Passing of Mr. Fehrenbach

Just received news from Jay Krickeberg that Mr. Fehrenbach passed away recently. I will post more information soon.

Falling into Shadow

Seems sad now that the reunion has passed, we fall into another 5 year hibernation, like falling into a long, dark shadow, cast over all our lives - until the next time we kick up the reunion dust. In the meantime, I will keep this site going, and hope you will help me. Please keep me informed of anything worth sharing with other classmates. Until we meet again!

Chuck

Reunion Head Shot Collage

Post-Reunion

The reunion (I'm told) was a complete success, and a great time! Pictures coming soon...

Update from Nancy

In case there is confusion (and apparently there has been some) about the upcoming reunion, here's an update from Nancy Holen to help clear things up:

Please know that you will not need to pay anything for the reunion itself. Just come and have a great time. This reunion is meant to be a casual evening out, with no strings attached. So, if you are thirsty or need a bite to eat, the bar and grill will be open and will take your orders, at your own expense - tipping is up to you, too...

Again, there is no formal dinner. No need to write a check this time around. Just come and meet up with your classmates, and enjoy an informal evening together.

A note from Chuck: sorry I can't be there... I will miss you all, until next time.

Any Interest? Choir Albums of the 70's

Well, less than a month to go to the reunion. In the meantime, I wanted to offer out a "shout" to former choir members. I am contemplating taking the old records we made back then, and converting them to CD. If you are interested, let me know. Just send a note to brutus@wamago78.com. If I get a handful of responses, I'll get going on it. If no one gives a hoot, then - well - you know. Thanks!

Sad news

Just to pass this along to all of you, I recently received word of two of our classmates passing:

Jeffery Schalk - Taken to Heaven suddenly on November 20, 2005, age 45. Beloved husband of Susan (nee Vader Molen). Son of Eugene Schalk and Kathryn.

Also...

Phil Ceretto - Not able to provide details.

May they rest in peace.

News from Nancy

The word from Nancy is that invitations to the 30th Reunion are to be mailed out next week. Invitations will be mailed to everyone we have in our *master* database of names and addresses. Sooooo.... in case you DO NOT receive an invitation - and you are either:

1) reading this blog (what are the chances of that?) or
2) hearing from somebody else who has either read from this blog (what are the chances of that?) or
3) hearing from somebody who has themself received an actual invitation

Please REST ASSURED that you are invited, even if you don't get an inviation in the mail.

Ok, so everyone, remember to show up now July 19th (see below).

Cheers! Chuck

Play Ball!

April 8th, 1976! What a great memory... yup... skippin out of the afternoon classes, jumping on bikes, and heading over to Opening Day! The day was beautiful, too... Sunny, warm, wonderful spring day. And we opened against the Yankees! And won 5 - Zip!! It was Jeff Friedbacher and the old shack gang, together again and celebrating a Brewers' victory! Robin Yount, Sixto Lezcano, Gorman Thomas, Jim Slaton, and all those other great Brewers players. I miss that old stadium too. It was so much fun to head over to the VA and sit up there on VA Bleachers for a free game, with your radio tuned to Bob Uecker and Merle Harmon! It was cool when they would acknowledge all the fans up there on "the Hill!"

I wish the Brewers success in the coming year. In 1976, it wasn't a great ride (66-95), but we still loved our Brewers. Enjoy!

By the way, whatever happened to Bernie?

Website Update

A quick update... I apologize for not getting the work done on the website. As time will allow me, it will get done. In the meantime, if you care to view the old site, it is at:

http://www.wac78.glorybe.cc/

For the Yearbook pages, start here:

http://www.wac78.glorybe.cc/classmates_pages/a_b1.html

Thanks for your patience!

West Allis Central Class of 78 Reunion Thirty

Post Your Story

Have a memory to share from high school days at Central? I'd be happy to post your story too. Just e-mail it to brutus@wamago78.com and share the memories!

Thanks Richie!

I didn’t get my driver’s license until I turned 17, and can’t recall why a year later than usual, but I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fact was (and still is): a teen-aged boy with permission to drive is downright scary!

My brother’s had fun cars. Joe had his Triumph Spitfire. Greg had a nice little MGB. Before Greg’s MGB, there was this Pontiac station wagon he bought from Chuck Wenzel, and also the VW Bus. I had a habit of being sneaky with my brother’s vehicles, and got into trouble with Joe more than I care to recall (he kept really good track of odometer readings!). I suppose the same could be said of Greg, but Greg was a little more lenient (is that the word?) with me. So, it was easier to actually ask Greg permission to take his cars out for this and that, instead of sneaking off with them.

