Class of 1977 Home Page

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Class of 1977 Home Page

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This page was last updated on 08/15/06

Recent Rants and Ramblings...

 

Back in May I spotted Drew Dix having dinner at a hotel restaurant in LA.  By chance we were both attending conferences at the same hotel that day.  We had a great time catching up and managed to catch the Dodgers / Mets game that night.  Two nights later I connected with Kent Woodhouse who still lives in Manhattan Beach.   We got to swap old MHS stories and even reminisce about the time he and I went undefeated in beach volleyball right there on Manhattan Beach where the pier has plaques for the best players in the world like Karch Kiraly, Mike Dodd, Sinjin Smith and many more.

Our next reunion is planned for next summer (Summer of 2007).  It is time to start reconnecting with all of those missing classmates.  If you have recently run into someone who's been conspicuously absent from our reunions or if you are that missing classmate send me a note and your contact info as you won't want to miss the next bash.  Luck is in the air as I recently traded email with a few lost friends of the Class of 1977 such as Hillary Cope, Nancy Poteat, Patti Day and Kate Lacey.  Our 30th Reunion will be here soon enough so drop me a note even if it is to just let me know your current email address. 

Mendham High School - Class of 1977 - 25th Reunion Photo Gallery

Check the Lost Classmates list as well as the Lost Friends list and let me know if you can help locate any of these old friends.

 

 -Bob Ritger

The September 11th attack on the US prompted me to get in touch with a number of you.  Hearing from so many of you (check out the messages I received from Mendhamites) that you were out of harm's way lifted my spirits and many of you shared this feeling. 

In our attempts to reconnect with each other we have uncovered some tragic news mixed in amongst all of the good news.   In an effort to answer all of our "whatever happened too...?" questions regarding our classmates I'll try to keep an additional factual list of those in our class who have died (far too young I might add).   I'll post only reports that I can verify.  For the rest of us out there send me something about yourself to let the class know what you are up to, I'll put the info next to your photo in the online directory.  

 

Lost Classmates - Mendham High School - Class of 1977

(We are missing current valid home addresses for anyone listed below - help us find them if you can.)

Chris Abouzeid Mark Adams Marlin Agnew Leslie Barry Bill Barry
Karen Boberg Sue Bowman Rosalie Bray David Brown Philip Burns
Roberta Clark David Cox David Daigle Wells Patti Day Diane Drake
Annemarie Egan Betsy Flynn Mike Foreman Doug Franco Michael Gael
Bruce Gilmour David Haslam Michael Greenman Paul Hahn Greg Hall
Chris Harun Donna Lakin Kurt Landis David Jensen Sigita Koncius
Eric Korman Robert Mason Charlie McGrath Mark Latendresse Irene Lyttle
James Mackiewicz Mary Ouellette Jill Palmer Gail Mosher Jacqueline Murray
Mike Mroz Chip Ruckgaber Curt Shoemaker Mimi Parillo Pete Richardson
Sandy Riley Carl Spataro Debbie Spence Carolyn (Stork) Segal Anne Somoroff
Pete VanLeeuwen Mary Anne Wilt Axel Zurloye Betsy Ulrich Teri Swanson
Lost Friends of the Class of 1977 (Listed below are friends whom we lost track of before we graduated from MHS.  In red are the friends we've managed to find - keep searching.)
Amy Beggs Greg Berg Cheryl Cline Barbara Conheeny Thom Gimbel
Kate Lacey Keith Lancaster Steve Lang Brenda Leach Tom Murphy
Gary Slate Les Slate Ron Poole Nancy Poteat Carol Rice
Kate Halsey John Sylvester Paul Reder John Taylor Pam Wiedenkeller
Julia McCoy Debbie Mosely Joanne Weagley Hillary Cope Laura Hege
Deceased
Bill Pickel - 1977 Toni Taylor - 1998 Pat McCarten - ? Nancy Horn - ?
Shari Bailey - ? Dave Lindsley - April 15, 1998 Mike Kirk - October 24, 1997
Found:
Thom Gimbel:
Thom Gimbel On a rumor circulating at our 20th reunion I did a little hunting around on the internet and found ex-classmate Thom Gimbel right where he was rumored to have been - playing saxophone and singing background vocals for Aerosmith!  Thom was rumored to have been a member of Aerosmith's touring band during live shows ('93-95').  Not only did this turn out to be true but Thom has a credit on at least two studio lp's, Aerosmith's "Get A Grip" and "Big Ones".   Here is an excerpt from www.cdnow.com's brief review of "Get A Grip"(If you download the Real Audio player you can listen to some excerpts from this album):

Aerosmith: Steven Tyler (vocals, keyboards, harmonica, mandolin, percussion); Joe Perry (guitar, dulcimer, vocals); Brad Whitford (guitar); Tom Hamilton (electric bass); Joey Kramer (drums, percussion).Additional personnel: Don Henley, Lenny Kravitz (vocals); Desmond Child (vocals, keyboards); Thom Gimbel (saxophone, keyboards, background vocals); Richie Supa (keyboards); John Webster (keyboards, programming); Mapuhi T. Tekurio, Melvin Liufau, Wesey Mamea, Liainaiala Tagaloa, Sandy Kanaeholo, Aladd Alatina Teofilo Jr. (Polynesian log drums).The Margarita Horns: Tom Keenlyside (saxophone); Ian Putz (baritone saxophone); Paul Baron, Bruce Fairbairn (trumpets); Bob Rogers (trombone). Recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studio, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and A&M Studios, Los Angeles, California.All songs written or co-written by members of Aerosmith."Livin' On The Edge" won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, and was nominated for Best Rock Song; "Cryin'" was also nominated for Best Rock Song in 1994."Crazy" won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.GET A GRIP continues Aerosmith's re-birth after rising from the ashes of their mid-80s breakup. While this renewed creativity resulted in the largest wave of success in their career, Aerosmith continues to sing of the rock and roll lifestyle with all the trappings of randiness and rebellion. While "Living On The Edge" may appear to fit into that class, lyrically it asks what's wrong with this insane world we're living in.Aerosmith is known for doing everything in a big way, and that remains true whether it's the thunderous sound of Polynesian log drums which open the album on the first track "Eat The Rich," or the extended guitar flight Joe Perry takes at the end of "Amazing." Perry even takes a turn behind the mike on his tough sounding "Walk On Down." Since its inception in 1973, many bands have come and gone, but Aerosmith continues to be poster children for the spirit of rock and roll.

I found a page which had some Aerosmith trivia questions and found this:

THE SIXTH AND FORGOTTEN MEMBER?
-------------------------------
Over the years when Aerosmith have gone on the road, there has normally been an extra musician to augment the sound.
a) Name the recent sixth member of the band?
b) What instruments does he play?
c) What Aerosmith albums has this person played on?
d) Who had they used in the early 80s?
e) Name one musician they used in the 70s?

*****
a) Thom Gimbel
b) Saxophone and keyboard
c) Big Ones
d) Rich Supa
e) David Woodford, Scott Cushnie, Mark Radice

I searched a little more and found that Thom has also been playing keyboards for Foreigner (circa '92-'93) as well!

get_a_grip.gif (12957 bytes)
Julia McCoy:

Julia left Mendham High School at the end of our sophomore year to attend a private school.  She has 2 children, a girl and a boy who is Lois (Brown) Sills godson. She was living in Brookside until October of 1998 when she moved to West Virginia where she now works with her father.

Send any comments, suggestions, ramblings, rumors, e-mail addresses, scandalous photos, funny stories, updates or blatant criticisms regarding this site to Bob Ritger.