Donald William Miles

We've received word that Don Miles passed away on Feb 13, 2024

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/donald-miles-obituary?id=54397717

Ronni Lee Silverman Vera

Ronni Lee Vera (nee Silverman), a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, aunt and friend, passed away on September 1st, at the age of 73 in Boynton Beach, FL. She touched the lives of many with her wit and her loyalty.

Born on September 14th, 1949 in Miami, FL, Ronni was the daughter of Bernie and Ruth Silverman. She grew up in New Jersey, where she developed a love for the shore and spent her summers on her parents’ boat.

In 1970 Ronni married David Schachter (deceased) and together they embarked on a journey of building a family and home in Linden and later Edison, NJ. They built a strong and loving family, raising their 3 boys and 6 dogs.

Ronni is survived by her husband Mark Vera, her mother Ruth Silverman, her children Craig Schachter (Julie), Philip Schachter (Erica) and Matthew Schachter, her grandchildren Olivia Schachter, Eva Schachter, Noah Schachter, Reese Schachter and Micah Schachter, her brother Marshall Silverman (Kathy), her sister Fern Toomey (Bill) and her extended family. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

The family will hold a private memorial in her honor.

https://www.bethisraelchapel.com/obituaries/Ronni-Vera/#!/Obituary

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Ronni Lee Vera please visit our Sympathy Store.

This year's CHS Class of 67 Scholarship Recipient

This year, we received and reviewed 16 scholarship applications. We read them, discussed them, and unanimously agreed on our recipient. Aila Reira is the 2nd of 3 daughters of 2 CHS graduates. She was accepted to UMass/Boston, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Roger Williams University, and chode to attend the United States Coast Guard Academy, like her older sister Savannah, who received our 2021 scholarship! Aila was the Class Secretary all four years, Peer Mediation, Junior States of America, PRIDE/Peer Leadership, Cranford First Aid Squad, Captian of the Jersey Gators Junior Olympics, Captain of the Varsity Swim Team for four years, St. Michaels Youth Ministry for four years, an ESL tutor, President of the Spanish NHS, French NHS, English NHS, and History NHS all while taking 8 AP courses. Chuck explained our scholarship, asked the honorees to pay it forward, then presented the award to Aila. Savannah could not attend her sister's ceremony because she currently serves on a drug interdiction assignment in the Caribbean. Next year Savannah will crew on the US Coard Guard cutter Eagle, sailing from Scandinavia to Gibraltar.

Your generous donations made this possible - we could not have done it without your support. Our sincere thanks go out to our donors: Chuck Archdeacon, Dawn Bauman Romanczak, Kevin Chieff, Walter Fus, Linda Lee Aagard (Gerow), Debbie Hall (Sandler), Susan Jane Schwartz (Hoff), Kathleen Hume, Lloyd Leschuk, Carol Ann Melahn, Alan Jeffrey Miller, David Papier, Steve Rizzo, Theo Robinson, and Kathleen Pfanne (Sobel).

If I have overlooked your name, please let me know, and accept my apologies.

Chuck Archdeacon, Aila Reira, her mom and dad Karla and Jose (both CHS graduates), and Kevin Chieff. btw, Chuck coached Jose at CHS. Karla and Jose are both graduates of CHS.

PTA President: Kathleen Bruns-Meyers, Chuck Archdeacon, Kevin Chieff

Sincerely, your scholarship committee - Chuck Archdeacon, Kevin Chieff, Lloyd Leschuk, and Barbara Murphy. 

Steve Rizzo

We've learned from Gary Baker that Steve Rizzo recently passed away. We'll post more details as they become available

Sadly reporting the passing of Sarge Kisner

Sherman “Sarge” Clark Kisner, 73, passed away on March 28, 2023 in Neptune, NJ. Sherman was raised in Cranford, NJ, and lived for periods in Indiana and Wyoming, before settling in Monmouth County, NJ. He worked in construction for most of his life as a private contractor, union carpenter and later as a construction official. Sarge will be remembered for his unique and intense sense of humor, his love for music, theater, movies and the Honeymooners. Sherman is survived by wife Sarah A. Kisner, sons Charles H.S. Kisner and Sherman J. Kisner (wife Eri), grandson Jack Hiromu Kisner, sister Bette E. Kisner, and loving cousin Judith Clark. Arrangements are private and the family will be holding a life celebration this coming fall.

