St. Pat’s Class of ‘64 Reunion: St. Patrick’s 1964 graduates of the 8th grade met here recently for a reunion. Pictured left to right are: Front: Paul Wasz and Allen Schmidt; Row 2: Jean (Lindquist) Welton, Kathy (Whitton) Hamilton, Tucker Griffin and Mary Jane (Skibbie) Hoesman. Row 3: Tony Sivore, Rudy Andershock, Bob Paulson, John Randler and Margaret (Christensen) Hanaway, Mike Sommers, Sue (Jankowski) Weliver, Jill (Sitar) Burns, Larry Mitchell, Mary Jo (Bunchek) Keck, John Ray, Nanette (Lee) Estes and Joe Brennan. Not pictured: Cynthia (Pszonka) Robbins, Rose (Deiotte) Fox and Sue (Harris) Andershock.  (Photo provided)

For the first time in 39 years, the classmates who attended St. Patrick School from 1955-1964 gathered together for a reunion recently at the home of Bob and Jan Paulson.

Planning efforts of Jan Paulson, Jill Burns, Sue Weliver and Kathy Hamilton helped create an afternoon and evening of renewed friendships and memories. The Reverend Joe Brennan offered a prayer of grace before dinner and Larry Mitchell served as Master of Ceremonies, stirring up many memories of days gone by and generating a raft of laughter from the group.

At the end of the evening, classmates took home a booklet with a collection of memories of teachers and experiences shared at St. Patrick School and the current information of each classmate.

A monetary donation was collected by the classmates, which was later given to Ruth McCullough, principal of the school.

Out of 50 people in the eighth grade graduating class of 1964, and a few students who had moved between sixth and eighth grade, 48 classmates were located. Twenty-two classmates, along with spouses, came from as nearby as Chesterton: Kathy (Whitton) Hamilton, Sue (Jankowski) Weliver, Jill (Sitar) Burns, Ron Andershock, Rose (Deiotte) Fox, Allen Schmidt, Charles “Tucker” Griffin, Sue (Andershock) Harris, John Ray, Mary Jane (Skibbie) Hoesman and Bob Paulson; Valparaiso: Paul Wasz and Margaret (Christensen) Hanaway; Westville: Mary Jo (Bunchek) Keck; Lake Station: Cynthia (Pszonka) Robbins; Crown Point: Mike Sommers; and Greenwood: Jean (Lindquist) Welton.

Others came from as far away as Brevard, N.C., Tony Sivore; Paragould, Ark.: Larry Mitchell; Anniston, Ala.: Nanette (Lee) Estes; Mesa, Ariz: John Randler and Arvada, Colo., Joe Brennan.

Added to the group of contributors were Margaret (McClure) Greeley, Janet (Bushore) Howard and Cheryl (Wiesemann) Cichowlaz, who could not attend the reunion.

Posted 9/30/2003