CLASS OF 1978
WALTER PANAS HIGH SCHOOL
Celebrating 45 Years!
Fellow WPHS78 Classmates, Fellow Panthers, Friends and Families! Save the Date and Time! September 14, 2024, 12noon! Come one, Come all! To FDR State Park, in Yorktown Heights, NY, Pavilion 6.
Please see the message below from Kenny Dahl:
The Class reunion in Sept was fun, and perhaps we are at an age where we shouldn’t wait five years to do it again. This is an open invitation to the class, family and friends. We’ll start at noon and depart whenever you want. This is a BYOE Bring Your Own Everything Event. Nothing more formal or organized than that. So, for now, just put it on your calendar and I hope you can make it. I’ll send a reminder when we get closer. We are lucky to have each other.
Peace.
KD
(703)677-6164
Kennydahl@aol.com
45th Reunion - Georges Island - September 9, 2023
Who's Old?
September 11, 2021 - Classmates!
Bobby, Teresa
Matty, Kim, Colleen
Andy, Julie, Farley
Rich, John, Kenny, John
Andy and Kenny and Patti
Miriam and Michelle
Teresa, Matt, Sue, Craig, Bob
Bakers Delights
Beautiful Hudson Valley
Kindergarten. Little Red School, 1965
4th Grade Class Trip - Vanderbilt Mansion L-R Mark Connor, Mike Donnellan, Lynn Denike, Mike Littleton, Matty Moro, Mark Johnson, Soos, Ronnie Sadler. 1969.
1974 St. Columbanus Varsity Archdiocese Champions. This team was crazy good. A collection of future Panas multi-sport All-Stars. Standing l-r: Coach John Tropiano, Kevin Flood, John Gaccione, Sean Mackey, Steve Elser, Andy Ward, John Vallorosi, Steve Cleary. Kneeling l-r: Joe Quinn, Jimmy Fleitz, John White, Richie Bobik, Ruben Sotillo, Tony Robinson, Eddie Clark.
Seniors - Lakeland Game
Senior Cut Day. Mohansic State Park. Crash, Kelly G., ZeeZay, Ann A., John Val. June 1978.
Senior Prom '78
WPanasHS '78 10th ReUnion. Bear Mountain Lodge.
WPanasHS '78 20th ReUnion. Colonial Terrace. Gak, Billy, DayRow, Richie, Else, Keegs, Klogo.
WPanasHS '78 30th ReUnion. Holiday Inn Fishkill. Georgie V., Neck, Bowmar, Lips.
WPanasHS '78 35th ReUnion. Tarrytown Hyatt. Carl, Hambone, Sharon, Donna, Perse, Cheryl, Joe, Lori, Yid.
WPanasHS '78 40th ReUnion. Tarrytown Hilton. Michelle, Dana, Kristie, Cheryl, Debbie:)
The Squad
All our sweetest hours fly fastest.
Latin Proverb.
Timeline 10:49h Thursday 4 October 2018.
From Betsy Scordato this morning.
“Wanted to reach out to the group of friends that my brother regarded with the highest esteem — he loved each of every one of his classmates. I know in my heart that he will be with you all, pretending to be Toy Caldwell on his lax stick, strumming away to ‘Can’t You See” and singing the loudest he can. Raise your glasses and please sing along with him — and CHEERS to all —- love, Tom’s sister — And, remember, be kind to each other and always stay connected — life is too short!! XOXO”
All our sweetest hours fly fastest.
Latin Proverb.
Timeline: 07:41h Monday 1 October 2018.
Following are some pictures sent to me this weekend by my friend Ann Andrews. She was going through some old albums, (perhaps in anticipation of this Saturday’s WPHS Class of ’78 40th ReUnion…Woot!!!)
If you still want to come, it’s not too late.
See ya Saturday nightCool
Kelly, Riles, Ellen.
Spanky, Darla and Alfalfa: Dream Sequence, "Club Spanky" episode, 1937.