Sarge, left, in white shirt, Freehold Construction Official

Jeffrey Donald Rudkin

Jeff passed away in November, 2022

There was a life celebration following. You can read more at https://www.facebook.com/jeff.rudkin

Heinz E. Pedde

Lance Koved brought to our attention the passing of his high school friend Heinz Pedde

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/heraldsun/name/heinz-pedde-obituary?pid=201946711

William 'Bill' Murphy

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Bill Murphy, husband of Barbara May Murphy. 

Bill passed away in his beloved Cape Cod following a long illness, and his presence at our events will be sorely missed.

Visitations to be held at:

Gray Memorial Funeral Home
13 Springfield Avenue
Cranford, NJ 07016

Monday, September 19, 2002
4:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Tuesday, September 20, 2022
8:30 am to 10:30 am

Funeral Service

Tuesday, September 20th at 11:00 am
First Presbyterian Church of Cranford
11 Springfield Avenue
Cranford, NJ 07016

https://www.app.com/obituaries/asb285892

Jane A. Grall

We were notified of the passing of Jane Grall on August 20, 2021. 

https://obits.nj.com/us/obituaries/trenton/name/jane-grall-obituary?pid=199874777

2021 CHS Class of 67 Scholarship Recipient

On Monday, June 7, 2021, Chuck Archdeacon and Kevin Chieff presented your class Scholarship to Savannah Riera at the Senior Awards Ceremony, held outside at Memorial Field this year.  The Scholarship Committee, composed of Lloyd Lleschuk, Barbara May, Kevin Chieff, and Chuck Archdeacon, selected Savannah from a field of 16 applicants. Savannah will be attending the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, and, upon graduation, plans on attending the Coast Guard's flight school, become a helicopter pilot, and serve as a pilot and trauma medic in search and rescue missions. Savannah's mom and dad are CHS graduates, which we take into consideration during our evaluation process. The scholarship, in the amount of $1,000.00, came from generous donations from fellow classmates, including Jim Elliot, Kathleen Hume, Theo Robinson, & Kevin Chieff.  Thank you all. It brought back nice memories to be back at Memorial field. It was also very special to see the awarding of scholarships in the names of our teachers including Oliver West and James Lenney.

James 'Jim' Reid

John Bagwell alerted us to the passing of James Reid this past February 14th, just following the passing of his older brother Raymond, on February 8th, both of Whiting, NJ.

The Cranford High School Class of '67 Scholarship for 2020 recipient is . . .

In a 'virtual' Awards Ceremony on Youtube on Thursday evening, June 4th, 2020, your class awarded a Scholarship to Tyler Burns in the amount of $1,000.00. Tyler counts 4 family members as CHS graduates! - dad, Brian Burns '87, mom Amy Hellenbrecht Burns '88 and grandparents Robert Hellenbrecht '59 and Rosalie Winter Hellenbrecht '61. Tyler wants to study Mechanical or Electrical Engineering and has been accepted to the University of Vermont and Syracuse U, with annual costs of $61-$69K/year.

Background: Our scholarship program was the brainchild of Chuck Archdeacon, who continues to actively serve on the committee and guide us in our selection. Originally targeted at children from our class, it now gives preference to candidates whose parent(s) graduated from CHS along with consideration of their financial needs, preferring to give to those who may get overlooked for other scholarships. Today's scholarship committee consists of Barbara Murphy, Kirk Foltz (treasurer), Chuck Archdeacon, and Kevin Chieff (non-voting facilitator).

This year we received 21 applications (they have increased every year), narrowed down to a final list of 6 applicants, and then met virtually to discuss, advocate and ultimately choose one awardee. Every year it gets more difficult to choose just one, and we find ourselves always wanting to include everyone.

Please enjoy the pre-recorded program, and you can jump to our piece at 12:55

Joseph 'Joe' Dawson

Chuck reported the passing of Joe Dawson on Thursday, May 14, from Covid-19. Here from his obituary:

Joseph Dawson, age 71, of Live Oak, FL passed away Thursday, May 14, 2020 at his home. He was  born in Orange, NJ moving to Live Oak in 2018 from Summerfield, FL. Joseph worked as a service representative for the Cadillac dealership before retiring and moving to Live Oak. He is survived by two brothers, Thomas (Debra) Dawson, Bonita Springs, FL and James (Kathy) Dawson, Murrells Inlet, SC. As per his wishes, finalization will be by cremation.

