THE SCRATCH SHEET   Vol. 3, May 12, 2005

 

IN THIS ISSUE:

I.        PLANS FOR THE 45TH REUNION

II.    DIRECTIONS TO EVERYWHERE

III. THE CLASS OF 60 FUND

 

Reunion Committee:

          Toby Caplan 412-821-4256h 681-2400w mcaplan@blumcraft.com

Rocco D’Amico:  301-229-0834  Roccodamico1@aol.com

            Ed DiRomaldo    215-365-5965 pomodon@comcast.net

            Dennis Gries  941-927-3757;  dgries@comcast.net

            John Kane  215-343-5769   JJK91642@AOL.COM

            Ron Saracini   352-237-9690 r.saracini@att.net

 

 

I.  Plans for the 45th Reunion  May 20-22:

         

Home Base:  Radisson Hotel Valley Forge

                               1160 First Avenue

                               King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406

                               610-337-2000

       ROOM/RATE:  20 Rooms have been blocked under Girard College     

       Class of 1960 Reunion

        $109.00 + tax per room

 

       Rooms blocked for following dates:

                               Friday, May 20, 2005

                               Saturday, May 21, 2005

                               Same rate will apply if you need rooms for Thursday or Sunday

                               nights.  We did not block any rooms for those nights but there should

                    be some available.  The earlier you call and make your reservations,

                    the better it will be.  Call John Kane if you have a problem.


SCHEDULE

 

Friday, May 20th:

        800AM – Golf Outing at Melrose Country Club ($120.00)

This is the Alumni Association’s annual golf outing.  Classmates are placed together for the circuit.

(Anyone not signed up but interested let John Kane know.  Also John can give you instructions on getting there.)

 

4-12PM  Hospitality Suite at the Radisson. 

 

The suite will be open before and after the get together at Adam Deveney’s, i.e., 4-7pm and 10PM-?.  It will be Byob and food, though hotel room service will be available.  Check with the front desk for the location of the suite.

 

7:30PM – Get together at Adam Deveney’s home on   Valley Forge  Mountain.  1739 Quarry Lane, Valley Forge, 610-783-7165.  (See directions below.)  We will have the affair catered .

                        Menu:

Hor d'oeuves:

                                                Assorted Puff Pastries

Sweet n' Sour Meatballs

Assorted Cheese and Cracker Tray

                                    Entree'(s):

                                                Honey Roasted Ham

Beef w/ Au Jus

Baked Ziti

                                    Sides: 

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Tossed Green Salad w/2 dressings

Stir Fry Vegetables

                                    Dessert:

                                                Assorted Pies

Chocolate Layer Cake

 

          10PM – wee hours.  Hospitality Suite at Radisson

We will reopen the Suite after the affair at Adam’s for socializing and reacquainting.

 

 


Saturday, May 21

 

9AM:  Chapel service.  If you are at the Radisson you probably will want to leave by eight.  Parking at the hum is at the west end playgrounds.  You need to enter at the back gate near the old mechanical school.

 

10AM-  Meet and greet.  We will locate near the Coccagna bench and tree, which are at the NE corner of the old Banker’s Hall(torn down).  This is the corner closest to the D&S.

 

12PM  -  Alumni box lunch at the armory.  Unfortunately not the traditional dessert of strawberries and ice cream,  but cheap, and plenty of tables to share with classmates.

 

3PM - ?  Hospitality Suite at the Radisson.  The hospitality suite will reopen at 3PM, and stay open throughout the evening.  Those who are not partaking of the dinner and show are welcome to congregate here.

 

6:30 PM – Dinner and a show at Lilly Langtree’s at the Radisson.  Show:  “Cinema Live: Hollywood’s Love Affair of the Silver Screen.”

 

Sunday, May 22

         

9AM- Breakfast at Café Soleil in the Radisson.  (Pay your own way.)

