CLASS GIFT UPDATE

The Scratch Sheet, Volume 16

February 6, 2010

IN THIS ISSUE:

A. CLASS GIFT UPDATE

B. HONORARY DIPLOMAS

C. A MESSAGE ON OUR 50^TH FROM JOE ALBERICI

D. A MEMO TO THE CLASS OF ’60 FROM JIM MCKENDRICK, DIRECTOR OF THE GCAA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

E. PETE SHOEMAKER REPORTS ON THE TRIP TO FRANCE FOR THE CLASSES OF 2010 AND 2011

F. REUNION PLANNING COMMITTEE VISITS WITH PRESIDENT AUTUMN ADKINS

G. UPDATES TO CLASS LIST

H. REPORT ON LAST REUNION COMMITTEE PLANNING MEETING

I. LAST CHANCE TO GET A COPY OF THE JUNE 1960 CORINTHIAN

J. THE GC OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS SHOWS ITSELF TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT

K. WE NEED NOMINATIONS FOR OUR CLASS SPEAKER, AND IDEAS ON WHAT HE SHOULD ADDRESS

L. A NOTE OF REGRET FROM CHUCK ZELLERS

M. MEMORABILIA

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SCRATCH SHEET #16

Myron Caplan: mcaplan@blumcraft.com; 412-821-4256

Bob Culver: fabo2@verizon.net; 973-628-0786

Rocco D’Amico: rdamico@ihsm.com; 301-229-0834

Joe Frigiola: joefrigiola@comcast.net; 609-602-0503

A. CLASS GIFT UPDATE

With 4 months until our 50^th reunion, contributions have perked up. Since the last Scratch Sheet $10,000 has been received bringing our grand total to $146,000. New contributors are Dennis Gries, Bob Culver, Roy Koch, and Eddie Hill. Thanks guys! On Toby’s last acknowledgment letter from Jim McKendrick he wrote, “Your class is amazing!” We are amazingly generous with our money, time, and skills. Remember, if you have given in the past, consider another contribution to a memorial, the help and administration fund or the general fund. If you haven’t given but plan to, please do it soon. If you have opted not to give, again we ask that you reconsider as our goal is not just monetary but unity with 100% participation.

Thanks for your support! Let’s continue to be “amazing!” Hail Girard!!!

Toby and Pete

B. HONORARY DIPLOMAS

A few years ago, Girard President, Domenick Cermele, instituted a program which confers “Honorary Diplomas” to Girardians who did not graduate. Of our classmates who did not graduate, Gary Jacoby, has already received his. We are hoping to include presentation of Honorary Diplomas to other classmates at the Chapel Service on Founder’s Day this year. If you would like to receive such a diploma please let us know. Of the classmates with whom we correspond, the following individuals would be entitled to such an honor: Aldinger, Daub, Few, Hipple, Bruce Lambrecht, Malumphy, Markauskas, Mills, Popella, Scheetz, and Skrobiak. If you would like to receive your Honorary Diploma please let Rocco know. Attendance at the chapel service on Founder’s Day is not necessary.

C. A MESSAGE ON OUR 50^TH REUNION FROM JOE ALBERICI

As we approach the 50^th anniversary celebrating the graduation of the Class of 1960

from Girard College I feel the excitement of once again resurrecting an old brotherhood.

This is perhaps the reason why so many of us want to spend the weekend of May 22 net-

working and reminiscing on old times. It matters little what colleges or trade schools we

attended or what career paths we chose. The achievements some of us may have reached

such as company administrators or practicing professionals or trade craftsmen, teachers,

factory workers etc. they all matter little as we reflect back on our rather humble beginnings as fatherless boys. The weekend will be full of our class characterizations. Who can forget for example Joe Diorio, the original Don Rickles or Carl Sehl’s shrill laughter, and the repetitive singing of Walt Grey to the music of “Mack-the-Knife.”

These are only a miniscule amount of memories we will undoubtedly share. Lest we also

not forget Coccagna a.k.a. Indiana Jones and the great personalities of Jim Stidham and

Robert Himmelrich to name just a few more. All of the aforementioned made up the chemistry of one of the greatest classes to ever leave behind a carbon footprint on the hallowed steps of Founder’s Hall. It will be nice to reopen the old Corinthian book and not allow ourselves to be possessed with what status in life we now enjoy or what automobile we drive or clothes we wear. I care not about my brother’s wealth I care only for his well being. Seize the day, for in 25 years very few of our band of brothers will be around to enjoy each other’s company as we now have the opportunity to do. I believe this should be motivation enough to make plans to attend at least one

of the events planned for our class by the 1960 reunion planning committee.

