June 23, 2009

As we plan our (good golly miss Molly! ) 40th high school reunion, my fellow planner Holly DCB, who should have been a private detective and is doing the heavy lifting, is ferreting out long lost classmates and even elementary school teachers and tennis coaches from days of athletic glory.

I have fond memories in particular of my eccentric, former Canadian Junior champion tennis coach Rob Olear who made me the #1 singles star of our school, and no doubt heartthrob to countless of my female classmates (in my dreams only of course). He would stand behind our opponents and jingle keys and coins in his pocket to distract them at key point in the matches, among other tricks up his sleeve. Didn’t help. I still lost. Tennis was my passion in highschool and he was quite a character, but still, he was my coach.

And I am saddened to learn of the recent passing of Mr. Macaluso, my 6th grade teacher with the famous ‘meatball row’ in the back of the class for class clowns and naer-do-wells, which I narrowly escaped being relegated to. With vivid stories of his Army experiences, and high expectations of his students, I have never forgotten my time in his class.

Mr. Olear, and Mr. Macaluso, wherever you are, thank you for all you have to me, and countless others before and after me. Teachers, parents, friends, and colleagues all touch the lives of so many others. Each day we have the chance to have a positive impact on the lives of others, if we look for the opportunities to do so.

To me it is the greatest privelege to be important in the lives of others. There is no greater calling here on Earth. This then is the answer to the question: What is the meaning of life. It means what we make it to mean. And to me, it is: to be a blessing in the lives of others.

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written by Linda Bergey Herman, June 30, 2009

The reunion plans are looking great. You, Holly and Vince have done a great job of organizing this reunion long-distance. I feel bad that I won't be able to take part in any of the activities until Saturday evening. We planned our annual family vacation in Dollywood, Tenn. from the 11th to the 18th. I noticed that the picnic starts at 1 pm on Sat. and dinner is something that will be decided on the run. If I don't have a chance to see you I just wanted to let you know that I've thought of you often and wondered what you were up to. You've had huge success doing something that you love and what more we can ask for. How many children do you have and how old are they now. I've had three - my daughter is married and living in Rochester with her husband and two little adorable boys. My oldest son is married and living in North Carolina with his wife and 2 year old daughter Marley. My youngest son lives in Lewiston but works on construction projects all over. He is currently living in Ithica. He is not married but has been living with a wonderful girl for several years now. I am teaching third grade at Niagara Wheatfield and plan on retiring in four years. My husband, Dennis, and I are building a retirement home in North Carolina and we plan on spending six months in NC and 6 months in this area. It's hard to believe that the retirement years are closing in on us all. When you have a chance, let me know what is going on in your life. Hopefully, we'll get to catch up on Sat. the 18th. Linda

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written by bruce lund, June 30, 2009

Hello Linda. How do I reach you? Thanks for the great news update.

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