 

 

 

 

FINALLY

A.  WE NEED TO KNOW IF YOU ARE COMING TO:

1.        THE DEVENEY’S SO WE CAN ORDER ENOUGH FOOD.

2.        TO LILLY LANGTREE’S SO WE CAN MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR YOU.

 

PLEASE LET JOHN KANE KNOW: 

      Phone: 215-343-5769    

      Email:  JJK91642@AOL.COM

 

B.        IF YOU ARE COMING TO LILLY LANGTREE’S YOU NEED TO SEND JOHN $44 PER PERSON.  THIS NEEDS TO BE PAID IN ADVANCE.

C.        AND IF YOU ARE ABLE TO DONATE FUNDS FOR THE FRIDAY EVENING GET TOGETHER, AND THE HOSPITALITY SUITE.  WE NOW HAVE ABOUT ¾ OF THE FUNDS WE NEED TO COVER THESE. 

 

CHECKS FOR LILLY’S AND FOR DONATIONS SHOULD BE SENT TO JOHN AT 1678 Rockcress Drive, Jamison, PA 18929.

 

II.  DIRECTIONS

 

1.  DIRECTIONS TO THE DEVENEY’S

 

FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE: NE PA, PITTSBURGH, NJ/NY

 

A.  Get to the PA Turnpike.  If you are traveling down the Northeast Extension of the turnpike, head west when you reach the east - west portion of the turnpike.

 

·        Either from the east or west get off at EXIT 326 (old exit 24) (Valley Forge).

·        After paying the toll stay to the far right and get off the first exit of the Schuylkill Expressway.  Look for Routes 23 or 363 west.

 

B.    Continue west towards the Valley Forge National Park.  Stay on Route 23 West.

·        Travel about 2-3 miles and you will come to traffic light at the intersection of RT 23 and 252. Washington’s Headquarters.  Continue through the intersection.

·        Approximately 3 blocks you will see a Texaco Gas Station on the left.  Turn left onto Davis Road. (Note:  If you see the Valley Forge Post Office or the Freedoms Foundation you went too far.)

·        Continue on Davis Rd for 2 blocks.  At the intersection turn right on Oakwood Lane.

·        Continue on Oakwood for approximately 1 mile until you see a wooden sign on the left indicating “Valley Forge Mountain”.  Turn left onto Paul Lemmen Drive.

·        Continue to the top of the hill.  Turn left onto Forge Mountain Drive.

·        Stay on Forge Mountain Drive until you can make the second left turn.

·        Turn onto Quarry Lane.   WE ARE THE FIRST HOUSE ON THE LEFT SIDE.

 

FROM  PHILADELPHIA

 

·        Take the Schuylkill Expressway west to the last exit before the turnpike.  MALL BOULEVARD.  Get off this exit.

·        At the traffic light bear to the right onto Mall Blvd.

·        Continue on Mall Blvd. To the next intersection and traffic light.  Bear to the right at this intersection onto Gulph Road.  This road turns into Routes 23 & 363.

·        Then follow the Instructions above for the Turnpike at B above.

 

FROM THE RADISSON

 

            ·       Look for Routes 23 or 363 west, out of the hotel..

      ·       Continue west towards the Valley Forge National Park.  Stay on Route 23 West.

          Then follow the instructions for Turnpike at B above

 

1739 QUARRY LANE

VALLEY FORGE, PA 19481

610-783-7165

 

2.  DIRECTIONS TO THE RADISSON

 

FROM PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

 

A.     Out of the Airport get onto I-95 South.  Take it to I-476, a few miles.

B.     Take I-476  North .  Proceed many miles to the 176 West exit (Schuykill Expressway/Valley Forge/ King of Prussia).

C.     Go to the Mall Boulevard exit.  At the traffic light turn left.  At the first traffic light (Goddard Blvd.) turn left.  At the dead-end light, turn right (Gulph Rd.).  Third light should be First Ave., turn right and the first left will be the Radisson.

