Class of 1969 Reunion Committee
Back Row from left
Craig Gardiner, Gloria Ehrlich, Jim Stambaugh, Michael Zeitlin, Jeff Hansen, Jim Chidley, Michael Carter
Front Row from left
Bruce Dickinson, Kathy Koch Callender, Lupi Canepa Goin and David Paul
Not Pictured
Susan Senter Lingle, Jeanne Kleinman Williams
Please express your appreciation to our classmates, who volunteered to assist in planning the 50th reunion of the George Washington High School Class of 1969. As you will read below, many volunteers contributed:
A small group of reunion volunteers (Jeff Hansen, Craig Gardiner, Lupi Canepa Goin and Bruce Dickinson) were at a party in August 2018, when Dan Goin began twisting arms for volunteers to plan our 50th reunion. David Paul said he would never organize another reunion (more on David’s efforts later), so someone or group of volunteers had to step up to do the work of organizing our reunion.
Jeff Hansen volunteered to be the Chairperson of the Events Committee and Craig Gardiner and Lupi Canepa Goin joined him to help plan the reception and the reunion dinner. First order of business was to plan the time and place for the reunion dinner. We decided mid-September would be a great time to host a reunion (summer grandparent obligations are over, the weather in Denver is usually superb and the Jewish holidays in 2019 start later in the month). Craig suggested that Denver Country Club would provide a great venue and excellent food quality for the money and we reserved Saturday, Sept. 14 for the reunion dinner. Jeff led the efforts to secure the Mercury Café for the reception on Friday, Sept 13 and he prepared nametags for the reunion dinner. Susan Senter Lingle, Kathy Koch Callender and Jim Stambaugh have also agreed to help the Events Committee. Kathy Koch Callender volunteered to lead the checking-in classmates/guests at both reunion weekend events and the sale of drink tickets at the Denver Country Club. She also managed our group Facebook page.
Bruce Dickinson provided coordination for all the reunion committee’s efforts and recruited additional reunion committee volunteers. He also started the efforts to locate our classmates. Within a week of contacting him, David Paul volunteered to contribute his experience in locating classmates and in planning reunions derived by planning our 20th, 25th 30th and 40th reunions. We owe David a huge debt of gratitude for his efforts to organize four class reunions. The classmate directory from our 40th reunion served as a starting place to reach classmates, but we quickly found out that much of our classmates’ contact information had changed in the last ten years. Gloria Ehrlich, who had been an investigator during her business career, volunteered and taught us how to use the internet to search for classmates. David, Gloria and Bruce worked together to organize the Classmate Committee location efforts and with the help of Mitzi Cohen Kurtz, Jill Joseffy Knapp Campbell, Judy Lowell Anderson, Susan Kates Peppel, Annie Kempe and Gary Saltzman, the Classmate Committee called 387 classmates. The efforts of the Classmate Committee were augmented by Jeanne Kleinman Williams, who was the primary contact for the Classmates.com website.
David Paul and Bruce Dickinson also set up the school tours and contacted the hotels to arrange group room rates.
Michael Zeitlin, CPA volunteered to provide accounting services for the class reunion and suggested a bank to provide our checking account. He invested a substantial amount of effort in reconciling classmate payments for event tickets and providing the committee with up-to-date financial statements. He also suggested the photographer to take pictures at the reunion dinner. Michael, Jeff and Bruce worked together on the budget for the reunion weekend.
Jim Chidley and Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald are providing the music, over 14 hours for the two events. They pored through thousands of recordings that Jim had remastered from our high school days, covering all genres. They selected songs that hopefully will make you smile, while guided by lists such as the Rolling Stone Magazine Greatest 500. This “Soundtrack of Our Lives” is laced with short clips from movies, TV and events along with added tracks from local bands.
Communicating with our classmates has been and continues to be our greatest challenge. By early 2019, we asked for volunteers to help create our class website. Michael Carter volunteered to build (www.gwdenverclassof1969.com) and he has invested many hours incorporating the best features into our website. Michael’s contribution deserves the greatest praise as his efforts will benefit the class for many years to come. We plan to fund the class website for at least five years so that classmates can communicate and plan future events.