Dreams are real while they last. Can we say more of life?
Havelock Ellis.
Timeline 11:43h Friday 31 August 2018.
THANK YOU!!!
September 01, 2018 was set as a ‘deadline’ in order to reserve a ballroom in the Westchester Marriott for the Walter Panas High ‘78 ReUnion. The Marriott wouldn’t give us the ballroom unless we could promise them enough people to fill it.
YOU did it. It’s filled. We’re in. And it’s relatively early: there are still five full weeks yet until the ReUnion—October 6!
Five weeks ahead…unbelievable.
We’re golden:)
IF you haven’t bought your ticket yet, never fear: the ballroom is expandable. We’re still selling tickets to the Show.
We only ask that you don’t wait too long. It creates a last minute logjam, and we’ll need some lead-time to create your name-tags, make up the right number of table-centerpieces, order enough balloons, etcetera!
DO COME!! It’s gonna be FUN!!!
(And Happy Birthday Paul DePaoli!)
Ralph "Crash" Fasano
A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere.
Emerson.
Tommy Scordato and Paul DePaoli
Kevin Flood
I can’t even remember when the Seventies was.
Robbie Keane.
Bruce Kuttruf
“Elrond,” Bruce said. “The Council of Elrond. From Lord of the Rings. It’s the meeting where they decide to destroy the One Ring.”
“Jesus,” Annie said. “None of you got laid in high school, did you?”
Andy Weir- The Martian
Gary Renza and Doug Percesepe, like we used to do...
May my silences become more accurate.
Theodore Roethke.
Pipe-Dream
Timeline: 15:48h, Tuesday 15 August 2018
Check-it out, check-it out, check-it out:
A very interesting thing happened on the way to the beach last night. Got an email. From a long lost classmate. Most of you will remember his name, perhaps his face, but not a lot else about him. He kinda flew under the radar in high school. Something unusual about him. You’d notice him, then you wouldn’t. Quiet, mellow, yet outgoing. Somber, serious, yet upbeat. Studious, bookish, but still made time for the party circuit. There, yet not there…
He hasn’t been to any of our ReUnions thus far. Seems that life took him in some unexpected directions since good old Panas. Yet, when one thinks about it, and about him, the following is not that surprising, not entirely unexpected.
Turns out he went on to an ivy-league college, east-coast, very nice place, international student body, semi-elite, not too pretentious. Met a girl there. Nice girl. Quiet, unassuming, sweet-natured. They stayed together through their four undergraduate years, and after.
Turns out his girl was minor—er, maybe not so minor—Royalty. Think old, old money, way older than this nouveau phenomenon known as the United States. Think Habsburgs, Rothschild’s, and the Napoleonic Wars. Well, it’s way older than that.
Think Charles the Second, and Louis the Sun King, and Rene Descartes. Well, it’s way older than that.
Think the Dutch East India Company, and the Spanish Armada, and the Battle of Lepanto. Well, it’s way older than that.
Get my drift?
Anyway, this guy, this kid who we all knew, and yet didn’t know, he wants to throw that unique ReUnion party I was referring to earlier, down below. You know, my little pipe-dream: some beachy place, kinda cool locale, laid back vibe, change things up a bit for the 40th?
Well, it’s all of that, except better.
Listen up. Here’s the play:
Our old classmate now has houses, villas, manors, all over the world. Think Porto Cervo, Sardinia; think Cote D’Azur, France; think Basel, Switzerland; think Edinburgh, Scotland; think St. Bart’s in the Caribbean. The list goes on, and on.
He is willing to do the following for you, the Class of 1978, Walter Panas High…are you ready?
We will have full use of his family’s ancient manor house on the coast of Brittany, France. 192 private acres of wild, un-spoilt, extremely pretty country. Older than eld. Original ruins date from the 12th century. Plundered and burned in 1348. Re-built in 1451. Burned down in the 16th century. Rebuilt again. Rinse, lather, repeat. Think of the history, think of the events this place has witnessed…it even has a couple of proprietary ghosts.
