HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY TO US!

Hey Celtics!!

You are invited to a Birthday Party…. And not just ANY birthday party…. The class of 1969 is celebrating turning 70 this year and we think having out closest Celtic friends be there would be the VERY BEST birthday present EVER!!

In Sept of 2019 the Class of ‘69 had our 50^th year reunion and we had a blast! We had such a good time, we wanted to keep our relationships growing by getting together again on August 28, 2021. Plus, we can also celebrate other milestones:

              Retirement—Grandparentness—Travelling— Other??

Although that pesky COVID brought uncertainty to our world, recently decided to go forward with the party due to popular demand and effective vaccines!!

Who – McNary Classes of ’68, ’69 and ’70  Yes, we really do want to see you all again!

When – Saturday, August 28, 2021

Time – Noon to 5 p m

What – An outdoor picnic – We will be following Oregon COVID guidelines

Where – On a (classy!) beach at a private lake for swimming, and with canoes for paddling!

Chapin Lake – Entrance on west side of Wheatland Road, 75 yards north of intersection of Wheatland/Waconda Roads. 

Alternate site  (If weather is very wet /stormy) – We will relocate one-half mile to the East and PARTY in a large shed at 2161 Waconda Rd North, Gervais OR – Lots of concrete and gravel parking available!

Cost – No charge! But donations will be accepted to help us fund our 55th Reunion, which will be in 2024!

What to bring – Bring your own picnic lunch, snacks, lawn chairs, your great personalities!

We will provide soft drinks, water and dessert.

If you have pop-up shelters, beach umbrellas, etc., please bring them if you can to provide sun/light rain protection.

Please let Bruce know what you have and would be willing to bring!

RSVP to Bruce Chapin at chapin@onlinenw.com

Keep up with new info, etc. by going to our Facebook page!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1428785884041804

REUNION COUNTDOWN – IT’S CLOSER THAN YOU THINK!

Dear Friends,

We are now only a few short weeks away from our reunion and we are busy making plans to guarantee this will be a great event!  The venues are set, the Reunion Committee members are getting their assignments and we are ALL looking forward to seeing as many classmates as possible at this event. The idea is for folks to attend and not worry about a dress code, gray hair, no hair, wrinkles, bad knees, etc… After all, we graduated in 1969, and everything was cool then and it will be the same way at the reunion!

It  is now time to put YOU to work!  First thing – REGISTER – if you haven’t already…Scroll down for the registration form.

What do we need from you after that?  We need your enthusiasm, your willingness to promote the reunion and your connections to fellow classmates.  Are there some you know of who have not registered as yet?  Would you be willing to talk to them and find out why they are not registering? Are there financial concerns – please let us know and we may be able to help. Do they think it is a waste of time or that they will not be welcomed and included? One of the goals of the Reunion Committee is to make sure ALL who attend are welcomed, included and treated like the special guests they are!

• The Reunion Committee is committed to making this Reunion one that reflects what we all ached for back then and still do to this day…. Peace, Love, Harmony and Connection. That’s it. Nothing more and nothing less. We need ALL of you to make this happen. Please join us and “Get Back to Where You Once Belonged.”

Remember that we also have the Ride-Share option if you’re concerned about transportation or just don’t want to drive!  We have you covered…..

Below is the Ride Share form –

“Take It Easy Drivers and Easy Riders” …Here’s the link to the Ride Share form:
http://bit.ly/McNaryRideShare

PLEASE remember that we have agreed to give back to our Alma Mater by collecting funds and/or donations of school supplies and backpacks which will be provided to those McNary students whose families cannot provide these things for them. Please do what you can to contribute in some way to this great service project.  How can you do that?

• When you send in your registration, please send a separate check or write one check that includes an extra amount that you would like to contribute to this project. Please designate the amount you are donating in order for accurate funds dispersal.
• Purchase supplies based on a list that will be posted here and on our Facebook page and bring them to one of our events. We will have a donation barrel at each event.
• If you are coming to the Reunion, but are unable to attend every event, consider paying for all 3 events but let us know you would like to donate the fees from those events you are unable to attend to this project.

Any questions, concerns, etc?  Please feel free to email the following folks for answers!

Bruce Chapin – chapin@onlinenw.com

Sandy (Febach) Armstrong – anisarmstrong@gmail.com

You can also post a question on our Facebook page… McNary Class of 69 – we check it daily for questions, comments, etc.  

We are also on alumni class.com – McNary 69 alumni. 

Looking forward to being with you in September!!

 

 

 

GET BACK – TO WHERE YOU ONCE BELONGED!!