Planning the reunion weekend was a team effort and a labor of love. We started early, all the volunteers contributed their strengths (not a single person refused) and we were able to plan the weekend without a reunion management company that would have increased everyone’s costs. Please thank these individuals for their extra efforts in organizing our 50th reunion.
Thank you one and all. I look forward to repeating this to each of you personally next week.
THANK YOU to all you wonderful classmates for creating, planning and organizing what will
be a spectacular 50th Reunion!
I am happy that you detailed the evolution and job descriptions of everyone on the committee.
Thank you for all the time, effort and energy that went into the planning!! So looking forward to it!!
Thanks a million for getting us all together to celebrate this significant milestone. I look forward to seeing everyone next week and thanking the committee personally for their tireless efforts that have paid great dividends.
Thanks again and looking forward to seeing you all next week.
Gene Wright
I have served on numerous volunteer committees the past 35 years and understand the depth of commitment needed to bring this endeavor to fruition. A hearty thank you to all those involved.
50th Reunion Committee-thank you!!! A Herculean effort. See you all in a week 🙂
I’m sure a lot of hard work went into the planning. I appreciate everything that all of you
have done.
I can’t THANK YOU enough for all your efforts. All of your work is greatly appreciated. Thanks again!!
I just reviewed those of you that were in our senior year book, from the list above. Wow, looking at those sweet young faces brought back such wonderful memories. Thank you all for organizing this reunion for us!
On a sad note, those of you that may have known Debbie Eckerdt, Tom’s twin, she passed away this morning from mesothelioma. They went to South, but I know many may have crossed paths with Dear Debbie.
See you soon.
You folks have done a wonderful job in conceptualizing, planning….and executing our 50th Reunion. Thanks for much for the diligence and patience you’ve displayed in coordinating dates, locations, people finding, payments, website, and everything else.
Looking forward to thanking each of you in person next weekend!!
A big thank you to all of the organizers for making the upcoming reunion weekend possible. Beyond organizing the events, which I know takes much time and dedication, you have created momentum – seeing pictures of classmates, getting a chance to remember those who are no longer with us, securing the blogs from Anita and Helen….I am looking forward to the weekend with much anticipation. Thank you so very much!
Great job! Thank you all!
What a great weekend!!!! Thank you all!!!
Thank you , thank you, thank you , to this motley crew of old timers, who did all this work while on work release from their nursing homes! Just kidding of course, you all look pretty good given the fact we are 50 years out of high school (YIKES !). Looking forward to seeing all of you and thanks again for a job well done.
Thank you very much!
Thank you for all of your hard work to make our reunion weekend a success!!
We are so appreciative!
Your efforts are greatly appreciated! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone next weekend!
The work of all volunteers is much appreciated! Not only their effort and time input have been extraordinary, but also their technical capability and results. The website is easy to use. Outreach and communication have been stellar, and the planned events sound like a lot of fun and a great setting for us to re-connect with classmates. My husband’s 50th reunion is happening same week in California, and the website/communication/events he has been dealing with leave me feeling extra lucky for our capable volunteers.
Thanks everyone. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in a week!
Thank you dear classmates for your time, talents and dedication for our upcoming reunion. You efforts to make this 50th reunion an event to be remembered are greatly appreciated. I look forward to seeing you all very soon and I’m certain we will all have a great time.
It’s amazing the time and effort that was put forth by all these people. Thanks to all of you for contributing to this reunion weekend. I am looking forward to seeing everyone.
Thanks for all of your efforts. I appreciate the work that was done to get the entire weekend organized. I look forward to seeing you all next weekend. Thanks again for all your efforts!
So appreciate the incredible job undertaken by these intrepid volunteers! Lots of memories from Ash Grove and Merrill too. Sounds like a wonderful event coming soon.
Thanks for all of your efforts! I am looking forward to reconnecting and catching up with everyone. 50 years, wow!
BIG thanks to you all! Planning an event of this magnitude is labor intensive. I know I am very excited to attend all functions. It will be truly interesting to see so many that I have not seen since 1989 in some cases and 1969 in others.
Again, fantastic Job to you all.
Thank you all for your hard work, talents and willingness to put together what I think will be the best reunion ever.