On the water, facing the beautiful Bay of Biscay. Moors, cliffs, sandy lanes, monoliths, cobblestone streets. Stables, horses, groomsmen. Private golf course (Yeah, Matty!). Vines de Grape as thick as a man’s thigh, pressed and bottled for onsite consumption only (Yeah, Dre! Yeah, KD! Yeah, Nate!). Five-star, full-time, live-in chef (Yeah, Pauly!). Butlers, chambermaids, gardeners. Heated pools (indoor and outdoor).
It’s on for the weekend of October 6-8, 2018.
Here’s what else he is willing to do (he wishes to remain anonymous until the night of—can you imagine?!?): the first 100 respondents to an upcoming email will be flown-out, on his dime(!!). Two U.S. points of departure, major hubs, east coast and west. Each of us is allowed one guest. Wife, kid, best friend, whatever. One suitcase each. Everything is taken care of: all food, all travel, all accommodation, all….everything.
The only stipulation is that you must be a graduate of the Class of 1978, Walter Panas High School, Cortlandt Manor, NY.
Pretty cool, huh? I sure am glad I sent out that little “what do y’all want to do for a 40th ReUnion?” note two weeks ago. Who’d a thunk?
Sounds pretty good, hey?!? Too good to be true, right?
Well, it is. Too good. To be true.
But I had you there for a minute, right? Admit it.
Sorry. Didn’t mean to get your hopes up. Just felt like playin’ for a bit…hey, I’m on vacation here…it’s raining…I got a little bored….
Here’s the real deal: after much careful deliberation and research by your ever faithful reunion committee we are pleased to announce the following:
WPHS Class of ’78 40th ReUnion
Saturday October 06, 2018
The Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, New York
More details to come.
(And if you’re out there Mr. Brittany, please call me at your earliest possible convenience).
Cheryl Gross, Dana Seagraves, Michelle Gaines, The Jersey Shore c.1976
Jerry and Richie 1978
Jerry and Richie at the 35th ReUnion. Better than ever.
Nouns of Assemblage:
a gang of elk
a murmuration of starlings
a wilderness of monkeys
a clutch of eggs
a coven of witches
a staff of servants
a field of runners
a sheaf of arrows
a cete of badgers
a bench of bishops
a murder of crows
a barren of mules
a muster of peacocks
a stud of mares
a parliament of rooks and owls
a business of ferrets
a nye of pheasants
a sounder of wild boar
-Schott’s Original Miscellany
Lincoln Titus 4th Grade. Courtesy of John Hintze
You cannot choose your battlefield, God does that for you;
But you can plant a standard where a standard never flew.
Stephen Crane, The Colors.
The Walter Panas High Class of 1978
35th ReUnion is ON:
SATURDAY October 12, 2013
7:30 p.m. to ?
DoubleTree by Hilton™
455 South Broadway
Tarrytown, NY 10591
Activities/Parties
will occur throughout
The Columbus Day Holiday Weekend
(see "WPHS '78 35th ReUnion!!"
Tab for further details)
 |
Dateline: Tuesday September 24, 2013 09:44h
Good Morning,
This a quick update as we continue the countdown to The Walter Panas High Class of 1978 35th ReUnion on Saturday October 12
First, thank you for your remarkable response! Ticket sales continue to soar with the ReUnion just 18 days away. People have said we had (have) a tight-knit class. Frankly I thought it was just so much hyperbole, but I am seeing it play out right before my eyes: the responses to the email blasts; individual classmates reaching out to each other after so much time apart; the number of website hits; the Facebook traffic; everything…it is simply fantastic. Thank You!!
I had two interesting conversations this weekend which I thought worth sharing; one was with my wife, another with a ’78 classmate.
