Group Email List - Tosaeast1976
Gene Hanson, Webmaster
If you are a classmate and we have your email, from time to time I'll be sending message of interest to the class. Mostly it is information on upcoming reunions, post reunion photos, and, sadly, the passing of a fellow classmate or one of our teachers.
In the past I've utilized Google Groups, but it started to fail because too many messages either went into spam or worse, got suppressed altogether. So instead I'm now using the BCC technique which has the benefit of almost universal delivery (some message can go to spam, but at least they're not totally suppressed) and the email list is masked. The emails will come directly from one of my personal email accounts and usually my genohanson AOL account.
But spam or no spam, you won't miss a message because I archive all the emails right here. What follows are the messages I've sent. Everyone who has given me an email is automatically added to this list. So if you haven't, please send us your email.
Save the Date: 08/17/2024 - Hoyt Park
06/24/2024
Class,
As always, if you haven't heard from me for a while it's good news as I have had no reports of classmates who have passed away! But I will warn everyone you'll be hearing from me more often as we get closer to our 50th reunion which is now just 2 years away! Our goal is to have a date and venue set by the end of this summer so everyone can reserve that weekend for our 50th reunion.
In the meantime I've scheduled another get together at Hoyt Park. This year it will be the Route 66 Reunion to celebrate Route 66 because we've already reached that age, or will be by the end of the year. There are full details on the class website, but here are the overall details:
- Date: August 17th, Saturday.
- Place: Hoyt Park, Picnic Area #3 and this year we have a permit. Area #2 was not available, but #3 which is right next to it was. So equally convenient to the restrooms and food and drink available at The Landing.
- Time: 2pm to at least 6pm.
- Entertainment: There will be music at The Landing from 5-8pm.
- An RSVP is not necessary!
The starting time is flexible. If I get messages that we should start a little earlier it would be no problem.
It may not be universally known to the class, but Debbie and I live half the year in Scottsdale, AZ, and the other half in Lake Mills. We travel by driving the 1800 mile route via our Caravan generally in 3 days. To celebrate both of us turning 66, we decided to see some of the sights of Route 66 since most of our drive follows this route. We pick it up in Flagstaff, AZ, and we leave it after Bloomington, IL. We actually left on Debbie's birthday!
What we discovered is that 3 days was not nearly enough time so we'll get more of the sights when we return to AZ in early October and our plan is to take at least 4 days.
As to the August 17th get together, I will have reminder notices as we approach the date!
Gene Hanson
In Memoriam - Teacher Carolyn Bertorello
07/07/2024
Teacher Carolyn Bertorello
Class,
With sadness I must report to our class the passing of English Teacher Carolyn Bertorello. She died on July 3rd at the age of 87.
Speaking from my experience having two of her classes, she was definitely a character and her teaching style often went outside the box. I know not everyone agreed, but I suspect that most thought she was very good to excellent. After taking her Expository Composition class I was a much better writer. To me she was the living embodiment of Gertrude Stein. I feel fortunate to have had her as my English teacher.
You can read her very brief obituary here.
As usual, our thoughts are with her family.
Gene Hanson
August 17th Reminder
07/27/2024
Class,
This is a reminder that we are 3 weeks out from our "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" reunion at Hoyt Park on Saturday, August 17th.
This year I have reserved Picnic Area 3 at Hoyt Park which is just across the bridge that leads to the pool area.
At this time I have not modified our timing so we're set to start at 2:00PM and no set ending time. I understand some will arrive later, but I hope most arrive by 5:00PM because we'll take the group picture around that time. Also, the starting time is flexible. If I get messages that we should start a little earlier it would be no problem.
I will send out another reminder in a day or two before the event. But you can also get all the information from the website in a dedicated 48th reunion section:
http://www.tosaeast1976.com/48th_reunion/index.asp
You don't need to RSVP to this reunion and you can literally decide at the last moment to attend. However, I always appreciate when classmates let me know they're very likely attending.
I plan on sending another reminder in the days before the event.