D. A MEMO TO THE CLASS OF ’60 FROM JIM MCKENDRICK, DIRECTOR OF THE GCAA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

To: Members of the 1960 Class

From: Jim McKendrick ’58, GCAA Director

Fellows, I continue to be impressed with the spirit and enthusiasm your classmates are devoting to the preparations for your 50^th Reunion. When the phone rings in the alumni office, I assume it’s another member of your class calling to talk about some facet of Founder’s Day. Is there anyone not serving on some committee? I can’t think of the minutest detail that hasn’t been discussed at one time or another; although I’m sure Pete, John, Toby, Dan, Mike, Joe, Rocco, or somebody will come up with something. Your reunion will undoubtedly be one that we will all remember, thanks to your collective efforts.

Your older and younger brothers and sisters of Girard are very proud of each and every one of you. Your accomplishments in life and your love of Girard and each other is a living testimony to the intent of Stephen Girard in founding our great school. Honoring you on your 50^th anniversary is honoring him for his deeds that formed our lives.

May I offer a thought for your consideration as part of your Reunion celebration. Along with the chapel service, meals and brotherhood of the weekend, might you consider obtaining bricks to memorialize your classmates? Currently we have bricks in place for Toby Caplan, Joe Diorio, Charlie Ellis, Ed Hill, Don Ratajczak and John Tait. Why not the whole class? It has never been done before and could serve as a permanent tribute to the class. Give it some thought and let me know of your interest.

The GCAA and Girard employees are all committed to seeing you experience a Reunion that will provide a lifetime of memories. Call on us – like I really have to tell you that – if we can be of further assistance. HAIL GIRARD. Look forward to seeing you all on May 20-23!

My Best, Jim ’58 GCAA

E. PETE SHOEMAKER REPORTS ON THE TRIP TO FRANCE FOR THE CLASSES OF 2010 AND 2011

I have been reluctant to write this, but Rocco has encouraged me to do so. My sense is that he believes that it is one of the options of what to do with our 50^th Class Gift is to enhance what Roz and I are trying to do in support of the students’ learning and development, then you should have a better understanding of what the program is intended to do and seems to be accomplishing.

If you will recall, there was an article in Scratch Sheet #9 which was a reprint of an article announcing that Roz and I are underwriting the Girard College Foreign Language Educational Field Trip Program. The primary reason for the program is to expand the students’ understanding of the term “diversity.” By going to either France or Spain, the students will have a chance to see a variety of sights they would not see at home. They have a chance to see and experience differences in culture, language, food, money, art, architecture, transportation, etc. Additional reasons are that the trips provide an opportunity for the students to gain confidence in operating in unfamiliar places, doing unfamiliar things, develop a personal sense of adventure, doing new things, and contribute to group dynamics because, as part of the traveling group, one has to be on time and act appropriately.

Last April, Roz and I had the pleasure of accompanying 18 juniors and seniors on a trip to Bordeaux and Paris, France. We specifically chose Bordeaux as it is the birthplace of Stephen Girard. We had a marvelous time and would like to share some observations with you. We observed the students moving from cautious followers to confident contributors. They told us the experience was life-changing, and we could see that. Some had never flown before. None had ever been out of the USA. All had studied French, but none had been in a French-speaking culture. They were curious and cautiously adventurous in trying new foods. As a group, they were responsible and grew from following the leaders to participating in setting our direction. They learned to use foreign money, translate dollars into Euros, and made spending decisions. They tried simple French phrases in making purchases. Some told us they imagined returning. Bruce Singer joined us for dinner one evening in Paris, and I don’t want to speak for him, but I believe he was impressed by the students and sincerely moved by the occasion.

What was universally evident was the blending and bonding that occurred, the sense of Group that developed, the unity that comes from journeying together.

On a personal note, they observed two couples; Roz and me, and my brother Paul and his wife, Simone, both of whom have been married over 40 years. Little did we realize at the time that in addition to all of the above, they were observing us and learning from us as role models of a happy family unit.

A further note from Rocco. I was insistent that Pete write this up for us, since he had related this verbally to when we last met at Rich Adams’ house, and we were all impressed relative to the impact on the kids. A number of committee members felt that this might be a good use of our Class Gift. Peter himself has actually put forward another option, relative to President Adams’ priority goals. In the next issue of the Scratch Sheet we hope to lay out the various options that have been put forward by others including Bruce Singer, and Dennis Bevans. If you have some ideas, please get in touch with Toby and let him know.

