set up and play until midnight. (We'll see who will last that long!)

Other events - including a social soiree Friday night - are still in the planning stages.

It's important if you are planning on attending to get your name in to Randy Carlson if you have not already done so. PLUS, Randy is starting to collect $45 per person to cover the cost of the reunion party Saturday evening. The deadline for getting your $45 in to him is the end of April. Payments can be send to Randy Carlson, 35 Gifford Avenue, Lakewood, NY, 14750.

Jim Lindell is getting lanyards made with photos of classmates. Guests and spouses will wear name tags.

Randy reports that 86 classmates have been contacted through phone calls, emails, snail mail and Facebook. He asked that you contact him with information about any classmate you believe has not already been asked about attending. Randy can be reached at rcarlson@windstream.net.

The list of people to the left of this posting have indicated they are either coming to the July 2 reunion - or thinking about it.

Please check that list over and see if there are other folks for whom you have contact information.

See you in July!

At last count, 47 SWCS Class of '66 classmates are in for 50th reunion

MAYVILLE, New York - With addition of Marianne Jim, we now have 47 Class of '66 classmates who say they are coming to the 50th Class reunion in July.

OK, not everybody is 100 percent sure they are coming to the event. But 47 said they are planning on it.

In today's world, that's about as close to a sure thing as you can get.

More news will be forthcoming in a few weeks about the reunion. If you have ideas for activities, give a shout to Randy Carlson.

And if you are in contact with any SWCS grads from our class - whose names are NOT on the list at the upper left hand corner of this website - well, give them a shout and ask them to come.