Ronald W. Ballister

Ron Ballister passed away on April 29, 2020, following a long illness. Alan Goldenberg shared his thoughts: "Ron was an accomplished Graphic Artist, Guitar Enthusiast and my oldest/longest/best friend from Cranford, going back to the 8th Grade. I valued his honest opinion on anything & everything and I never hesitated to follow his recommendations. Some of my fondest memories include driving to Elizabeth to buy records at Vogel's and Alwilk's and to Westfield at The Music Staff. I was welcomed by his family as he was by mine. We've been through a lot together, the passing of our respective parents and of my sister Judy-Lynn, and now I realize that I won't have him around any more on life's journey and it hurts but he is in a better place now."

The passing of Terry Kester

We note, with sadness, the passing of Terry Kester in late March, 2020.

Announcing, with sadness, the passing of Frank Grasso

Frank passed away on February 27, 2020.

Scott D. Auer

Barbara Menge Douglas brought to our attention the passing of Scott Auer on December 29, 2018. From Scott's obituary: Scott Auer, loving husband, father, son and brother has passed away. Scott enjoyed a long and successful career with Lanier as a specialist in international HR matters. Because of his expertise, he was asked to travel the world for the company solving employment problems on three continents. Travel was a passion of Scott’s so when the company asked him to move from Atlanta to Brussels, Belgium, he didn’t waffle. He moved his family to Brussels where they lived for seven years. Later in his career, he took a position in Singapore. 
A 1971 graduate of Bethany College, Scott married Virginia Wheatcroft in 1982 and had two sons, Chris and Colin. Scott loved life, family and travel. He maintained lifelong relationships wherever he went. He was always visiting or being visited by his myriad of friends and family, including his high school, college, Brussels, lake and Atlanta friends. He particularly enjoyed planning and attending the Auer/Wheatcroft family reunions every summer in Hilton Head. 
He was a loving husband who became primary caregiver for Virginia after she was stricken with Parkinson’s and Multiple Systems Atrophy. He was there for Virginia throughout her ordeal until her death in 2014. 
He was close with his father, Chuck and his sister Claudia and they spent quality time together whenever they could.
Several years ago, Scott rekindled a close friendship with his college friend, Chalmers. They fell in love and got married in Charleston in October of 2017. They began their married life in Hilton Head.
Scott had a great sense of humor and was quick to laugh, and always maintained a positive outlook on life, even in the face of tremendous challenges that he faced during the course of his life. He will be missed by all.
Scott is survived by his wife, Chalmers and her daughter Kasey; his son Chris, wife Emily and their triplets Quinn, Logan and Wyatt; his son Colin, his wife Ashley and their soon to be born son, Harvey; his father, Chuck and his wife Jane; his sister Claudia and her husband, Kevin; brother in law Rob Wheatcroft, his wife Christine and their daughters Tess and Audrey and his niece Leigh and her husband, Phil. He was predeceased by his mother Muriel and wife, Virginia.
Services and reception will be held at Poole Funeral Home, 1970 Eagle Drive, Woodstock, Georgia on Saturday, January 5. 2019 at 11 am.
In lieu of flowers, a contribution to the American Bladder Cancer Society or the charity of your choice in memory of Scott would be greatly appreciated.

Full Obituary: https://www.donohuefuneralhome.com/obituaries/Scott-D-Auer?obId=3974699

Dorothy Poitras Anderson Davis

Cory Pollock shared the following: "I am writing to you now to share the very sad news that Dorothy Poitras Anderson Davis died of a heart attack last Friday morning, June 29th, at home in her bed while her husband was cooking her breakfast. It was to have been the first day of his retirement. Paul Davis just called me with this news and that she was cremated just a couple of hours ago.  He said that she had not been feeling well for a couple of days. Or sudden death was entirely unexpected. They have one daughter, Olivia Davis, who works as an art curator at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. There will be a memorial at their home in Seneca Falls, New York this Friday, but no funeral."

From her obituary...

SENECA FALLS- Dorothy A. Davis, age 68, passed away unexpectedly at Geneva General Hospital on Friday (June 29, 2018).

Dorothy would like nothing more than a party to celebrate and commemorate her life, therefore, the family is hosting an open house at their home, 4505 Kings Corners Road. They will receive friends from Noon to6:00pmDorothy was born on September

Kindly consider a donation in Dorothy's memory to the Edith B. Ford Memorial Library, PO Box 410, Ovid, NY 14521, which was a cause that Dorothy felt very strongly about supporting.

on Friday, (July 6).17,

1949 in Paterson, N.J., the only child of Joseph and Mae (McLaughlin) Poitras. She graduated from high school in Cranford, N.J. and attended Drew University. Dorothy furthered her education throughout her lifetime, taking courses at local campus' and online. She was a devoted wife and mother, dedicating her time and work to provide the best home possible for her family.