 

FROM POINTS SOUTH: DE, MD, DC

 

A.     Take I-95 N through Wilmington and Chester to I-476.

B.     Then follow instructions from   Radisson 2B above.

 

FROM DOWNTOWN, 30 ST. STATION, SOUTH JERSEY

 

          A.  Take Schuykill Expressway  I-76 W to  King of Prussia.  Prior to going through the tolls to the PA Turnpike get off the last exit "Mall Boulevard'.  Continue on Mall Blvd and bear right at the first light.  Take Mall Blvd for approximately 3 blocks to another traffic light.  Turn Right on to Gulph Road.  Ruth Chris' Steak-house is on the right.  Continue on Gulph Road until it turns into Route 23 W.  Approximately 2 miles the Radisson will appear on your right.  total time from the expressway to the Radisson is about 10 minutes.

 

 

FROM POINTS WEST AND NORTH: PITTSBURGH, NJ, NY

 

          A.  Get on Pennsylvania Turnpike and travel to Valley Forge (Exit 326) Old Exit #24.  Get Off exit at Valley Forge through the toll booths.  Stay to the far right toll booth and when through make the first right off of the Expressway (Rt 76E).  Continue onto Gulph road or Route 23 West for about 2 miles and the Radisson will appear on your right.  Again about 10 minutes from the turnpike exit.

         

3.  TO THE HUM

 

FROM THE RADISSON

 

-Take route 23 East until you see an on-ramp to Philadelphia

-Go up on the on ramp which is Route 76 East, Schuylkill Expressway

-Continue on the express way to the Vine Street Expressway heading east.

-As soon as you get on the Vine Street Expressway take the first off ramp

      which is 22nd Street.

-Take 22nd Street North up to Fairmount Avenue

-Turn right on Fairmount Avenue to Light at the Corner of Eastern State Penitentiary - Corinthian Avenue

-Turn left onto Corinthian Avenue to Girard College straight ahead.

-When you get to the main gate, make a left and follow the wall all the way around to the rear gate.  (If you stop and hop the wall, it’s a V.O..)

 

 

III.  The Class of 60 Fund

 

Re: Class of 1960’s Gift to Girard (To be presented on Founder’s Day, 2010)

 

Dear Classmates,

 

I volunteered to be on a committee to work on our Gift to Girard.  At present I am the chairman (thanks Rocco) of a committee of ONE that needs two or three good men to round out the committee, develop a plan, and communicate with our classmates.  Please contact me if you have the time and motivation to be a part of this very important class effort.

 

Personally, for me volunteering was an easy decision as Girard has been a big part of my life.  After graduation from the Hum, having no Social Security money to use for college and certainly no college fund waiting at home, I began looking for a job. 

 

Ironically I was asked if I needed a job by the owner of an ice cream store near my home (this is a whole story in itself).  I went to my first interview at Blumcraft of Pittsburgh and was hired mainly for 2 reasons: 1. One of the owners was a lawyer who had studied Stephen Girard’s will and knew of our school.  2. Vernon Drawbaugh, Class of ’54, was a draftsman in Blumcraft’s engineering department.  I learned that he was doing a good job for the firm.

 

My first job assignment was assisting a man who was very interested in my Girard story.  Within a year the company agreed to pay my tuition at the University of Pittsburgh.  I attended Pitt’s night school for about 9 years and graduated in 1970.  A few years later I earned my MBA.

 

 Starting at the bottom, after 44+ years of service to Blumcraft, I was made managing partner upon the death of Louis Blum on March 31, 2004.

 

I am sure many of you have similar stories of how Girard College, its teachers, governesses, administrators, housemasters, alumni, and classmates affected your life and successes.  We were all given a great opportunity! 

 

Some members of our class have been giving back to Girard for years.  That’s great!  It is now our turn as THE CLASS OF 1960 to look back, then look forward, and give back by making a commitment to a gift that reflects appreciation to our school and its founder…GIRARD COLLEGE AND STEPHEN GIRARD.

 

Toby Caplan  412-821-4256 (H), 412-681-2400 (W), e-mail mcaplan@blumcraft.com

 

P.S. Your Class Gift Committee will be reaching out to you later in the year.