F. Reunion Planning Committee Visits with President Autumn Adkins

Pete Shoemaker, Mike Quinn and Joe Frigiola met with President Adkins and Jim McKendrick, Alumni Director, to discuss plans for our 50^th Reunion and to ask for the President's suggestions regarding our class gift. Ms Adkins expressed appreciation for our intentions to designate a gift that would have lasting significance in recognizing our class and in contributing to student development. She spoke about her desires to return the school to a seven day boarding program and to continue to support graduates for several years beyond their leaving. In the first instance, she mentioned weekend activities such as regular trips of a cultural, athletic, civic or artistic nature for the lower level classes. An example might be a 'wilderness training' program. She noted that the current Senior and Junior Class Trips are not in the operating budget, but are supported by the Alumni.

In the second case, an Office of Alumni Support could be initiated to offer summer employment, housing, help securing grants, counseling and other support services. She recognizes that either approach would necessarily require an on-going giving program and encourages us to aspire to become a role model in this regard for other classes. She also accepts our offer to participate in future 'Career Nights' at the school and will look into resuming this practice.

As to our preferences for the up-coming Founder's Day, the following actions were agreed.

-Autumn will attend our Class Dinner on Friday night and will offer welcoming r emarks.

-Honorary Diplomas for non-graduating classmates can be given at Chapel, or at the Class Dinner. It's our choice.

-She thought our request for reserved seating for family and friends, and reserved parking, could be worked out through McKendrick's office.

-Our acknowledgement of deceased classmates during the Chapel service can include projecting their pictures. Mike Quinn will continue working with the AV Dept to accomplish this.

-The offer by Al and Bernadette Bullock to produce a banner quilt to commemorate Steven Girard and the school and that can be displayed at Girard's sarcophagus during the wreath laying ceremony can be accommodated. The quilt can then be given to the Alumni Office, or the Historical Collection, for further display.

-Autumn advised us to visit Banker Hall (formerly known to us as the D&S Bldg) to identify suitable space for our lunch on Founder's Day where we can have a 'typical' Hum meal. We may also use that venue for our Sunday Brunch and follow-on Group discussions.

-The school can print our Corinthian II, but we have to provide the layout work. (Girard no longer has that capability) McKendrick offered an alumni contact in the commercial printing business.

-Our request to sing all three verses of the Farewell Song is accepted. The student musical selection can be eliminated since the bell choir performance will be retained.

We wish to thank President Adkins, and the Alumni Office, for their continued willingness to accommodate our wishes in customizing our 50^th Anniversary Reunion.

G. UPDATES TO CLASS LIST

Well, you guys are moving too fast for me. The Class List was distributed with the Scratch Sheet to facilitate communication between individuals as we make plans for our reunion. Since then we have the following changes. We will shortly place the Class List on the website, so you don’t need to be constantly updating. But for now:

1. Al Bullock’s email address is Albullock7@gmail.com

2. Sam Chapman’s email address is Scha32779@comcast.net

3. Robert Consavage ‘s email is Robert.consavage@yahoo.com

4. Chuck Zellers preferred phone number is: 402-432-1504 Cell

H. REPORT ON LAST REUNION COMMITTEE PLANNING MEETING FROM JOE FRIGIOLA

Once again, Dan and Sandy Ferro were the perfect hosts. Sandy's cooking was outstanding! We were very pleased to see Sam Chapman and enjoyed catching up with him. He appears to be the first of our class to achieve Great Grand Pop status. Other attendees were Adams, Culver, DiRomaldo, Frigiola, Kane, Quinn and Snyder.

We reviewed the tally sheet of Survey 3 returns. The count now stands at 49 So guys if you haven’t sent in Survey 3 please do so ASAP. We need this information to get accurate attendance numbers for all the events and to assure adequate room space, seating, food, drink, and all other amenities. For those who have not responded we will forward a copy of the original request, shortly after we forward the SS.

An outline for Friday night's dinner program was reviewed and met with approval. Dan Ferro is working on a one-fold, four-sided handout which will feature a title page, the menu for the evening, the program agenda, and the words to the Farewell Song.

Quinn gave an update on the many AV and technical issues he is managing.; i.e. We now have a signal bell and an air horn for the Open Microphone feature, but we still need an 'egg timer', and possibly a long stick with a hook. The school does have the 42" flat screen monitors that we want for Friday's dinner (for continuous showing of the 1960 GC film and the picture/memorabilia collection that Ed DiRomaldo is accumulating. Two easels will be provided for the Memorial Posters picturing deceased classmates. A thumb drive will be used for the Power Point presentation (narrated by Bill Evans) and a projector and large screen are available. Mike is also coordinating the Memorial Presentation during the chapel service. Arrangements are being made to have one of the students video record much of Friday night's and Saturday morning's events for the making of a DVD take away. (If we want more recorded, we may have to provide remuneration.) Mike got an extremely reasonable $100/hour editing quote from a first rate production house (Dan's son, DJ, works for them.) Bob Culver will be able to reproduce the DVD's from the edited master. We need to decide whether to send everyone a free copy, or leave it to individuals to purchase or not. The Hum AV Dept can produce an enlarged copy of our Senior Class photo. We need to decide 'how big?' and 'where to hang it?. Finally, Mike will find out which of the services mentioned above will be provided free by the school, and which we will be asked to pay for.