Gene Hanson
Wauwatosa East Class of '76
August 17 - Now just 3 Days
08/14/2024
Class,
We are now just 3 days out from our "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" together at Hoyt Park this coming Saturday, August 17th!
Weather
We're to the point where the weather forecasts have some credibility and it looks good. Currently the prediction is iIntervals of clouds and sunshine. High 77F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 17%.
Because of the chance of rain I'd like to request some attending classmates to bring a tent if you have one. Debbie and I will be bringing ours. Please keep mind that the Milwaukee County Parks do not permit staking! We have been lucky the past 3 years we've been doing these gatherings to have decent weather.
Details
We have reserved Picnic Area 3 in Hoyt Park for our scheduled get together for 2:00PM thru at least 6:00PM. A great aspect for this venue is the close proximity of the pool area, now known as the TOSA Pool at Hoyt Park. This offers us a number of amenities: 3 concession stands (with 2 different menus), a stage which will have music from 5-8 that evening, 50 large picnic tables, and restroom facilities. Of course, in the picnic area it is wise to bring your own food and drink, but it is great to have this alternative.
I have posted full details on the class website:
tosaeast1976.com/48th_reunion/index.asp
No RSVP!
It is not necessary to RSVP. You can literally show up at the last minute. But I always appreciate hearing if you're planning on showing up. But stop by even if you can't stay long.
It shouldn't be a problem to find us, but if there is any difficulty I have my and Debbie's cellphone numbers listed below.
This is a free event!
That means the only cost to our classmates will be for their own food and drink. The only hard cost is the picnic area reservations and that has been donated.
We look forward to seeing you!
You don't need to RSVP to this reunion and you can literally decide at the last moment to attend. However, I always appreciate when classmates let me know they're very likely attending.
Gene Hanson - 262-XXX-XXXX
Debbie Hetzel - 920-XXX-XXXX
48th Reunion - Pictures
08/21/2024
Class,
Our picnic reunion celebrating our 48th and our ages (Route 66) was this weekend and a great time was had by all who attended. My fear of a period or periods of rain did materialize and I hope the forecast for rain didn't deter anyone from attending. For the most part we had great weather, but we endured one deluge where everyone needed to huddle under one of the two canopies we'd set up.
I counted 42 in attendance: 33 classmates and 9 guests.
Because of the fear of being rained out completely, we did an early group picture and then another group picture later on as the good weather returned.
Group Picture 1
1st Group Picture Key
1. Holly Beyer
2. Barb Schroeder
3. Jennifer Swain
4. Mary Clark
5. Juliana Spring
6. Terri Monfre
7. Tom Witte
8. Debbie Hetzel
9. Kathy Reinke
10. Abby Forbes
11. Carla Durand
12. Frank Powell
13. Bill Hanson
14. Peggy Bowler
15. John Lichty
16. Jamie Bowden
17. Kevin Leahy
18. Heidi Kuenzi
19. Gene Hanson
20. Julie Zanio
21. John Rogge
Not Pictured: April Bergemann, Mark Borkowski, Mary Clark, Jean Crabtree, Dawn Hohlfeld, Eddie Kane, George Karioris, Mary Laidlaw, Sandy Lebesch, Chuck Perry, Harry Profio, Paul Seitz
Group Picture 2
2nd Group Picture Key
1. Heidi Kuenzi
2. Carla Durand
3. Tom Witte
4. Bill Hanson
5. John Rogge
6. Eddie Kane
7. Holly Beyer
8. Chuck Perry
9. April Bergemann
10. Barb Schroeder
11. Jamie Bowden
12. John Lichty
13. Jerry Roche
14. Mary Laidlaw
15. Frank Powell
16. Harry Profio
17. George Karioris
18. Jennifer Swain
19. Mary Clark
20. Kevin Leahy
21. Gene Hanson
22. Debra Hetzel
23. Jean Crabtree
24. Peggy Bowler
Not pictured: Mark Borkowski, Abby Forbes, Dawn Hohlfeld, Sandy Lebesch, Terri Monfre, Kathryn Reinke, Paul Seitz, Juliana Spring, Julie Zanio
Above: Huddling under the canopies waiting for the rain to stop.