I am looking forward to seeing and being with old friends. I have lived in Norman, Okla., since 1971. I was recently in Denver in May and am excited to be coming back home again. I spent 2018 fighting terminal cancer and am now in remission. We have lost so many classmates, I knew more of the deceased than those attending. How sad, sometimes it takes an illness to make us reflect on our past.
Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting together this reunion. You all are the best.
Hi. I had my tickets and then my mom passed away. Sorry I cannot be there to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 20th reunion (which is the only reunion I’ve ever attended). I know. I was the weird guy in elementary, junior and senior high.
I was really hoping to attend and return to Colorado (I have been in Denver once in the past 30 years).
My sincere congratulations to those that helped plan and put all of this together, and I hope you have a lot of fun. Best wishes.
I was hoping to see you. Take care
What a monumental task and incredible job you all have done. I am so grateful for all of the time, expertise and effort you have all put into making our the 50th reunion happen. I wish I could have helped!
I look forward to seeing you all, and so many of our other classmates. I am very pleased at the strong response and the number of people attending.
Thanks a million for everything. You all look great in the photo.
Everyone has done a wonderful job. Looking forward to this. Thanks for all your efforts, that are appreciated.
As someone who no longer lives in Denver, I love our reunions! I do quite a bit of volunteer work close to home and know the amount of work and dedication it takes. Thank you all for the time and effort you have put in to our 50th reunion. And to Anita for her right on post! I can’t wait to see you all! One week and counting
A herculean task made to look easy. We know it took that effort and more. Looking forward to everything.
Much Appreciation and Thanks to all of you.
Thank you all for your great work and for volunteering to put this big event on! It is much appreciated and it looks great! I am really looking forward to seeing all of you. I went to the 20 year reunion but have not been back since!!
Kudos, classmates for a job well done…there is a particularly complicated website
that is fully functional…impressive.
Thank you thank you! Looking forward to the wonderful weekend you’ve crafted
You are all truly amazing! Thank you so much for planning this huge event, I look forward to thanking you all in person next weekend!
Thank you for all your hard work to make our reunion happen. I know that it required a lot more effort than you probably expected. Without you this milestone event would not take place. I am looking forward to thanking you in person and catching up with friends from long ago.
It’s is wonderful to see these faces ( almost all were recognized, but not everyone) Thank you to all of you for a job well done!
I love that you are going to keep the website up for a few years.
My deepest thanks for each and every contribution you made to our 50th reunion! You’ve done incredible work.
See you next week for the fun!
Chris O’Neal
Let me start with the biggest “Thank You” imaginable! I was a newcomer to GW in 1967, the start of our junior year. I knew exactly no one. I was coming in from Colorado Springs, a place where we had lived for 5 years (a family record) and entering an environment that to me seemed to be made up of longstanding friendships and connections. Since I wasn’t much of a joiner anyway, my sense of separation was amplified. It wasn’t until the middle of the second semester that year that I began to develop a circle of friends who were not just classroom acquaintances (many of us are going to be at the 50th).
I “knew” so many of you just from seeing you in the halls or at events or in The Surveyor, that when I heard there would be a 20th reunion, I had to go. (I’ve been to all of them since!) I still don’t know many of you except by my internal facial recognition software (with the help of our yearbook sometimes) but the reunions have held a place of meaning for me, a way to frame those years that for so many of us were personally and culturally challenging.
Thank you for what I know was a tough job with many hours involved. You are truly great exemplars of the Patriot spirit.
See you next weekend!
David – You and I switched cities. I have been in Colorado Springs since 1975 working as a speech-language pathologist. I never thought I would be here this long and if you’ve been back, you know how it has grown in many ways.
Thank you for your note to all of us. Enjoy yourself next weekend.
Jeanne Kleinman Williams
Jeanne,
Thanks for your reply! C Springs has indeed grown. One of my brothers moved back there in the 80s and opened his medical practice. Retired last year and has now gone up to Denver to be closer to grandchildren.
We are going to be in the Springs for a few hours on Thursday afternoon. Some folks we knew when we lived in France in the early 80s will be in Colorado for a year or so and we need to see them. Were we not due up in Denver that night we’d stop by and bother you!