The classmate reached out to me with a series of questions and concerns. She is severely on the fence about coming to the ReUnion. She’s not sure if it’s the right time: money, health, travel, kids—all figure into the equation for her. She’s having a tough time; let’s just say that life isn’t exactly a bowl of cherries right now. She is also concerned about seeing a large group of people she hasn’t seen in 30+ years. She is more than a little frightened about what will happen when/if she walks in that ballroom door.
Which ties right in to the conversation I had with my wife:
Her: “What are you doing? You didn’t even like high school…other than your silly little website you are completely out of touch with these people. You don’t even really know them anymore… You hate crowds, you’re introverted and anti-social…Why are you doing this?”
Me: “Thanks, Hon.”
But she raises a valid point: besides much (all?) of what she said being true…why am I going? It got me thinking, and here’s what I came up with (after some pondering):
The ‘present’ can be painful, in more ways than one: our kids are about to, or actually are, leaving home. Our parents are about to, or actually are, leaving…earth. Work isn’t getting any easier, at all. The body, to put it mildly, is rapidly changing. I look in the mirror in the morning and I’m like “who the %*#$! is that!?” (Can someone please tell me what a skin tag is?).
The ‘future’ is a bit scary; it also can hurt some (or the thought of it can. Retirement? I don’t think so…)
They call the 50’s middle age, but it’s really a bit later than that. In clock terms, noontime is the middle of the day. At 53, we’re really talking about after-dinner-drinks…it’s somewhere between desert and bedtime. And we all know we can’t turn the clock back. Or can we…?
I’m going to my 35th ReUnion because I can. Here’s what is going to happen: I will drive up to the venue on that Saturday night. I’m going to have butterflies (that doesn’t happen too often these days); I’m gonna be nervous, but a good nervous. I will walk into that hotel, and look around for our ballroom. I’ll see a face, in the lobby or parking lot, a familiar face from the distant past. And my heart will flip-flop: I will remember. And when I open the door to that ballroom it will be full of similar faces, faces of friends that I knew a long time ago, and always will know. There will be faces I knew from grade school, and from little league, and from the neighborhood, and from high school, and elsewhere…
And I will be Home, again. And I promise you, I will be amazed at the outpouring of affection, and friendship, and love. I’ve been there, and I know.
And that is why I’m going, and that is why I am doing what I do.
Hope to see you there.
Panas vs Lakeland October 1977
Holalpahabetic Sentences (Also know as Pangrams, these are sentences containing every letter of the alphabet, of particular interest to typographers when browsing fonts):
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex.
How piqued gymnasts can level six jumping razorback frogs.
We promptly judged antique ivory buckles for the next prize.
Sixty zippers were quickly picked from the woven jute bag.
Jump by vow of quick, lazy strength in Oxford.
Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz.
-Schott’s Original Miscellany
Donna Duchene, Karen Vangor, Jill Tully, Rosemary Repicky
[zoomsounds_player source=”271″ type=”detect” loop=”on” wrapper_image_type=”zoomsounds-wrapper-bg-center”][/zoomsounds_player]
Lisa Cozolino
Eddie Clark
Tommy Scordato and Mike Perrelle: The Bonfire
Miriam Popp's T-Bird: Miriam, Linda Ekizian, Karen Russo
Michie Stadium Spring 1978 (l-r): Richie Mellone, Kenny Dahl, Tony Maresco, Richie Bobik, Ralph Fasano, Jimmy Fleitz
Doug Percesepe
Clockwise from lower left: Ray Scalone, Anthony Graci, Mark Galgani, Miriam Popp, Linda Ekezian, Glenn O'Neill, Donna Duchene, Debi McCormack, Kenny DaRos, Pam Hitt
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
Kurt Vonnegut, quoted in TheBookReporter.com
The Aqueduct (L-R): Tommy Scordato, Jimmy Keegan, John Gaccione, Bill Haviland, John Hintze, Kevin Flood, Casey Stengle, Bill Foley, Shawn Mackey
Let Wall Street have a nightmare and the whole country has to help them back in bed again.
Will Rodgers