She is survived by her husband of 33 years, Paul C. Davis and her loving daughter, Olivia (Matthew Snyder) Davis of Croton Falls, N.Y., and a large extended family centered in Bayonne, N.J.

For additional information, please contact Covert Funeral Home at 1-877-828-3411 or visit www.covertfuneralhome.com

can be found at  http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/fltimes/obituary.aspx?n=dorothy-a-davis&pid=189433354&fhid=10772Obituary

Greg DeWolf

Sadly reporting the passing of Greg DeWolf, of Huntington Beach, CA, this past December. Greg devoted his life to his passion - hang gliding, both as an enthusiast and instructor. This from his memorial page: "Greg DeWolf passed away while sitting at his computer, overlooking his garden. We're told that the coroner reported that Greg suffered from an embolism and died peacefully." Thx to Carol Philbin Senff for alerting us. Greg's hang gliding friends set up a Facebook page to memorialize him: https://www.facebook.com/Remembering-Greg-DeWolf-177232366202584/?ref=br_rs and a Memorial page setup:  http://www.shga.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5818

Sadly reporting the passing of Ed Gromek

Edward 'Ed' Francis Gromek passed away after many years living with the effects of Huntington's disease on Friday, January 19, 2018. He fought bravely and never complained about it and just did the best that he could. Ed is survived by his loving partner/husband of 38 years George Knudson and his beloved dog Calli. He is also survived by his sister Helen of Cohasset and her daughter Lori. He grew up in Cranford NJ and got his undergraduate teaching degree from Montclair State University. He also spent a semester or 2 in Paris. He then went to Rutgers University and received his MBA and worked in finance throughout his career. He went to work for GE Capital in San Francisco, Citicorp in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, and AT&T Credit Corp where he served as a Senior Vice President of Finance and finally Verizon in NYC. Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 25, 2018 starting at 11:00 am and concluding with a service at 12 noon at Morris, O’Connor & Blute Funeral Home, 678 Main Street, Harwich Center. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery, Harwich. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Huntington's Disease Society of America, 505 Eighth Avenue, Suite 902, New York, NY 10018 http://www.morrisoconnorblute.com/obituary/edward-francis-gromek

We've just learned of the passing of Carol Shulman Senesac. 

Carol, Sandy & Sue at our 40th reunion - good times and good memories

This from Carol Senesac's FB page: Friends, my mother's local memorial service will be held at The Body Church this Thursday, 11/16/17 at 6PM. We will be holding a separate memorial service for family and distant friends at another date.  Please reach out to Casey Samantha via her Facebook page if any additional information is needed. Please feel free to bring pictures and memories.

Thanks go out to Jack Sperling for finding, upconverting and sharing a home video of our graduation ceremony at Memorial Field, June 1967.

Brittany Welsh - CHS Class of 1967 Scholarship Recipient  

"It was 50 years ago that we sat in this auditorium as CHS Seniors with futures ahead of us. Tonight we are proud to have chosen Brittany Welsh for our scholarship for her involvement in both her school and her community. While being committed to her school work, her participation on the Tennis Team and Cross Country Team and community service have added to her drive to succeed.   

Despite challenges she has incurred, Brittany found time to volunteer at Children’s Specialized Hospital, to be a member of the Teen Advisory Board, and to be involved with the Shining Stars Buddy Program. She has also tutored, and been involved in St. Michael’s and Teresa’s Youth Ministry program to help others over school vacation.

For these reasons, Brittany is the recipient of the CHS Class of 1967 Scholarship."

Barbara Murphy's presentation to Brittany Welsh, Cranford High School Auditorium, June 7, 2017

Brittany, left, with her mom	Brittany, left, with friends

Thank-you to everyone who contributed generously to our Scholarship Fund. We received 10 applications and if you read their stories, you would want to help every one of them. Our future is in good hands with such outstanding citizens, who have excelled, overcome adversity, and gone the extra miles to give back to the community. We commend them all. 

Here is Brittany's lovely thank-you note, received on July 5, 2017:

What a time it was!