See you at the Merc or DCC this weekend? Look for me: I’m an older guy with graying hair. Wait a minute: I think that applies to all the guys.
I’ve been in contact the last few years with one of the teachers from GW — Judy Felthaus. I had her for college prep comp. I invited her to the Merc but she said she’s hosting a fiesta at her condo that night!
I just saw your post, David. I was not able to make it to the reunion although I was scheduled to attend. I do remember Ms. Felthaus as our social studies teacher.
My family is in Willow Creek so my car does have I-25 on speed dial although there is no speed anymore.
I hope this reunion will bring the Patriots together more often.
Jeannie
This is Jeff Litvak Hi sorry I missed the reunion can you call me at 3129611247 or 312 252 9323
A simple “Thank You” does not seem adequate for this remarkable group of classmates who have invested so much time, effort, and love in planning a reunion that is likely to be truly spectacular. Best classmates and friends forever!
Looking at the picture of this amazing group of people, all I can think is “man, Craig Gardner has really grown!” Seriously, I still remember how tall he was in elementary school. And that is why these reunions are so darn fun. I am so looking forward to this that I already feel sad it will be over.
Thank you to these classmates and friends who have put so much work into this reunion. Can’t wait to see EVERYONE!!
I really regret that I’m not able to attend what sounds like a wonderful reunion of our class!! Everyone had to have put in a lot of planning!! I will be coming to Colorado but at my only sibling’s 60th wedding anniversary in Grand Junction. Have a great weekend!!!
My thanks to all who put this event together all of our reunions have been great and this one will be fantastic.
Just wish more of our friends from school could be with us.
We all should be so proud of our class of ‘69 and all that has been done to make sure this is the best reunion yet. Thank you and so looking forward to reconnecting next week
Thank you all so very much for all of your hard work in planning this enormous event! I am looking forward to seeing some of my “old” friends… I’m sure we will all have a great time remembering the good old days and discussing our current events life has sent our way!!
thanks again for ALL THE PLANNING and TIME all of you spent on putting this together…we all appreciate it!!! See you all soon!
Thanks and great job to all involved. Quite an effort for a class as large as ours, kudos.
Thank you all, 50 times over, for putting this all together. It takes a team to make things happen. I’m looking forward to a one time event with so many wonderful people.
Thank you to everyone on the committee for your hard work and long hours to bring some joy to the classmates of 1969… looking forward to seeing you next week…
Although my family moved to California for my senior year, I have many fond memories of everyone that I went to school with at Ellis Elementary, Merrill Jr. High and George Washington. You all look so young and haven’t changed one bit!!
Kristie, are you attending. I hope we can meet up!
You all are amazing! Thank you for your work putting together a monumental event!
Can’t wait to see everyone!
Many thanks…….
You have all clearly put so much of your time into this exciting event. You have my sincere thanks. I’m excited to see us all together.
I’m grateful to all of you for all your hard work in getting us organized to celebrate 50 years!!
Looking forward to seeing many “old”, older friends!!
Thank you so much!!
Thank you to each member of this committee for your dedication and thoughtfulness in planning our 50th reunion! To have done so without the aid of a professional reunion management company speaks to the talents and love you have poured into creating this event for all the rest of us who were not around to help. I am so thankful for your hard work! I enjoy returning to the website often for updates on who will be attending (and to reminisce) and love that it will be functional for several years to come. I am appreciative, as well as touched, that you factored the Jewish High Holy Days into your date planning. I’m looking forward to thanking you personally, and to reconnecting with many “old” young-at-heart friends, this weekend!
Thanks so much for giving us this behind the scenes view of what you’ve all done to make the reunion happen. What a labor of love! You’ve done an awesome job. Thanks.
What an amazing group of volunteers! Thank you all for going above and beyond to make the 50th reunion a memorable event.
I am so bummed that I will be out of the country and have to miss reconnecting with all of you.
Cheers to the class of 69!
Peggy – I had to miss the reunion as well. We go back to those elementary years. I still remember your birthday, February 22nd. I was always excited that yours was just a day before mine. All these years later I still think of you the day before I celebrate
Jeannie
An exceptional job, by an exceptional group of people! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and dedication.
