Sixteen members of the Bridgeville High School Class of 1948 and an equal number of friends and family gathered at the Walnut Grill in Heidelberg last month to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of their graduation. I was unable to visit with them but have been able to piece together a second-hand account of this very special event.
Our Class of 1949 followed these folks through school all the way from first grade till they graduated. They were our honorary big brothers and sisters, our role models. We looked up to them then and still do.
The organizer of this annual reunion was Esther Pruner Dunich. She obviously is as competent at this task as she was serving as Head Majorette for Skip Batch’s Indians in the 1940s. The Indians were the premier drum and bugle corps in this area in those days, an odds-on favorite to be selected as best band in any parade in which they participated.
Whenever I hear Esther’s name, I immediately conjure an image of the reviewing stand at the end of some community parade. The Indians have already attracted attention from their attire – Indian head-dresses – and the lovely majorettes leading them down the street.
As they approach the reviewing stand and shift into the “marching-in-place” mode, the staccato of the drums becomes sharper. Skip tosses Esther a flaming baton, which she catches and twirls a dozen times, to the delight of the onlookers. Then suddenly she hurls it into the air above her.
At this point the bugles blare out “Over There”. The crowd holds its breath as it watches the baton slowly rotate as it falls back to earth and then applauds as Esther deftly catches and then nonchalantly continues to twirl it. I don’t know who invented the flaming baton routine, but I know Esther Pruner perfected it, and no one ever performed it better.
The 1948 class included a lot of kids who were special to me. I have frequently described Ed Weise as “the best ‘best friend’ a teen-aged boy ever had”. I will always be grateful for his friendship.
John Graham came from Alabama to be with his classmates. He was President of the class, a natural leader. He left Bridgeville to attend the University of Alabama. I remember seeing him that first Christmas and was astounded that he had lost his Pittsburghesque accent and sported a thick Southern drawl.
I’m sure everyone was happy to see Hartman Reed, fresh from his fifteen minutes of fame when the Today Show’s Al Roker honored him as part of their “Deserving Dads” program last Spring. “Harty” has been a fixture at these reunions.
Alfred Barzan is a cherished member of our Octogenarian Brunch group and a rich source of memories of the old days each time we see him. Ben Rupnik, who was easily the best basketball player of our generation, went on to a successful career as a commercial artist. His sketches of Bridgeville street scenes are priceless; his ability to capture the essence of a time and place is uncanny. The 1948 Yearbook, the “Lincoln Log”, contains many examples of Ben’s artwork.
Elaine Keil and John “Jocko” Schneider were one set of high school sweethearts who found happiness in marriage later on. Jocko couldn’t come because of health issues; Elaine represented the Schneider family handsomely. She served as Social Chairman of the Class when they were Seniors.
Joyce Wilson Hines also attended. She is the widow of fellow classmate Bob Hines. He was a good friend, in addition to having special privileges at everyone’s favorite hangout, the ice cream/soda fountain shop his mother ran.
The Oelschlager family was effectively represented by Bob Oelschlager accompanied by his wife. His sister Judy is a loyal supporter of the Bridgeville Area Historical Events; we see her frequently. His younger brother, Wilbur, is one of my 1949 classmates; he is busy playing “cowboys and Indians” in Cody, Wyoming.
Two other widows of class members came to the Reunion. Betty Copeland’s husband Curtis and Marianne Karpinski Carchidi’s husband Fred were regular attendees of previous Reunions; their widows have been seamlessly integrated into the class.
Another honorary classmate is John Rosa. He actually is a member of our 1949 class, but has so many friends in this group that they have adopted him. John has lived in Tucson, Arizona, for the past forty-eight years. Recently he began returning to Bridgeville in the summer when the weather in Arizona became too hot.
John is a summer fixture in the Octogenarian Brunch Club; it is always sad when he returns to Arizona. He was the source of much of the information in this column about this year’s Reunion.
Completing the roster of attendees are Jane van Gorder Finnerty, Virginia Collavo Noce, Dorothy Wilson Price, Grace Aiello Wallo, Bill Godwin, Nick Mamula, and Richard Panizza.
These men and women were born too late to be part of the Greatest Generation; nonetheless as a group they possess all of the same characteristics. It has been a privilege to know them and attempt to follow in their footsteps.