June 2002

May of this year marked the sudden and unexpected passing of our dear friend Fred Pieper. We are ever so grateful that we had the chance to spend some time with him at our reunion.

One of the pervading thoughts which followed our reunion was the understanding that we have all played an important role in each other's lives and for that reason the friendships forged from our commonality are to be cherished.

As we gathered to mourn the loss of Fred, that idea was so clearly demonstrated. Fred loved music so much it seems fitting to sum it up with the ever so succinct words of Joni Mitchell

"Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone."

December 2000

As we all know, the world dramatically changed immediately following our September 1, 2001 reunion. We are grateful that we were allowed to have this day with the feelings of peace and safety we no longer can take for granted.

In some ways, the sentiments of the people who participated in that day mirror many of the feelings that have come to the forefront of American thinking.

As young boys, we took each other for granted, barely noticing the passing of time, or understanding the bonds that we were forging. That is youth.

As grown men, we celebrate the uniqueness of each other and share a more mature understanding that in the end, the people in our lives are all that really matter.

The stories of our intervening lives, are a testament the greatness of this country as we have all been privileged to freely pursue our own destinies. On September 11, 2001 we were once again reminded that freedom is not without price.

We, the graduating 1969 graduating class of Christ The King Preparatory School, grieve for those who lost loved ones in this tragedy.

We remember those who fought and died to make this country a nation with the unequaled freedoms we have known all of our lives, and we salute those who now strive to preserve these values.

August 2001

Many of us have contemplated a reunion of our small class over the years. I am in fact fairly certain that a few false starts were attempted, but until now nothing has materialized.

Darlene informs me that this all started with a letter from John Hannusovsky saying that he had recently seen Mike Tichy and they talked about how nice it would be for us all to get together. Rick Palanzo, John  and Mike Knight had dinner and the rest is how you say, history. You can view John's original letter to Mike here.

We have Mike Knight and his wife Darlene to thank for doing much of the hard work of tracking people down, organizing the event, offering their home, and turning a terrific idea into reality.

Thanks to you all for getting the ball rolling

To participate in this opportunity, I felt that I should apply some of my good fortune in having the means to create this web site for all to enjoy. On July 31, 2001 I met Mike and Darlene and was given a copy of the 1969 yearbook.

As a result, these are my intentions.

I will scan the entire book page by page and make a browsable copy as a section of the site. Some of the pictures are fairly low quality so I will apply modern enhancement techniques, within reason, and to the best of my ability.

In addition, each individual will have their own page with their graduation picture and additional information. This is where some biographical information may be included.

A note on this: there is no intention here to invade anyone's privacy. If you would rather NOT have any personal information listed on the site, please feel no obligation to provide any.

In any case, I feel that this needs to be said.

Some thoughts about what might be included on the personal pages include:

A brief synopsis of what you have been up to in the past 30+ years.
Children, grandchildren - Number, names, ages.
Unusual happenings in your life, major awards, situations etc.
Your favorite memory(s) or incident(s) from our school years.

Any and all suggestions or contributions are welcome.

Enjoy,

Joe Scally