Thank you so much for your time ensuring we have a great 50th reunion.
Looking forward to seeing everyone!
This is nostalgia at its zenith! Thanks to everyone involved who donated their time to make this production happen…looking forward to reconnecting with everyone…
Quite the team to make this all happen! It’s nice to see these familiar faces. I know everyone appreciates the efforts of this committee — it’s hard work to pull it all together. I look forward to seeing you all soon!
Thanks guys!
I echo the above comments! Thanks for giving of your valuable time and skill. See you soon.
Thank you for your time and commitment! Looking forward to seeing all my classmates !
Thank you so much GW 50th High School Reunion committee! Your excellent planning and ability to gather so many of us together for several fun filled activities is truly appreciated! Looking forward, as others have said, to thank you in person.
Thank you all so much for organizing the events for the 50th Reunion. It sounds like it will be a wonderful time. While I was one of the quiet ones, it will be great to see so many that were also in my classes at Steck and Hill Jr. High. I am really looking forward to it.
Thank you all for your great effort in putting together our reunion and managing it in a way that so many classmates are attending. Looking forward to this great event!
Thanks for all of the work that created this 50th reunion. Looking forward to seeing everyone
Thank you all for organizing the reunion. I was there for the 10th and have not been back to Denver since 2002 when my mother passed away. I had not planned on going, but as I looked at the website, I decided it was a perfect opportunity to reconnect some long forgotten ties. Life is so short, and I am looking forward to a wonderful nostalgic weekend.
Thank you all of you for all you have done to help us all get together!! It is so appreciated and I hope the whole weekend is very rewarding for all your efforts! This is really a precious time for us all, thank you!
Michele Wahrlich Larson
Thanks to each of you for sharing your time and talents to making this coming weekend’s reunion a great opportunity to reconnect and reminisce. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and enjoying a fun-filled weekend with classmates from Steck, Hill and GW!
Hats off to you all for your efforts in bringing these events to fruition!
CONFESSION: High school for me was not the fondest period of my life!
HOWEVER! Two events from GW folks brought me life’s joy! In 2003, my design colleague, Hank Fisher suggested he, Bruce Hines and I get together for dinner. The rest is our history as Bruce and I got married a few years later ! At 53, having never married, the true love I imagined for years appeared !
Though GW years weren’t the source of great memories, great wonder came many years later from having been there with Hank and my Bruce!
All hail!
es
: )
Am way far away in every sense but enjoyed reading this, thanks all.
Won’t be there but see y’all at the 60th or for sure at the 75th! 🙂
I am so looking forward to seeing everyone who will be able to attend our 50th. I have attended every reunion since our 10 year and have loved all of them. Each one with different classmates and different phases of their lives. What a gift. I tell people I know about various aspects of my high school experiences and more often than not, they don’t even come close to keeping up friendships much less ever being involved in a class reunion. I am lucky to have had the opportunities to stay in touch with so many of you. The Class of 1969 Reunion Committee is to be truly commended for all of the time, patience, energy, persistence and overall commitment to US, the George Washington Class of 1969 classmates, for this once in a lifetime treasure! Thanks everyone😀👌💕
Many thanks to everyone who gave of their personal time and efforts to make this event happen!
I want to commend all of you for the extraordinary effort and commitment that all of you made to make this weekend happen for all of us. The events, locations, tours, music and flash drive, website, etc, were special. It was great seeing old friends and making new ones because I was so shy 50 years ago. Thanks again to all of you that made it happen!
Thanks for all the work making the reunion a great one.
thank so much for all the work you put into what was a fabulous Reunion Weekend. I was only able to attend the dinner on Saturday but was amazed at the great time everyone had at such a well organized event. it was so fun to reconnect with so many people some of whom I had not seen since our days at GW
Now that we are after the fact, I would like to reiterate my thanks to the reunion committee. That was quite the party weekend and I was so appreciative of the detailed thought that went into the planning. I think I smiled the entire time. It was wonderful to see those people I have always remembered with such love and admiration. What a lot of energy we still have as a group. So, thank you and I hope you give yourselves some time to recuperate.