These photos along with (currently) 48 other pictures can be found on our class website at:
http://www.tosaeast1976.com/past_reunions/48th_reunion.asp
Pictures were contributed by myself, Julie Zanio (pictures taken by her husband, Art), and John Rogge. I thank them! And while I'm giving thanks, let me thank everyone who came to this reunion or any event of the past 4 years. It is the participation of our classmates that make these events successful. I'd also like to make a special call out to John Lichty, John Rogge, Harry Profio, Bill Hanson, and Abby Forbes. They have been able to make all 4 of our picnic reunions.
49th Reunion?
At this time I have no definite plans about a 49th reunion gathering, but if you're a gambler, you should place your bet on it. These picnics are not very difficult to set up. I just need a date, I make a reservation, and then send out a handful of emails. The big question is always if we'll get adequate attendance. I'm open for suggestions for both the venue and the weekend. I have received a number of emails from classmates in the past that say they always have a yearly vacation/event that always occurs during the time of Tosa Fest. This year we purposely did a different weekend and it seemed to help. I think we're hard pressed to find a better venue than Hoyt Park, but we should be open to suggestions.
Bouncy Castle?
In the adjoining picnic area they had a couple of those big inflated bouncy castles, prompting a couple of our classmates to jokingly ask why we couldn't have one. Well, we could ... but ... it would be a rather expensive item. First, there's the expense of renting it. But second, I can't imagine the liability insurance expense when they find out it's for a group that averages age 65+! :)
Gene
In Memoriam - Brian Kirby
11/16/2024
Class,
It is with sadness that I have to report that our classmate, Brian Kirby, passed away on November 10th at age 67.
He was diagnosed with MS many years ago and had been in assisted living for about the last six years.
Sorry for the lateness in reporting this, but I was awaiting his obituary. That was just published and there is only a private memorial service. Here's his obituary:
https://www.jsonline.com/obituaries/pwix1009849
I knew Brian pretty well. He was in my homeroom in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. He was also in a class with me and also one gym class. I always enjoyed talking with Brian as he always had a unique perspective.
Gene
50th Reunion Survey
04/23/2025
Class,
Here is a long overdue update on the plans for our 50th reunion next year.
The best laid plans of mice and men
Hopefully you know this famous quote because the full quote is "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." We had a consensus that because the 40th reunion worked so well we'd pretty much do the same for the 50th. The main part of the plan was to once again rent the Tosa Room in the Mueller Building at Hart Park where we were offered a really great rental rate because of our obvious Tosa connection. And we would want to get this nailed down as soon as possible to be sure we could get our desired weekend which is at the time of Tosa Fest in September. And we'd like to be able to announce the weekend so we could have an official Save The Date. Here's what went wrong:
Wauwatosa decided that the buildings at Hart Park needed updating and the plan was extremely ambitious and the renderings I saw looked incredible (i.e., expensive). This by itself didn't bode well because we could expect we'd get charged a lot more for the rental. But it was even worse. While the remodeling was going on they weren't accepting any reservations! The reasoning was disconcerting: they didn't know what the costs would be. Translation: tables and chairs would not be included and we'd also lose the ability to provide our own food and beverage vendor which was nicely handled at the 40th by Teri Adlam.
Sue Baumann has been on this for a very long time trying to find out when we could make reservations and most importantly, what were the costs. We just found out that they now want $6000 just for the venue rental! So that's a nonstarter.
So now we're basically back to square one. Here's where everyone can help. We would like to get a rough idea of how many could be attending our 50th. This is important as we need a big enough venue to accommodate our reunion main event on Saturday night. Hart Park had the huge advantage that it had an extremely large capacity. We'd like to make the date the weekend of September 11-13 (Friday thru Sunday) which corresponds to Tosa Fest so we can have a large informal gathering there on Friday night.
Therefore, we'd like to poll the class to get an idea of the size of the venue we will need.
Here are the questions we'd like answered:
(1) Will you attend the reunion on Saturday night?
The cost per person will most likely be $50-$70.
Yes / Maybe / No
(2) Will you bring a guest?