Al and Bernadette Bullock sent us an offer to make two quilts containing photos, images of Steven Girard, classmates' names, etc. Our feelings leaned toward having only one made which could be displayed at Steven Girard's sarcophagus and could be given to the Alumni Association , used as a prize, or auctioned off for fund raising. More thought needed on this one.

Rich Adams reported that he and wife Linda have completed 9 or 10 interviews to capture the Moms' experience. They plan to write a script for a discussion among 'typical' Moms (actresses) from this material. They will then record an audio enactment , or simply make the transcription available to all persons interested. Other ideas/suggestions are welcome.

The call for nominations for class speaker has not yet appeared in the Scratch Sheet With time running short, we need to make this selection soon.

The question arose "Does the Hum maintain photo archives?" DiRomaldo will visit with Elizabeth Laurent (School Historian) to see what is available. Quinn will check with Keith Steininger (AV Dept). Frigiola will call the Alumni Office.

Corinthian II still needs a lot of work. The plan is to send each classmate all the information we have about him from the Scratch Sheets and other sources, and to ask each person to write his own up-dated profile. Once all content is assembled, we hope to use the Hum's facilities for layout and publishing. However, we questioned the interest in and enthusiasm for the final product. We also saw no real need to complete this effort by Founder's Day. In fact, we may get a better response on the request for self-written profiles after the majority of classmates have attended a successful Reunion.

Next Meeting(s): Feb 19-21 in Tampa (Pete's Place)

March 18 in Westampton (Frigiola's place)

As usual all classmates are invited to attend. We appreciate the input.

Chapman, Ferro, Kane, Adams, Quinn, Snyder, Frigiola, Culver, DiRomaldo

I. LAST CHANCE TO GET A COPY OF THE JUNE 1960 CORINTHIAN

Bob Culver has received a number of requests to get a copy of our graduation yearbook from classmates who either have lost theirs, or never got one because they did not graduate. He plans to make a final production run shortly after February 15. So if you would like him to make you a copy, please let him know immediately. He can be reached at fabo2@verizon.net, or at 1-973-628-0786.

J. THE GC OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS SHOWS ITSELF TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT

The following is taken from the Individual Records which one of our classmates requested from the Hum. This is an excerpt from the synopsis of the Office Interview of the classmates’ mother (#2) by the Hum’s Admissions Office:

“At 42 #2 is a small, bright-eyed, animated woman whose Italian birth is evident in feature and speech. But her intelligence and common sense seem well above the level of most Italian immigrants.”

K. WE NEED NOMINATIONS FOR OUR CLASS SPEAKER, AND IDEAS ON WHAT HE SHOULD ADDRESS

Traditionally the 50^th Graduating Class has a Class Speaker who addresses the audience at the Founder’s Day Chapel Service. The Reunion Committee is soliciting the ideas of all classmates on who the Class Speaker should be, and also any ideas on the content, and direction of the speech. The audience comprises:

1. Our class and guests, probably about 150 people;

2. The entire student body, around 600;

3. Family and friends of the student body, maybe around 200.

4. Girard staff, probably around 100.

5. Various alumni, usually older than us, who normally run around 200.

Obviously, given our five years with Archie Andrews we have many eloquent speakers amongst us. A few have already taken on other responsibilities for the chapel service, and should not be nominated: Shoemaker will be the Master of Ceremonies; Caplan will be responsible for presenting the Class Gift; Quinn will be handling the memorial service for deceased classmates, and D’Amico will be throwing spitballs at all of them.

Please give Joe Frigiola a call or email with any nominations and also any thematic or specific ideas which you feel should be conveyed.

L. A NOTE OF REGRET FROM CHUCK ZELLERS

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the 50th. Please pass on my regret to our fellow classmates. I can't believe it's 50 years but looking back on my life since graduating from Girard, yes it's been a great 50. It would be nice to see everyone "in the flesh" or even talk to one another. I'm sure most folks attending have seen each other on many occasions but for some of us the "logistics" just are not there. Anyhow enjoy your reunion and think of us that are not there! One gets in a melancholy mood when thinking of the life while living within Girard so long ago, especially when not able to talk of "old times" with fellow classmates.
Regards
Chuck Zellers

M. MEMORABILIA

1. Poets Among Us: Rich Collins and Bob Consavage This comes from the Spring 1959 Girardian when we were Juniors.

2. From Bruce Singer. He and Mike Quinn on Founder’s 1960

3. The Few Collection as Edited by Ed DiRomaldo