May 23, 2009
40 years? Unbelievable, but true!
The 60s and 70s, certainly an exciting time in American history. Was it the absolutely best time to have been a student? What do you guys think?
My time at Jamaica High School wasn’t perfect, but I look back upon it very fondly. The older I get, I realize that perfection is a goal to strive for, but probably something one will never achieve. The more people I speak to about their high school experience, the more I realize we had a pretty good thing going at JHS.
A lot of people from Jamaica must have concured as I keep hearing how people would like to participate in a 40th reunion. I thought the 30th was a blast and everybody that attended seems to have agreed. If you missed the 30th, you don’t want to miss the 40th.
What made the 30th reunion so special was the aura that surrounded it. People were so into capturing a time and spending more time with the people with whom they shared that time. The key to creating that aura was the website. The person responsible for that website was Larry Orchier, and no one, more than Larry, was responsible for creating the magic of that 30th reunion. I know that getting Larry back on board was crucial to any plans to stage a 40th. I’m happy to announce that after months of begging and pleading, Larry has agreed to help us out with the new website. With Larry back on board I immediately arranged to set up this site. Unfortunately, Larry is very busy with his own computer consulting company and won’t be able to devote as much time, this time, as he did last time. So, that means we need everyone to contribute if we hope to recreate the magic of the 30th.
We welcome participation in every aspect of the planning. Join us on the committees. If you felt you were not as involved with things back in high school, as you wanted to be, now is your opportunityto get involved. How often do you get a second chance to become part of the "In Crowd".
We want to hear from everyone. Contribute to the website. First thing to do is to register on the Classmates Page of the site. Tell every classmate you know to do the same thing and spread the word about the new site. We need people to share their thoughts and memories. We’re still trying to sort things out, but we’ve set up a Guest Book and Message Boards. Go to either to communicate with the web site community. Add your comments to the blogs.
We are currently at the very beginning, so please be patient. We hope to add significant content. We need your contributions of pictures and content. If you want to see a specific topic or feature incorporated onto the site, let us know. Contact Larry or me by accessing the Contact Us tab.
As to the reunion, itself, we need help with the planning. Suggestions for when and where, themes, food, entertainment, displays, memory books, favors etc. are welcomed. Sponsorship or favors would be tremendous. Come join a committee.
Thanks to Mike Kurtz we have a pretty good contact list. With privacy laws being what they are, we will be circumspect in respecting your privacy. We hope to reach out to everyone, at least once, just to let everyone know the website is up and running and that the reunion is being planned. If, for some reason, someone is totally "bummed out" that their classmates cared enough to get in touch, please "get a grip" and politely let us know you’re not interested, and you will not be contacted again. No one is trying to invade anyone’s privacy and we aren’t looking for personal profit. We do hope to be completely inclusive in spreading the "Good Vibes".
If we don’t have contact information for someone, we will list them under Missing Classmates and hope you’ll let us know how to contact them or ask them to contact us
We hope to include humor and trivia quizzes. We look forward to your contributions. Undoubtedly, in today’s overly politically correct society, someone is going to say or post something that someone else finds offensive. We anticipate that nobody will be trying to purposely alienate anybody else. We hope to encourage personal expression. I remember 10 years ago some very cogent, but biting comments about Mr Schuker’s "management style". I found the comments fascinating, but, I am confident Mr Schuker’s heirs might not have been so appreciative. He was what he was. He was considered a brilliant administrator by the "establishment", but the largely "counter cultural" student body did not share that opinion. Considered within the context of the times, it makes for interesting commentary. Yes, I was a sociology major, in college.
Concluding the point on free expression, please feel free to share your candid thoughts, but also try to use a little sensitivity. On the flip side, if you’re a little offended by something you see, please resort first, to your sense of humor, and then remember, we’re trying to encourage a free exchange of ideas. Don’t you want to know what people are really feeling?
As with the 30th, we hope to have a full weekend of activities. Last time, we met Friday night at a club in Manhattan, I arranged for a tour of the school on Saturday morning, the reunion function was Saturday night and Sunday morning we met for brunch. The format for the 40th will probably be similar. Why mess with success? However, we welcome suggestions of specifics or alternatives. Perhaps, if there’s a good concert, in town, we could reserve a block of tickets.
This will be everyone’s website and reunion. If I haven’t already beaten the topic to death, PLEASE CONTRIBUTE. Can we top the 30th? Let’s give it our best shot!
Your friend and classmate,
Richard Lazarus
