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! September 12, 2026
04/30/2026
Hi Class,
As you can see from the countdown clock, our 50th reunion is just a few months away. Our weekend of events is September 11-13 (Friday thru Sunday) to coincide with Tosa Fest which is on Sept 11 and 12th.
Our Schedule
Friday Evening: Informal get together at Tosa Fest. We've done this previously at the 25th and 40th reunions. No cost. Food and drink can be purchased. Our location within Tosa Fest will be in the area of the intersection of State Street and Underwood Avenue. It's fairly open with some tables available and it's away from the music stages so won't interfere with our conversations. As an interesting note: this will be the 50th year of Tosa Fest!
Saturday Morning: Tour of Tosa East. We've done this at the 20th, 30th, and 40th, but for the 50th we'll be lobbying hard to get the 3rd floor included! We were actually the last graduating class of Tosa East who had classes on that floor!
Saturday Evening - The Formal Gathering:
- This will be a quasi sit down dinner. Seating will be open with both long tables and round tables. Seats will not be assigned! We hope this still maximizes interaction time for the attendees. The big disadvantage of a standard sitdown dinner is you get confined for a good deal of time with a small number of classmates. This was done at the 30th and 40th and worked as planned.
- Targeting a cost per person of $50-$70. The majority of the cost is the food which will be set in May and with that we should have an actual figure.
- Photo booth.
- DJ for music and announcements.
- Currently no plans for an informal gathering afterward. At the 30th and 40th there were attendees that headed over to Colonel Hart's - the old Pep's Place. Though this is a possibility, the drive is considerably longer. Parking should not be an issue because it will be late and many attendees of Tosa Fest will have left.
Sunday: Late morning thru afternoon - Informal Picnic probably starting at 12:00PM.
- Jacobus Park utilizing Picnic Areas 2 and 3. These are side-by-side areas next to the wading pool building which offers restrooms and some cover protection should we get some rain.
- Because this is a no cost event, this will be a BYOB and food. However, we may get some food donated as many bring dishes to share. Classmate Paul "Ike" Eisenhauer will be bringing his brats for everyone which he has done for several of our picnic reunions.
- All are invited to this event! We have a very large area reserved and you can bring family members and friends.
What's New for the 50th
The website has been completely updated since the 40th reunion. First, making it mobile friendly, and now having logins for all our classmates so I can post private information that can only be seen by our class.
The questionnaire for the 50th is all but finished. Just like the 40th, it is an online form and you'll have to be logged in in order to fill it out. It is immediately published upon submission! But you can go in any time later and update it. You'll be able to see the questionnaires already submitted electronically. Again, you'll have to be logged in because we need the answers to the questionnaire to only be visible to our classmates.
The result of the 40th reunion questionnaire was a "booklet" but it was an electronic form: a PDF file. Classmates were welcome to print it if they desired, but I suspect very few did that. I haven't ruled out creating a printable PDF, but I'll have to see if there is enough support to justify the considerable effort that would be needed.
Important Note: I know not everyone is comfortable with using a computer beyond simple browsing, but I will need you to be able to log into our website. To login you simply use your email address. You then enter your password. The first time you try to login you'll be emailed a temporary password. You may use that one going forward if you wish, but you can also change it to what you'd prefer. A complicated password is not needed. But I am here to help you! You may email me, you may call me. I can assign a password for you!
That's all for now. Look for more emails in the future and I will be accelerating them as we get closer to the event!
Gene
Hotels For the 50th Reunion Weekend
05/07/2026
Class,
I am pleased to announce that we've secured commitments from two hotels in Wauwatosa that are near to our Saturday evening event at Alioto's for classmates traveling for the event that don't have family or friends who can make accommodations for them. Some overview information on the hotels follows, but full information along with links to make the actual reservations are on the website:
https://www.tosaeast1976.com/50th_reunion/hotels.asp
(1) Homewood Suites by Hilton Wauwatosa Milwaukee, 11320 W Burleigh St. We have selected this hotel because of its very close proximity to Alioto's. So close that it's a fairly reasonable walk. We've secured a room rate of $139/night for check-in on Friday and check-out on Sunday, so two nights. Unfortunately, they charge $10/night for parking. The rate is good through August 12th.
(2) Holiday Inn Express Milwaukee-West Medical Center by IHG, 11111 W North Ave. This hotel is 1.2 miles from Alioto's. So it can be walked, but it would take 27 minutes. They are offering us a $119/night room rate, again for check-in on Friday and check-out on Sunday, so two nights. They do not charge for parking! The rate is good through August 11th.
If you need an extra night or two, my suggestion is that you call the hotels directly and give them the group code for that hotel and they will probably give you the group rate for those additional nights. Those group codes are on the website on the dedicated page for hotels along with links to the hotel landing page for our group and phone numbers to call directly for the reservation. Yes, talking to an actual person has benefits.
Note: you are not required to stay in either of these hotels! They were selected for the proximity to our venue. You can stay wherever you wish! The great advantage, however, of staying in these is you're likely to meet with fellow classmates staying at the hotel.
Teri Adlam
I need to mention that hotels were not really in our mindsets for this reunion. Teri Adlam took care of this for the 40th reunion along with the food. I talked to her a few months before her death and though she struggled at times to get her words out, she was enthusiastic about helping and getting a couple of hotels which she described as "pretty easy." Pretty easy? Maybe for a professional as she did this as part of her job as events manager at the Waukesha County Expo Center. I thought it might be relatively easy as I would use the two hotels we had for the 40th. Teri went with the Crowne Plaza at Watertown Plank and Mayfair Roads because she got a good rate and they offered a bus for the Saturday night to take people to and from Hart Park. But things change over 10 years and that hotel is no longer there and how she secured the bus I guess I'll never know. So the choice of the hotel close to Alioto's was the next best thing. RIP, Teri!
Gene
Click here to see the messages sent in 2024-2025
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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