I got into the habit of taking his Pontiac station wagon to school regularly. It was convenient during the winter months, and it didn’t bother Greg that we were using it to tote ourselves and other kids to school. So during the winter of my senior year (’78), my sister Jane and I would regularly rev-up that old wagon on the cold winter mornings and bounce around to pick up our fellow “commuters”, bringing them safely to Central and back home again.

“Safely” is the keyword here, and I bet we all have had our opportunities to put that word to the test in our early-on driving experiences. I certainly did! And with that station wagon, and the 389 V-8 it had, there were ample opportunities to stretch the limits of caution. Just ask Richie Rys!

It was one of those cold winter mornings, probably January of 1978, when after picking up the whole gang that morning, I got stopped by the red-light on Lincoln, at the 84th Street intersection, just short of the cross-walk paint strips. Richie always sat shotgun for the ride, and the girls took the bench seat behind us. I think that morning we probably had Sherry Meeusen with us too.

Well, heaven only knows what got me going… maybe I spotted some friends on the sidewalk in front of the Boy Blue? I don’t know. But there was something that got the juvenile testosterone flowing at that moment, just prior to the light changing to green. That 389 was too much power to not use once in while. And I had heard about doing brake-stands from some of “the pals” (probably the Bailey boys), and decided to give it a try. With a firm left foot on the brake, and the light just about to change green, I jammed that accelerator to the floor, and lit that old boat up as if it were some top fuel dragster getting it’s slicks warmed up before the run.

It was awesome. Smoke everywhere! That one passenger side rear tire was spinning madly, and the 389 was just powering out the RPM’s. Richie’s eyes popped out half an inch, I gave no warning. Then the light changed to green, and I let go of the brake pedal. LIFTOFF!

We laid a perfect patch coming off the line, straight and strong. Faster and faster, until I realized that I had seconds ago taken my foot off the gas. Faster and faster we kept going. Smoke still pouring forth, but now not from the rear but from the front, as I was jamming hard on the power brakes, and the front wheels were locked solid. The accelerator was stuck hard, and I was panicking. The front end was hard to control with the wheels stuck by braking. All I could think was “We’re gonna die” as the big yellow school bus parked in front of school just ahead of us got closer and closer.

Have you ever panicked like that before? The memory of that moment is so firmly fixed. There have been few times in my life where I really thought I was about to die. Screaming and trying so hard to make that car stop, but it just wouldn’t stop. Those horsies were screaming! Louder, louder, closer, closer.

Then, as you might expect, something good happened. Something really good! Richie.

Thank God for Richie… and I really mean it! He saved our lives from disaster that morning, with his clear-headed reaction to the situation. He saved my butt from the sling that moment, when he reached over to the ignition and turned the key off!

Those revving horsies came to a screeching halt, the brakes set in hard, and we stopped just yards short of plowing into the back of the parked bus. The screaming from the back seat stopped too. We just sat there, stopped, and I looked over to Richie and said “Oh My God, Thank You!” He just looked at me and said, “Biewer, you are Nuts!”

Thanks Richie!

Asking Your Help

I know it's early yet in the life of this blog, and in the preparation for the 30th reunion. However, I'm hoping some of you may be able to help. From our last reunion, we remembered those in our class who have passed into the next life, through death. It is always sad to hear of those who will not be with us (in body) for reunions. While we celebrate together our friendships and memories 30 years hence, let us keep our old friends close to us in spirit.

I humbly ask for your help then, if you know of a classmate who has passed, please let me know that I can add their name to our list of sojourners. You may post here, or may elect to contact me via e-mail. I can be reached at cbiewer AT 4wbi DOT com (replacing AT with @ and DOT with .)

Thanks everybody!

Chuck

+T+

Sojourners

Anthony Bykowski
Randy Diebitz
David Gibb
Michael Go
Joseph Haliburton
Jane Jansen Beres
Sharon Radliff
Jeff Ressler
Kristen Carlsen Rindfleisch
Kim Watson Vesco
Brian Wirth

Reunion 30 coming up!

Hey mates,

Looking forward to seeing you again for Reunion 30! Keep posted here for various updates, as we count down the days to Reunion 30!