June 10-12, 2016 was our 30th reunion, and we had a great time together.  Whether it was spent on campus, attending a seminar, wine tasting, or simply drinking on the porch of Meyran, this weekend helped remind me of all that is so amazing about our class.  Since it’s still fresh in my mind, this column will be a story about the fun we had… and what you missed if you weren’t able to join us!

Friday started with a seminar on Domestic Violence, led by Teresa Rivera Bean ‘87 in the new Moot Courtroom in Tatem.  Joining many other HoodLums to hear her update and informative discussion was wonderful and I highly encourage everyone to get involved in this plight if you can.  Teresa and I then went downtown to La Paz to do a bit of pre-gaming before dinner (Sangria anyone?).  Our Rogue Off-Campus Dinner at La Paz was a special request by Kristy Wiarda Williams and her husband Jim, so we made the most of it.  While others were dining on crabs at the Maryland-style dinner, we had Mexican food and lots of fun catching up.  Joining us that night were (in “around the table” order) Lynne Davis Anderson, Sue Auger Manory, Trish Bizink Abell ‘87, Siobhan Connellan ‘91, Janet Drogin Wilson, Marcia Groobert Ortiz, Kristy Wiarda Williams, Kristy’s husband Jim Williams, and Teresa Rivera Bean ‘87.  Ingrid Chris Hause, LIsa Marie O’Brien, and Parry Kenyon Grimm were originally planning to join us, but plans had to be adjusted.  We broke up after dinner to go a few separate ways.  Teresa took Kristy, Jim, and Marcia onto campus while Sue, Lynne, and I walked down the canal to meet Martha Hearn Shimano and Donna Becker at The Wine Kitchen for an after-dinner drink before calling an Uber to take us back to campus.  My weekend roommate, Lisa Marie O’Brien, finally arrived from Long Island and we settled in for the night just after midnight.

Saturday was jam-packed with activities and fun!  On campus, there were offerings of tours, a State-of-the-College meeting with our new President, and a lovely luncheon set in the Ron Volpe Athletic Center (I’ve seen photo proof that Angela Corio was  in attendance, but I missed seeing her in person).  We chose to take a different route to start our day.  After a quick run to Starbucks, Lisa and I headed to a Rogue Off-Campus Lunch at The Main Cup in Middletown (Owned by Kimberly Longenecker-Brenengan ‘87) to meet early with Tracy Tischer. Joining us for this terrific lunch were (again, in “around the table” order) Patty Kenyon Grimm, Lisa O’Brien, Kim Longenecker ‘87, Janice Peacock Spiegel ‘85, Howard Spiegel, Donna Becker, Marcia Groobert Ortiz, Kristy Wiarda Williams, and Kristy’s husband Jim.  Pam Brown was originally planning to come, but something came up and she sadly had to cancel.  We made it back on campus in time to catch the bus to the winery tour of New Market Plains Winery where we met up with our class group (Eleanor Chisholm Landauer, Lisa O’Brien, Sue Auger Manory, Patty Kenyon Grimm, Lynne Davis Anderson, and Anna Maripuu).  While there, we met a stellar group of HoodLums from 2011 who became our new “little sisters” and we looked for “our Elevens” (FB names of Samantha Haines, Katelynne Marie, Meghan Amber and Rachel Utsch ‘11) wherever we went.

Saturday night was the big class dinner and we were all in rare form.  When we finally stood for a group photo (but not an official one you’d find on any website), we had a great number of classmates.  From L-R in attendance were: Donna Becker, Kristy Wiarda Williams, Sue Auger Manory, Lynne Davis Anderson, Eleanor Chisholm Landauer, Patty Kenyon Grimm, Anna Maripuu, Karen Dotterer Wilson, Susan Anne Batroukha Mondelo, Elvy Viera, Nadya Aswad, Mike Birmingham, Mari Padilla Spina, Nanette Rosario, Gina Oliveros, Khateeta Emerson, Lucy Ment, Ana Besu, Lisa Marie O’Brien, Maritza Bido, Martha Hearn Shimano, and Caroline Kish Lewis.  The food was great and the company was even better!  After we closed down the Athletic Center, a small group of us took a few beverages over to the front porch of Meyran to continue the evening.  We met up with our “Elevens” and took turns singing songs and sharing stories until late into the night before we all went back to Shriner to crash.

Sunday was, of course, the Strawberry Breakfast.  Excellent food with even better company was the best way to wrap up the weekend.  Posing for photos with Howard Spiegel, Eleanor Chisholm Landauer, Lisa Marie O’Brien, Sue Auger Manory, Anna Maripuu, Lynne Davis Anderson, and Karen Dotterer Wilson surrounding our “Elevens” was a highlight, as were the photos with Elvy Viera, Anna Besu, Nadya Awsad, and Susan Anne Batroukha Mondelo.  As I headed out of town, I got to finally visit with Kim Burns ‘87, Gina Oliveros, Lucy Ment, Maritza Bido, and Mari Padilla Spina before driving Lisa O’Brien through downtown so she could see all the changes before she began her long drive back to Long Island.

For those of you who weren’t able to come to this reunion, please know that you were missed and remembered.  We’re keeping the Hood86 Class Page open on Facebook, so feel free to join us there any time!   Let’s see if we can have an even bigger group at our 35th reunion!  I’ll get back to posting individual news in the next edition, but hopefully this allowed you to see how much fun can be had when you travel back to Hood for a reunion.  Love to you ALL!

Late note: I’ll add photos to this posting as soon as I download them to my laptop.  🙂