ACS Knightsbridge Alumni Reunions

REUNION WRAPUP - AUGUST 13, 2001:

Last year in San Francisco, the ACS Knightsbridge Class of 1975 reunited for the first time in 25 years. For all of us, including the many underclassmen who also attended, it was an emotional and all too short reunion. We decided we had to do it again! And soon! Thus, we gathered again during July 20-22, 2001, in the nation's capitol, Washington DC. I had the pleasure of coordinating this reunion with the assistance of Tom Sapp and Marjie Saunders, as well as numerous others who contributed their valuable time to this effort.

This year, group accommodations were arranged so that we could mostly all stay at one hotel, the fabulous St. James Suites in the historic Foggy Bottom area of the District of Columbia. Several early birds arrived on Wednesday, July 18th, for some early bonding and sightseeing. The remainder arrived on Friday the 20th and we all gathered in the evening at one of DC's oldest local eateries, Famous Luigi's Pizzeria Restaurant. Being the noisy bunch that we are, we soon took over all of Luigi's second floor dining room. During the next three hours, much Italian food, beer and wine were consumed, many acquaintances renewed, and long forgotten menories were exchanged. We eventually retired back to the St. James where Lee Poscente kindly volunteered his suite to continue our gathering. Needless to say, it was a late night for many of us!

The following Saturday, many smaller groups engaged in sightseeing to the various monuments and Smithsonian museums around the Mall. Others engaged in shopping expeditions or just stayed and relaxed by the hotel's swimming pool. In the evening, we gathered at The Childe Harold restaurant in the trendy Dupont Circle area for a buffet dinner and cocktail party. We were fortunate to secure a private dining room complete with bar, mirrorball, and a sound system where we played nostalgic music pre-recorded onto CD by Marjie Saunders and Mark Shaheen. It certainly brought back memories of all the dances held in the gym of the Hyde Park school! During the evening, Tom Sapp and Marjie Saunders held court and presided over an awards ceremony. The awards included:

1) Oldest parent - Rick Nelson (first child, Jack, was born 12/29/00)
2) Least changed - Lisa Kardash
3) Most changed - Mark Shaheen
4) Still the most "English" - Judy Okell
5) Parent at reunion with most kids - Jesslyn Johnson
6) Still the cutest - Terry Childs
7) Most successful achiever - Cynthia Crann
8) Lost the most hair - "Still" Mike Paulin (Here on out to be known as "THE MP Award")
9) Flown the farthest to attend - Greg Ducas (got lost and he's a pilot)
10) Amazing who's still here - Baron Allen
11) Least changed personality - Andy Hoets

Several people had to leave on Sunday but, for those remaining, an outing to scenic Pohick Bay Regional Park in Virginia was arranged by Tom Sapp. We enjoyed the sunshine, relaxed, played frisbee, and feasted on hot dogs, burgers, chicken and other goodies. Kudos to Bill Clappin and his son Jonathan for volunteering to be the "kings of the grill!" Tom Sapp also brought his powerboat and took folks out for sightseeing trips up the Potomac River. Later that evening, we gathered for a final time at a restaurant in the Washington Harbour overlooking the Potomac for drinks and dinner.

This year, we were excited to be reunited with our old class members who were not at the San Francisco reunion: Bill Clappin, Terry Childs, Julie Christensen, Karen Conboy, Jesslynn Johnson, Kate Livingston, Shawn McCarron, and Mark Shaheen. We also welcomed several underclassmen: Baron Allen, Greg Ducas, Billy Harrison, Brian Hartlen, Lisa Kardash, Mary Kennedy, Judy Okell, Don Riley, Trish Ritz, Christopher Smith, David Smith, and Jean Von Schrader. Kristin Fellows was also present representing the Class of '74! It's nice to see that our reunions have truly become school reunions and not just limited to a single class.

And so another reunion is over and we have now departed back home and to our various lives. We leave with renewed, stronger friendships and memories from the past fresh again in our minds. As Karen Gray mentioned to me later, we have a history now as adult friends, not just as friends from high school, and that is really a special bond.

The Class of '75 now turns it over to the Class of '77 to plan the next reunion and we look forward to our big one - the 30 year reunion in 2005! See you there!

Best regards,
Tom Kulananan
Senior Class President
ACS Knightsbridge 1975