Welcome

Hi. This is the first entry to a blog about people who attended Middletown Township (N.J.) High School as part of the class that entered in 1958 and graduated in 1962. (Whether a particular member of the Class graduated from MTHS, moved away, or dropped out doesn't matter.) We'd like to organize a 50th Year Reunion, in Middletown, and will need help with planning and logistics, especially as we get closer to 2012.

You can contact the Administrators of this blog at MTHS62{at-sign]gmail.com. If you'd like to be put on an email list for notices about a reunion or for specific activities, please use the email link above rather than a Comment below (especially if you don't want just everybody on the Internet to see your email address).

We anticipate creating a website with more information, fotos, etc., as we develop materials. We'd like to scan in a complete copy of the 1962 Odranoel, for instance, for people who lost their copy along the way. We will need help with that, however, in that some fotos in any given grad's copy of the yearbook will have writing across all or part of them, so we may publish requests for clear copies of individual pages to be sent to the webmaster as a .JPG image by email or in hardcopy for us to scan.

As regards a Reunion, we have no hard plans at present, only intentions to keep it simple, affordable and fun. We'd like to create a family-friendly event, or even weekend of events, in which people can chat, share fotos, even talk about issues specially relevant to our age group. And we'd like to make this blog a newsletter of what we have in mind and show comments from other members of the class who have ideas of their own to offer. Here's what we have discussed so far.

Craig: I think I saw a hotel off Half Mile Road in Lincroft. I suppose there might be other hotels within Middletown. It would be great to hold a reunion in the cafeteria of what is now Middletown North and was in our time first Central School and then MTHS. I don't know how the principal or Board of Ed would react to such a proposal. It is of course possible to put barriers (I'm picturing accordionized metal on locking wheels) to restrict access to other parts of the building if that were a concern.

No loud music. Not expensive. Perhaps day-time activities, like a family picnic. Spouses/significant others welcome. Maybe even workshops on serious topics such as retirement finance, coping with any Medicare bureaucratic problems that we might encounter, facing mortality, etc. Name badges with fotos from Odranoel.

Peggy: I really need one or two folks familiar with the area now. [Peggy lives in Connecticut, Craig in Newark, neither very close to Middletown.] We could probably get the cafeteria — which is a good, inexpensive idea with simple foods or for after dinner hours. DJ playing oldies — softly. Bus day tour of Middletown area for those who have lived away. American Graffiti showing in the auditorium or hotel conference room. Something for families? Picnic is weather-dependent unless we go to a place with covered areas — state park? Beach?

Craig: Leonardo is a place with a beach, within Middletown.

Peggy: We could certainly hold a weekend event (sort of like weekend weddings). We have to think ahead to the varying physical capability ranges we may have to deal with. Information "classes" are a great idea: keep thinking of subjects. Also want ways to socialize, to break the ice with folks we may not have seen for 50 years. Boards for letters and photos of those not able to attend. Even a 'graduated to heaven board'.

Craig: We should also try to locate such teachers as may still be around — or compile a 'teaching in heaven' list. Of course, there may be some members of the Class who think some of our old teachers are teaching in a warmer climate.

Here are some of the things to think about as to a Reunion.

When: 2012, Spring or Fall
Where:
Activities:
Entertainment:
Food Ideas:

Some of you keep in touch with others and so on down the chain. Perhaps you can contact them and ask three questions:

Are you at all interested in attending a 50th H.S. Reunion in the spring or fall of 2012?

Do you keep in touch with any other alums that might be interested? (Contact them or we can for you.)

Would you be interested in working on an organizing committee?

We're looking for volunteers, especially folks who may have some clue as to how to go about planning a reunion, getting hold of people, reserving a place, planning a menu. All of that stuff and more.

Altho we will also be creating a website for summary information about the current state of the plan, fotos that members of the class may want to share widely — that kind of thing — the website is not yet up. If you are a member of the Class and would like to be put on an email list for announcements, write to us at MTHS62{at-sign}gmail.com, and bookmark this blog. (Note: Altho this blog will concern the Class of '62 in particular, we will be glad to make known, to anyone who contacts us, the email or other contact info of anyone we learn of who wants to organize a reunion for another Middletown class.)

If you would like to offer suggestions for everyone who reads this blog to consider, please leave a Comment. (Comments are moderated.) We look forward to hearing from you.

Peggy (Burke) Cramer
(Lee) Craig Schoonmaker