40th Reunion Summary
written by reunion planners,
Deb Preciano LaPierre and Nancy Araksinen Brail

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The  Ashtabula   High School  class of 1969 celebrated its 40th class reunion the weekend of July 31st-August 2nd, 2009.

Weekend Activities
The reunion started on a beautiful Friday afternoon with visits to three local wineries. Class members enjoyed sampling some of the fine  Ohio  vintages.

On Friday evening, a “meet & greet kickoff” was held at Martini’s Restaurant & Bar at the Harbor Golf Club. Thirty-four classmates and eleven spouses/guests were on hand to celebrate the beginning of a fun-filled memorable weekend.

On Saturday morning a group of golfers hit the links at the Harbor Golf Club, while another group of classmates toured the new  Lakeside   High School  & former Ashtabula High.

Saturday & Sunday afternoons were also spent visiting local attractions, having brunch & lunch with family & friends and sailing on  Lake Erie . Seventeen classmates & spouses enjoyed cruising the calm waters of Lake Erie on two of  Ohio ’s finest summer days.

The Kork & Kettle was the site for the Saturday evening reunion bash. Thirty-one classmates and sixteen spouses/guests enjoyed good food, drink & music while reminiscing with good friends. All the while DJ Dennis Crislip spun CD's from his extensive collection of '60's classics .

Even though the rain was falling on Sunday morning, a group of twenty-five folks braved the elements to meet for breakfast at the Walnut Beach Café.
    
A Relaxing Weekend
The relaxed format of this year’s reunion was favored by classmates in attendance. People enjoyed being able to select from a variety of activities during the weekend.  Those attending were happy to renew acquaintances & reminisce about old times!
 
Teamwork!
Kudos to…Charles Holmes for selecting three wineries for us to visit,
Tom Simon for providing class of ‘69 t-shirts and printed placemats,
Don Koski for sponsoring our golf outing,
Sherry Cooley-Faulk & Tom Partridge for arranging the tours of the schools, Jim & Judy Riffle for hosting our Saturday evening at the Kork & Kettle, Dennis Crislip for being our official class DJ on Saturday night,
Sherry Cooley-Faulk for acting as emcee at the Kork & Kettle,
Jim & Deb Presciano LaPierre for the sailing experiences on Lake Erie,
Tom Partridge for arranging our “breakfast at the beach”,
Bob Sheer for helping to organize our 40th,
Ginnie Persinger Darrah for getting the word out through press releases,
Nancy Airaksinen-Brail for PR & for making sure our finances are always in good shape, and
a special THANK YOU to Jerry Maunus for securing our website for all these years.  
Our appreciation also goes out to Mary Ellsworth for keeping us informed by maintaining & updating our website and email….THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MARY! Where would we be without your dedication to the class?
 
More good news…a $100.00 donation was made to the AHS Alumni Association in the name of the class of 1969 !
 
If you are interested in joining the Alumni Association or making a nomination to the Hall of Fame, the contact info is:
               Alumni Assoc., P.O. Box  297
               Ashtabula ,  Ohio   44005-0297

News: A 60th Birthday Cruise!

Save the date…. 
AHS, HHS, EHS, & ST.JHS ’69 ‘ers are planning a

60th BIRTHDAY CRUISE in June of 2011 !! 

Info will be forthcoming.
Keep checking the website for cruise info.