*Save the Date* 

August 18, 2018 --6pm to 10pm

Celebrating 55 years since our Graduation from O.F.A. 

We are planning a casual Mixer to take place at the Parkview Restaurant, Owego, N.Y.

we will be sending out an email with all of the information included.

Highlights and Memories of our 50th Reunion Weekend 

by the Reunion Committee

After not having a class reunion for 20 years, OFA's Class of 1963 had its 50 year reunion on a beautiful fall weekend in September 2013.  Classmates from near and far attended.  We are so pleased that so many of our classmates traveled great distances to celebrate with us.  After only attending OFA for 1 year, our foreign exchange student, Felix Pfeifer came from Zurich, Switzerland to attend our reunion.  We also want to recognize those of you that came from outside of New York State to celebrate with us:

Mike Fairlie from Papillion, Nebraska; Mike Ellis from Ames, Oklahoma; Richard Dickinson, from Eagan, Minnesota; Dave Steenburg from Cocoa Beach, Florida; Arnold Lord from Royal Palm Beach, Florida; Ruth French from Englewood, Florida; Ron Stocum from Jacksonville, Florida; Walter Hill from Reidsville, Georgia; Allison Bingham from Chapel Hill, North Carolina;  Shirley Heeter from, Clayton, North Carolina; JoEllen Johnson from Indianapolis, Indiana;  Cordis Colburn from Arlington, Virginia; Thom Riley from, Newport News, Virginia; Carolyn Brill from Oakton, Virginia; Christine Ulrich from Baltimore, Maryland; Faith Frenzel from Hampstead, Maryland; and Janet Kelly from Westwood, Massachusetts.   Nick Gatto, our class advisor also joined us for the mixer.

Our reunion events started out with a mixer on Friday Night at the Parkview Restaurant in Owego.  A red and blue, "Welcome OFA Class of 1963" banner hung outside the restaurant.  We also had two banners hanging on both sides of the North Avenue underpass with the same message.  The Parkview was packed that evening with many classmates and their guests.  It was amazing to see all the warm greetings from classmates that had not seen each other in many years.  It seemed like all our friendships simply picked up where they had left off, as if no time had passed. 

Saturday evening we celebrated with a sit down dinner and band at the Owego Treadway.  Before dinner we had a chance to once again mingle with classmates and look through the displays and memorabilia from our high school days.  Our meal was served in a room decorated in red and blue, bringing back memories of our proms, with 50's and 60's music playing in the background.  Our classmate, Russ Stocum, had put together a video loop of past reunion pictures that played through the night.  Nick Gatto and his wife, Rose were our special guests for dinner.  Also, we had opened our reunion to anyone who had graduated from OFA and we had 4 alumni who joined us.  Ginny Locke Miller (Billy Miller's widow); Jackie Russell Murray, Dale Baker Williams and Judy Card McLaughlin.  After a blessing from Reverend Wally Hill and a remembrance of those of our classmates that had passed away, our meals were served.  After dinner, Ron Stocum, our Senior Class President spoke a few words.  We then had an open microphone time and Jim DeCator added some levity to the evening with his comedic comments.  Kenny Williams, Lou DeSantis and Lenny DeSantis also spoke briefly.  Nick Gatto spoke for a short time, he reminded us that we were his first class when he started teaching at OFA.  He also stated that he knew right from the start that we were, "a very special class", we agree!!  We then took a "few" minutes to have an official class photo taken and then it was back to the banquet room, listen to the band (some were brave enough to even dance) and continue to renew old friendships. 

Sunday morning about 40 of us, that still had not had enough of the reunion, met at The Cellar Restaurant for brunch.  We enjoyed a delicious meal, continued to talk about old times, discussed our plans for future events, and looked at the many reunion photos that Russ Stocum had taken over the past few days.

The reunion committee sincerely appreciates the tremendous turn out we had for our 50th Class Reunion.  We clearly recognize that we had a VERY SPECIAL CLASS.  We hope to be able to have future events so we can continue to renew the friendships we made so many years ago.  We will communicate our intentions on this subject later this year. 

To those of you who were unable to make the reunion...you were missed, we hope that you will be able to join us for any future events we may plan.

We will be posting pictures from this weekend within the next few days...These pictures were taken by Russell Stocum and Colleen Jones (Gary's daughter).   You will find them by clicking on OFA Memories on the left hand side of the Home Page.   If you have any pictures that  you would like to post please do so on your profile page. 

The Committee Members are:

Gary Jones, Judi Boland and Louie DeSantis, Susan Gavin Ballard, James DeCator, Spencer Hunt, Mary Daigle Kreul, Edith Granger Fogle, Pat Hardenstine Jackson, William Schweizer, Cindy Cornett Goodrich, Janet Randall and Ed Racht, Sandy Wilkins Olshefski, Joyce Moses Neira and Lenny DeSantis

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