Cardinal Mooney Reunion: Class of 1973

R.I.P. Michael Malerk, Class of '73

2011-02-24T16:29:00.003-05:00

It is with broken heart that I inform you all of the death of Michael Malerk on February 23, 2011. He was a kind and gentle man who leaves behind his wife Chris, son Dan, and grandchildren Michael, Jon Jon and Chaunacy, who Chris and Michael were raising together.

Keep an eye out for an official obituary in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

R.I.P. Paulie Macaluso

2010-12-30T11:29:00.002-05:00

Dearest Classmates, sad news today. Our classmate Paul Macaluso, age 54, passed away yesterday after a brief illness. Here are the details from the obituary printed today in the Democrat & Chronicle:

Macaluso, Paul

December 29, 2010, age 54. Predeceased by his sister,
Marylin; brothers, Thomas and Mark. Survived by his parents, Michael and Dorothy
Macaluso; sisters, Donna (James) Gould, Marion (Alan) Oyer-Glaser, Laura
(Michael) Zawacki, Leslie (Peter) Mills, Diane (Brian) Abel, Andrea (Kris)
Schofield; brothers, John (Amy), Steven (Anne) Macaluso; sisters-in-law, Valerie
Macaluso and Cindy Schwind; many nieces and nephews. Paul worked in their family
business for many years.

Calling Thursday, 1-8 (TODAY), at Falvo Funeral
Home, Webster, 1295 Nine Mile Point Rd. (Route 250). On Friday, family and
friends will meet at Holy Spirit Church for his Funeral Mass at 10:30 AM. Those
wishing may donate to Arch Angel School, 95 Stanton Lane, Rochester, 14617.
Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

We were blessed with the opportunity to reconnect with Paulie this past July. May his memory be an abiding blessing to all who knew him.

Yours,

Gini

Mini-reunion day prior to Thanksgiving!

2010-11-14T18:32:00.003-05:00

Attention all Mooneyites who will be in Rochester for Thanksgiving: Bev & Chuck & Bob and a number of other folks are planning to gather for fun & food on Wednesday, Nov. 24th, at Jim and Ralph's on Elmgrove Rd., near 531 and Elmgrove Rd. exit, at 1:30 pm. Be there, or be square.

I won't make it there, as I'll be entertaining my 3 kids here in lovely Lexington, Mass. But I'll be thinking of you all. I'll be giving thanks for pumpkin Abbott's for desert on turkey day, thanks to another Mooney alumna - class of '74 Mary Pat Popp D'Auria.

Hope you all have a grateful and peaceful Thanksgiving.

Yours,
Gini

2010-09-19T11:21:00.002-04:00

Well, hellllloooooo, out there. It's a New Year, and there are NEW PLANS for a 40th reunion, spearheaded by our fearless el presidente, Carlo Frederick. So, fellow '73-ians, stay tuned for details as they seem to be settled. I believe that Carlo is testing out some themes, based on his facebook postings, so if you are a friend of his on facebook - let your thoughts be known! He'll need a committee (maybe the meetings will be in FLORIDA?), so think about whether you can help out in some way. It will be difficult to beat the success of the 37th Reunion committee, so Carlo has a big job ahead of him.

I will attempt to keep this blog going, and other bloggers are welcome to jump in - let me know and I'll add you as an approved post-er. But honestly - the way to stay connected to other Mooneyites seems to be facebook - jump on in.

Speaking of Mooneyites - I dropped off a Mooney pennant to the Massachusetts Abbott's, run by Mary Pat Popp, Mooney Class of '74, and got a free dish of custard for my efforts. Gotta love Mary Pat!

More later...

Photos & Memories

2010-07-27T17:31:00.003-04:00

The party's over...

Many photos were taken, and I'm sure many more will follow. Though some photos have been posted on facebook or other venues, "The Committee" is working feverishly to gather photos and video of that evening which they intend to post in the Reunion - Together Again section under the Photo and Video Library section. If anyone has photos or video taken that evening or at any of the events, they are encouraged to share them for posting by sending a note to Olivia Pavic at: Olivia@Camelottech.com . Olivia will provide instructions on how you can load large Bitmap or JPEG files quickly and easily.

So, share, people!!

Oh what a night....

2010-07-24T16:49:00.004-04:00

The reunion weekend started off with a bang at Paddy's Irish Pub on Latta. I don't think the Mooney-alumni-owners were prepared for sooooooo many Mooneyites! There were both Class of '73 and Class of '85 parties going on, so it was pretty much all-Mooney all the time! I spotted more than one person sneaking a peek at my yearbook to try to match up current faces with those flattering senior photos!