A PREVIEW OF OUR REUNION WEEKEND EVENTS!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13
Thanks once again to the generosity of our classmate Steve Johnson, we will be gathering  at the Grand Hotel for an informal meet and greet to get things rolling. This will be a very informal event with a no host bar and finger food. We’ll be playing music from OUR generation – the BEST one. COST FOR THIS EVENT – $20/person

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14
A new and unique venue for our Saturday evening gathering will be the Scenic Valley Winery on River Road in Gervais. This is a family owned vineyard and winery right in McNary’s back yard! The reunion members who visited there were impressed with the venue in terms of its location, size, rustic quality, flexible set up as well as the family who own it. We have also received nice reviews on the wine they produce and will be serving at our event. A lovely catered meal will be provided and the evening will be a walk down memory lane as well as an opportunity to get caught up with the lives of our fellow classmates while listening/dancing to the music we loved in high school. We have worked to keep costs within reason and still have a great time together in a beautiful place. COST FOR THIS EVENT – $55/person

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15
For our last event of the weekend, we have reserved a beautiful picnic spot for a cookout at the South Falls of Silver Creek Falls. Folks who wish can hike the trails or just relax and visit. It is a short distance from Salem and the cost to get into the Park is $5 per vehicle. We encourage folks to consider the Ride Share option!.  COST FOR THIS EVENT – $25/person

IF YOU REGISTER FOR ALL EVENTS – COST IS $85/person ($15 savings over single event costs)

Check back often for new updates, which will be posted here and on our Facebook page McNary Class of ’69

We are also sharing all this info and now getting a lot of classmates join us on alumniclass.com

All that is needed is YOU… so make your travel plans!

Let’s just make this the best event possible……

MAP TO OUR 70TH BIRTHDAY PARTY LOCATION!!

Our Last Hurrah At McNary

We were staring at our future while still standing in our high school memories. This last issue brings it all home as we see who will follow in our footsteps in student government, sports, academic achievement, social circles and what they will wish to change in what we have left behind. This last issue of The Piper is a poignant look back at the end of our Senior Year.

 

 

 

Bittersweet Ending To Our Senior Year

This post contains two of the last issues of The Piper. The prom was a big deal to some, but not all of us, end of the year athletic events were ongoing, and we see that school funding and the detrimental effects of teens on drugs were hot topics.  

How can our country still not make solving just these two problems a top priority? Things surely seem to have gotten worse – not better, and it it hard to see a light at the end of this dark tunnel. We can only hope that the voices of our children and grandchildren are loud and powerful enough to affect the necessary societal changes. How did we fail?  

 

 

A New Play, Election Results, Student Apathy, Spring Tournaments, Music & Sports

This issue of the Piper shows that although life at McNary goes on, there is still a sense of the end of the school year drawing nigh!  

Spring! Time for Elections, Tryouts, More Sports Action & Sportsmanship Trophy

Remember back when elections for student government were happening?  What criteria did you use for casting your votes?  I can’t remember back that far, but I am hoping I voted for those whom I thought would do the best job!

Recognition of McNary winning the coveted Sportsmanship Trophy for the second year in a row was a high point!

Read the Opinion page, as it also mentions a letter received that was the only one out of 1600 McNary students!  

All in all, this issue is a snapshot of what was going on as the school year was winding down.

The Tournament and Some Interesting Art, Poetry & Opinion

I’m posting two issues of The Piper back to back, as the first one is the lead up to the state basketball tournament and the second one issue was published AFTER the tournament. So, we all know what the outcome was.  Were our hearts broken?  Yes…. but our team and students were stellar!  So, we do have wonderful things to remember about McNary and not just that we won another tournament! Taking third place was a remarkable feat in and of itself.

So, the first issue of The Piper stokes the fires of school pride with the Celts earning a spot in the basketball playoffs!

The center pages showcase some of the talent at McNary with artwork and writing. Of great interest and of great controversy today is a piece written about women bus drivers.  Read the article and remember when it was written and how different things were back then. This could be an interesting topic of discussion with some of our classmates at the reunion!

 

 

 

 

Courtyard Plans, Student Apathy, Speech & Music and Festivals

This is the 12th issue of The Piper that was published during our Senior year.  On the front page was an article about collaboration between speech students and some of our great McNary musicians.  The McNary Booster Club starts on plans for the McNary High School inner courtyard, there were upcoming Choir and Band Festivals, and our great McNary athletes were winning wrestling tournaments, competing in gymnastics and continuing their basketball supremacy.  

Of interest are two articles: One is entitled, “Ways to Lose a Date,” and published responses from both Faculty and Student Government regarding student apathy. There is also a continuing problem with “bad behavior” from both adults and students at basketball games.

Read the articles and see if you remember any these issues when you were a Senior!

How Have Times Changed Since High School?

Reading this issue of the Piper reminds me of how much some things have changed since we were at McNary. Girl of the Month and Rotarian of the Month were important honors at our school, the Valentine’s Day Dance was always a big event for the romantic among us! There was a call for applicants to compete in the Miss Salem Beauty Pageant and an article about the display of class rings and other items for those of us graduating in June 1969.

Of interest, in terms of how things have changed, there was an article revealing the results of a poll concerning what boys and girls wish the opposite sex would do. Read the answers and see how you feel about them, given the changing relationships between the sexes in today’s world. And a fellow Celtic, Peggy Kosack, was named The Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow.  

There is also an article about property tax relief and a sales tax! That seems to be a recurring theme in Oregon.  

Interesting editorials on love and another one calling out parents and students who boo and jeer the opposing teams at McNary sporting events.

The Wrestling team was headed to District… with three leading athletes named: Eddie Mellott, Bruce Chapin and the late Dave Luke. These guys were amazing to watch!  And, of course our Basketball team was powerful. The gymnasts were also heading to District, well representing our school.  

Enjoy this issue and see how things have changed and yet some things have stayed the same.