Rocco Alianiello (Alianiello)
Greeting Classmates,
I hope this finds everyone doing well. Welcome to August 2024!!!! Our AAHS Class of 1975 is exactly ONE YEAR AWAY from our 50th CLASS REUNION. That's right, your eyes aren't decieving you so don't clean off your readers............in one year August 22nd, 23rd and 24th of 2025, we will be celebrating our 50th Class Reunion.
Take a pause and reflect on the significance of this milestone. What this represents to all of us, individually and collectively. For one thing, we are here to celebrate it, while unfortunately many of our classmates, 148, that we know of, are not that fortunate. We have grown, lived, survived, thrived, laughed, cried, loved, lost, questioned, believed, won, peresevered, traveled, experienced good and bad..........you name it.....we have lived!!!!!!!! And we are still standing......that my friends, is reason to celebrate together.
We all have a common bond and that is being an Altoona Mountain Lion that roamed the halls of the Brownstone for its final year, represented our school athletically, academically, musically, dramatically, etc., were the first to put our paw prints in the new High School and the first class to leave the pack and graduate from there. Although, we all may not have known each other well, traveled very different paths , had different circles of friends, participated in different activities or none at all, we STILL SHARE common memories of the time, of people, teachers, history......and that is unbreakable.
As i mentioned, we are fortunate to stll be standing and able to come together again 50 years after we all walked in the graduation procession at Mansion Park and chose our future paths. That's the magic of reconnecting, or connecting for the first time.........everyone has a story to share. What an incredible opportunity we have. To share our life story with classmates and friends we may not have seen for 50 years.
We have ALL changed, tell me about it, the hair is graying and thinning, the face shows the 67 years of laughing and frowning, the waistline shows the occasional beverage and midnight snacks.....SO WHAT..........everyone has the same badges of honor of living. This reunion will, no doubt be a very memorable night.....but what will make it an AMAZING, UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE will be YOUR attendance. If all of us that are able, make the effort to attend, the weekend will be one that we won't want to end.
Because of the generosity of MANY CLASSMATES, we will be in a position to offer a VERY AFFORDABLE weekend of reuniting. Our monthly class gatherings collect consistent donations, most recently, Marianne Sickles Grabowski, Robbie and Karen Johns, Kathy Gerhard High, Louise Cummings Runge have all been very generous by contributing to our class effort to provide a memorable, affordable 50th Reunion. If you are able to help support the class fund (every donation helps defray the ticket price), please send your check made payable to: AAHS Class of 1975 Reunion and send it to:
AAHS Class of 1975
342 Bel Aire Road
Hollidaysburg, PA 16648
Until next time my friends, cultivate lasting friendships, sow seeds of kindness, don't let little things bug you and take time for yourself...........life is worth fighting the good fight.
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