In general, ALL the women looked great, and it was easy to identify them. ALL the men looked distinguished, though a little more prompting seemed to be neccessary to connect their wise faces with those 18 year olds in the book.

See you all in an hour or so. Note to those attending Mass tomorrow: please offer up a prayer for clear weather at 1 pm!

Later,
Gini

Down to the wire...

2010-07-17T19:52:00.002-04:00

Well, classmates, the time has finally come! The reunion is a week away. I'll be arriving in Rochester sometime Friday, hope to run into some of you at my hotel.

To take care of some old business - Bob Dardano has won a free raffle ticket for his correct answer of Dana Staskevicius as the person who graduated from early from the class of '73!

Once again, I have to apologize for my lack of postings in the past month. I don't think there are that many readers of this blog, b/c no one seemed to miss me!! I've been travelling back and forth to NJ to help my brother (the FIRST graduate of Mooney!), after a stroke. And on top of that, we've been chasing doctors here in the Boston area to get my youngest diagnosed and treated forh a chronic condition. It's been a busy month, and I'm really really sick of hospitals. I'm looking forward to 3 days in Rochester with no visits to any health care institutions!

If you're reading this and you're still on the fence about showing up at the reunion - COME!! It will be great to see you. In the past several months on facebook, I've discovered that I should have been friends with lots of Mooney people I barely knew when I was 17. Come on out and meet some new friends!

For those who ARE planning on showing up - make sure you take a minute to thank the committee members, especially Debbie Catari and Mike DiMauro, who took on this project and ran with it in a big big way. Don't forget all the other committee members too, who worked behind the scenes and showed up for countless meetings to get this party started....

See you Friday night at Paddy's - or Saturday at the main event!

Yours,

Gini

Out of Towner's: What will you visit when you're home for the Reunion?

2010-06-09T16:22:00.002-04:00

As July 24 gets closer and closer on the calendar, I am enjoying the thought of eating my way through Rochester. First vist - probably Abbott's in Charlotte. Schallers!! Zweigle's hots (red, not white - never did acquire a taste for the white ones). I miss Buckman's donuts. I didn't go to college in Rochester, so I never experienced the infamous "Garbage Plate", but I bet some of you did.

If you're coming in from "Not-Rochester", where will you feed your old Rochester habits? (Yes, I know I left off Wegmans, but that's more about the whole existential experience, and less about the actual food!).

Out here in the wasteland called New England, we are anxiously awaiting the opening of our first Wegmans - it will be a good 45 minute drive from my home, but I'll probably shop there anyway. Nothing compares, not even the super-sized Whole Foods nearby.

If you're undecided about attending the reunion - take a quick look at the list of planned attendees on the website (link to the left). Don't worry if you've gained a few pounds or lost a lot of hair. Come anyway.

Now I must get back to killing Mario and Luigi (Super Mario Galaxy 2!!!).

Springtime in New England

2010-05-27T12:05:00.004-04:00

Well folks, I apologize for the lack of recent posts. I'm guessing that you all have as little time as I do for surfing the net during the spring. Since I last posted, I've driven from Lexington, MA to Ithaca and back (picking up youngest son); from Lexington to Freehold, NJ and back (picking up potters wheel for same son); from Lexington to Athol, MA (yes, you can make fun of that name!) and back, visiting the farm where said son wishes to live for the next year.

What keeps you busy during the spring?

Switching up topics - I learned yesterday that Mr. Geoff Richter, one of our esteemed music teachers from 71-73, passed away suddenly this week. He was only a few years older than us - sad times. I remember Geoff through my relationship with Ron Steele, who was in the Jazz ensemble, which Geoff moderated. He was a talented musician and teacher. May his memory be a blessing.

Speaking of people who are just a bit older than us - here's a trivia question: Who was the FIRST graduate of Cardinal Mooney? Bonus points if you can name the year.

Lastly today - BUY YOUR TICKETS!!! Sales are steady, but the committee is sweating out the break-even point. I'm looking forward to seeing many of my facebook Mooneyites in person. Don't worry if you've gained weight or lost all your hair, or if you've lost weight and look fantastic, we want to see you in any case. If you don't know by now that it's the inside that matters, we'll make it clear!! (By the way, I'm planning on staying at the Extended Stay hotel that is listed under "hotels" on the cm73reunion.com website. Let's visit there!)

Oh, I love that dirty water...

2010-05-03T09:03:00.003-04:00

I'm gonna tell you a story
I'm gonna tell you about my town
I'm gonna tell you a big bad story, baby
Aww, it's all about my town

Yeah, down by the river
Down by the banks of the river Charles
That's where you'll find me
Along with lovers, fuggers, and thieves
Well I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you're my home

Hi all. It may not be making the national news, but 2 million people in the Boston area, including yours truly, have been under a 'boil water order' since May 1, with an expectation that it will remain in place for a couple more days. My boy scout training is coming in handy (3 pot method for cleaning dishes!). Spent yesterday afternoon helping to hand out 5000 gallons of bottled water to mostly elderly or families with young children. Fun times! This certainly has been an interesting spring in the Shevrin household!