Yes / Maybe / No
You can answer this one of two ways: By filling out a form on the class website or by simply replying to this email.
The survey form can be found on our class website at:
http://www.tosaeast1976.com/50th_reunion/survey.asp
You do not have to be logged into your account and I can see that few at this point have activated it. If you do then you'll be asked your email address (the one you're receiving this message) and answer the challenge question. Hopefully it'll be obvious as the answer is 76. I accept 76, seventy-six, seventy six, or seventysix.
We're also soliciting comments. If you can think of a venue that might meet our needs for an event that could be up to 300, let us know.
Please take a few moments to let us know. Remember: we're only asking you for your best guess.
Gene Hanson
In Memoriam - Dawn Stanley
05/13/2025
Class,
At this time I don't have any details and so far there is no obituary. She lived in Sheboygan with her partner, Cheri, but after retirement moved to Alabama. If I do get more information, I'll update this notice as I post every eBlast on the class website.
http://www.tosaeast1976.com/about/google_email.asp
Unfortunately, I can't say I knew her well, but I had her in an IPS class at Longfellow (8th grade, 1st hour) and then we were in the chorus. When I met her in that 8th grade class I can still remember her smile. In high school she was in the East Players and on the Stage Crew. Dawn came to the 40th reunion and I literally brought her to tears when I gave her my memories from her in chorus and the class at Longfellow: where she sat, her big smile the first time we were face to face.
I took this picture of Dawn at the 40th reunion. To Dawn's right is Patty O'Connor.
After moving to Alabama, Dawn joined the non-profit group, Sleep in Heavenly Peace (the AL-Gadsden chapter), who build beds for needy kids. Their tagline is "No kid sleeps on the floor in our town!"
Above: Dawn and Cheri pose with one of the beds they built and delivered.
That organization posted a very moving tribute when they learned of Dawn's passing:
"Our hearts were shattered this past week at the news that one of our beloved Core Team members passed away. You couldn't help but love her big heart! Dawn was a member of our Core Build Team and Delivery Team, as well as serving as a Delivery Team Lead since 2021. Her faithfulness in life impacted thousands over the past 4 1/2 years, becoming a beacon of hope and encouragement through the simple gift of a bed to children. We will miss seeing her smiling face. Her selfless acts of love will live on forever in our memory of her. We are all family. What a privilege it has been to walk through life the past 4 1/2 years with Dawn. Thank you, Dawn, for honoring God's call on your life to honor and love Him by honoring and loving others.
She loved delivering beds to children across all of the counties we serve, but concentrated mostly in DeKalb, Cherokee, and Etowah Counties. She had a huge heart for the kiddos, our communities, as well as for our team. Thank you, Dawn, for giving so selflessly year after year! You are an inspiration. You are forever in our hearts. Your legacy will live on, changing the lives of many! Cheri - our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult season."
Here is Dawn's entry in the 40th reunion booklet. Note: her address and phone number which are no longer valid will not appear in the website posting.
Dawn Stanley
Current: Dawn Stanley-Lubach
Sheboygan, WI
Spouse/Significant Other: Cheri Stanley-Lubach
How long: Together 13 years, married 1 1/2
Children: 2
Children Info: 1. Dikkinz...Brittany Spaniel mix...3 years. 2. acy...Sheaperd mix...1 1/2 years.
Occupation: Wanna be retired.
Other Schools: School of hard knocks.
Hobbies/Interests: Traveling, gardening.
Places Traveled: Russia
Bucket List: Lots!! First of all I need a bucket...
Insights Learned: Always wear clean underwear... Mom was right.
Favorite HS Memories: Graduating. Maybe a few theater presentations... Lots of stuff...
50th Reunion
Thanks to all who responded to the survey and especially those who gave suggestions for other venues. We have yet to make the final decision, but we believe we'll have it booked by next week and I'll make an official announcement.
Gene
Click here to see the messages sent in 2022-2023
Click here to see the messages sent in 2020-2021
Click here to see the messages sent in 2019
Click here to see the messages sent in 2018
Click here to see the messages sent in 2017
Click here to see the messages sent in 2016