As for Mooney news - the reunion committee would really like people to purchase their reunion tickets SOON - they need to know their numbers, and we need critical mass.

Keep those stories coming about your favorite Mooney moments. I'll be posting new trivia questions in a few days - still waiting for a correct answer to the sports question! Remember to identify yourself in any anonymous postings, or risk deletion.

Happy May!

BUY your tickets!!

2010-05-01T17:12:00.003-04:00

Hey people - BUY YOUR TICKETS!! Click on the link to the left for the reunion website, and purchase your reunion ticket. You can pay via paypal or credit card, or send a check. All the info is there.

Another Winner...

2010-04-21T11:19:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile! Thanks to all commenter's for keeping things interesting.

First things first: Congrats to Bernie Quetchenbach for using his noodle to look up the names of the girls who sang in Fiddler on the Roof at Aquinas - Lucy Lamendola (where IS she??) and Bev (Payne) Empey. John Sekol gets a raffle ticket for guessing the venue.

Here in Massachusetts, spring has sprung, at least momentarily. We don't put our snowblowers away until May 1, but it is awfully nice out. Spring brings Prom - so here's our discussion question for the week: Did you go to any of the Mooney Proms, and if so, who did you go with? Are you still in touch with them? I'll start - I went to at least two proms with Ron Steele. After many many years of losing contact after college, we reconnected at my father's 75th or 80th birthday party - can't really remember. Now we keep in touch via email & facebook. I remember for one of the proms, we went out to dinner first at some Polynesian restaurant, which I'm sure we thought was great at the time. Then I discovered really really good Chinese food!!

If you aren't reading the 'comments' in this blog, you are missing out on all the good stuff. We have a mystery poster (who I'm going to remove if he doesn't identify himself to me privately soon!!), we have some fond memories posted by Nita Beck and Joanie (Springer) Simmons. And lots of other good comments. Enjoy the trip down memory lane.

Trivia question: What title did the Basketball team win in March, 1973? Who did they beat in order to take the title? Bob Dardano - give other people a chance!!!!

Happy Spring - now I have to go work on my taxes - yes, taxes. My due date is May 11 because of all the flooding in MA.

Achy Breaky Heart

2010-04-07T05:39:00.003-04:00

Dearest Mooneyites,

I apologize for ignoring the blog for a few days, but (as many of you already know) my husband Phil had a heart attack on Saturday. He'll recover, but he's yet to be released from the hospital, so my online time is limited.

So here is your challenge for the week - tell us stories, in the comments, of things about Mooney that "warm your heart". Favorite moments, teachers that impacted your life, anything positive. Please identify yourself if you are posting as "anonymous".

Be well, enjoy the spring weather!

Gini

Chag Sameyach / Happy Easter

2010-04-01T11:16:00.003-04:00

"Chag what?", you may say... Well, for me, the holiday of choice is Passover, and we are in the middle of it - so "Happy Festival", or transliterated from the Hebrew, Chag Sa-mey-ach!

But, for most of you, it's "Happy Easter"! I wish for you a reflective Good Friday, and a delightful Easter Sunday.

I'm trying to think of a spring-y trivia challenge, with difficulty. Hmmm. Here's one - do you all recall that Mooney did not put on a play in the spring of our Senior year? I didn't!! However, two of our Senior girls managed to sing in "Fiddler on a Roof" that spring (ha, worked in a Jewish theme for Passover - aren't I clever??). Name the senior girls, and name the venue where that play was held. Credit will be given for partial answers, and since it's a multipart question, I think it's worth a couple of tickets!

Good luck!

So you won't think I'm a Crest snob....

2010-03-24T09:35:00.007-04:00

The Chaplain revealed..

2010-03-22T10:18:00.002-04:00

At long last, the name of the chaplain of F.L.E.A. has been revealed. Michael Malerk showed his true colors way back then - irreverant, but nurturing. Unfortunately, it was revealed by a long-lost member of F.L.E.A. - Nita Beck!!! Wow, Nita - I haven't heard a peep from you for YEARS!! Was thinking of you recently b/c my husband is having 3 teeth replaced and is having those lovely posts implanted. Ouch.

So, although I would like to award Nita the free raffle ticket, rules are rules, and most of you follow them! Still outstanding - the question of who was driving the Cassadaga bus. It was a parent of a Mooneyite in our class. I cannot believe that no one has gotten this yet. Check your old Crest's - you DO still have them, right???? :)

So, let's move on to a sports question, maybe we'll have better luck there. What Mooney '73 basketball star went on to become an Assistant Coach with the Portland Trailblazers, and then went on to become the first Head Coach of the NBA D-league's D-Fender's? (Of course, if you are he, you are not eligible to respond). This is an easy one guys - I expect an answer right away!!!

Speaking of sports, wondering if I'm the only Red Sox fan in the class? (Oooooh, yes, she said "Red Sox", all you Yankees fans!) Who do you root for?

More later, I'm sure!

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop in my basement

2010-03-17T13:10:00.000-04:00

Don't know if all you Mooneyites are aware that I live in Massachusetts, which has pretty much been under water for the past few days. I lucked out and only had a tiny bit of leakage which I stopped by digging some ditches outside to drain the roof runoff away from the foundation. (The things I learned from being a Boy Scout!!) Several of my friends have been pumping steadily though - I lent out my two immersable pumps early on. Why, you might ask, do I own two immersable pumps? Flood in NJ, 1984. Great fun, drowned a Toyota Supra, good times.

What natural disasters have you all endured? Most of you live in Rochester or environs, so of course there are blizzards. Does anyone remember sandbagging the "Southern Tier" in our Mooney days when there was major flooding one year? I'll have to dig up the old Crest articles about that one.

We're up to about a dozen followers on the blog - tell all your Mooney buddies to 'follow' to make it more interesting. My postings are probably boring, but the 'comments' are interesting - be sure to take a look at those!

As for trivia - still no answer on the driver of the Cassadaga bus. Here is a hint - he was the father of one of the members of our class.

Now it's time to go outside and enjoy the 60 degree weather... Stay safe, dry and warm

Gini

Bifocals, trifocals, and video games

2010-03-13T12:45:00.000-05:00

Clearly our rocker pictured below is taking some fountain of youth drug - he has been identified by Tony Kazlauckas as Greg Prevost. You can read all about Greg's musical accomplishments by following the link! Tony wins a free raffle ticket for his astute observational skills.

You no doubt by now have noticed a change in the look of this page. Hopefully I'm not stepping on any committee members design efforts in ousting the white-on-black text. I've been into bifocals for many many years, and glare is an issue, so this layout is easier for me - how about you??

We are slowly increasing our list of 'fans' - tell your Mooney friends that this blog exists, and be sure to click on the comments to see what everyone is saying about my inane posts!!

Here's another trivia question for the masses: Who was driving the bus that crashed on the way home from Cassadaga our senior year? This person did a fantastic job of keeping us all safe by their quick reaction to the brake failure - to whom do we owe our thanks?

That's it for today gang - it's rainy and miserable here in Massachusetts. I may need to make the 25 minute trek to our only local Abbott's.

2010-03-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

Hi folks. Sorry to have not posted this past week, I was visiting my 23 year old daughter in Burlington VT, and when I returned, all plans went out the window when I recieved the call to break bad news to Boy Scout Eagle hopeful, who didn't quite make it. It was a long night. So, this brings up the question for the crowd - what do you do in your spare time, now that you're in your mid-fifties?

On the topic of the trivia questions, I am happy to confirm that Bob Dardano correctly answered the first trivia question, and for his efforts, he will be given a FREE ticket for the raffle to be held at the reunion! So now you know the stakes are high, let's have another challenge...

You know who the photo to the left is (at least you should be able to figure it out) but who is the person in the photo to the right?? Hint - he did graduate with the Class of '73, and music was in his life back then...

By the way, the question of who was the chaplain of F.L.E.A is still on the table!!

Lastly - let me know if you prefer this bigger font size for our elderly eyes, of shall we stick to the smaller font?

2010-03-03T15:09:00.000-05:00

Well, several people have answered our first trivia question, but the quickest response came from Bob Dardano, trivia expert extraordinaire. For your efforts, Bob, you will be recieving a prize, which will be announced as soon as I get approval from the Reunion Committee. Congrats!

No one has yet correctly answered the question as to who was the FLEA chaplain. Make your guesses - ask some of the FLEA girls!

We'll have new trivia questions about once a week, maybe more often, so keep checking back for your chance to win a valuable prize!

2010-03-02T17:40:00.001-05:00

Welcome, Cardinal Mooney Class of '73 classmates! Gini Snyder Shevrin here. As your Crest Senior Editor, I have been charged with overseeing this blog. Let's walk a little bit down memory lane, test our brains with Mooney trivia, and get to know each other in the present day!

To start it off, let's ask a simple question: What did F.L.E.A stand for? (Members of F.L.E.A. not eligible!!) Bonus question: Who was the chaplain of F.L.E.A?

Yours,

Gini