First Row on floor seated (from left): Bill Martin, Tom Schricker, Chuck Archdeacon, Bill Albans, Pat Stanton, Kevin Chieff, Kathy Pfanne Sobel

Second Row on Chairs: Sue Denzau Bursa, Debbie Hall Sandler, Kathy Zachary Davidson, Lynn Shaheen Fileccia, Ann Scott, Sandy Schurer Byer, Shaun Pennington, Joanne Riley, Betsy Coleman, Sue Howell Adamson, Linda Allen, Sandy Schauer, Janet Sopko Bender, George Gray

Third Row on Chairs: Cory Pollock Gibbs, Nancy Domaratius Madej, Frannie DiPaolo Mitchell, Suzy Temkin Reiffel, Dennis Jenkins, Kirk Foltz, Ray Barry, Bruce Thompson, Barbara Hayes Valente, Barbara Menge Douglas, Beth Gmelin, Dawn Bauman Romancyk, Wendy Ives Franzcek, Jeannie Cohn O’Brien

Fourth Row standing: Jackie Dukes, Rob Kasdon, Theo Robinson, Cynthia Moskowitz Brody, Linda Walker, Susan Schwartz Hoff, Patty Moore Schaafhausen, Sue Paffenroth, Jim Dobranski, Don Miles, Barbara May Murphy, Ron Perrone, Roy Koenig, Kathy Hume, Rich Rudolph , George Seymour, Don Grote, Alan Miller, Steve Pozarek, Richard Reid, Jim Santiago

Fifth Row standing: Richard Winters, Stuart Trent, Greg Norris, Jon Shapiro, John Eichenger, David Papier, Lloyd Leschuck, Bob Clay

Caught in the Right rear corner: Cathy Rudolf (Rich Rudolph's wife), Marilyn Trent (Stuart Trent’s wife)

Old friends, old friends,
Sat on their parkbench like bookends
A newspaper blown through the grass
Falls on the round toes
of the high shoes of the old friends

Old friends, winter companions, the old men
Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset
The sounds of the city sifting through trees
Settle like dust on the shoulders of the old friends.

Can you imagine us years from today,
Sharing a parkbench quietly
How terribly strange to be seventy

Old friends, memory brushes the same years,
Silently sharing the same fears

Time it was
and what a
time it was
it was
A time of innocence
a time of confidences.

Long ago
it must be
I have a photograph
preserve your memories
they're all that's left you.

THANK-YOU for your Donations to the CHS67 Scholarship Fund!

You have collectively donated $1,500.00 to your Scholarship Fund, and you are the only CHS class that provides a Scholarship. The  Committee - Kathy, Barbara, Kirk, Chuck & Sue, met to review 15 applications, and selected one deserving graduate for the "Cranford High School Class of 1967" Scholarship. The awards ceremony will be held at Cranford High School on Wednesday, June 8th, at 7:00pm in the auditorium - all are welcome. If you were to read these applications, you'd want to give to every one of them - they're all so deserving. And if you ever have any doubts about the next generation, we encourage you to come and see for yourself - we're in good hands. We'll tell you all about our recipient here, on the day following the Awards Ceremony.

Thanks go out to:

• Sue Howell Adamson, in loving memory of June Van Schoick King
• Scott Auer, in memory of Virginia Auer
• Kevin Chieff, in memory of Tom Mokrycki
• Kirk Foltz
• Walter Fus, in memory of Jim & John Bykowski
• Deb (Hall) Sandler, in memory of David A. Hall, CHS class of 1960
• Kathy Hume, in memory of Ester "Terry" Hume
• NEW! Kathie Klein Webster, to the class and in memory of George Slocum, '64 and William O'Donnell '59
• Lloyd Leschuk, in memory of Bob Erickson
• Pat Moore Schaafhausen, in memory of her parents, Edward and Marguerite Moore
• Barbara Murphy
• David Papier
• Dawn Romanczak
• Sandra Schauer, in memory of Linda C. Schauer Luks (1956-2015), CHS Class of 1975
• Kathy Sobel
• Linda Vale

If you would like to include a Dedication "In Memory of" to your donation above, click "Contact Us" in the left menu and tell us. And it's never too late to make a donation to the Fund. Click CHS Class of '67 Scholarship in the top menu for instructions. Since we're not a registered 501c (because we would spend more setting that up than we receive in donations!) donations are not tax deductible. 

Back in 1967, were you aware of the controversy surrounding our Senior Prom?
Did we know that our prom was the first to be held out of town?
That all prior proms had been held in Cranford public schools.

Cranford High School Sports Hall of Fame

This past November was the 7th Induction Ceremony into the Cranford High School Sports Hall of Fame, a tradition started by our own Chuck Archdeacon in 1996. Every 5 years, inductees are selected from among candidates posted in open nominations. This year, 16 individuals and teams were inducted in a ceremony at The Westwood in Garwood, NJ. Among those inducted was Coach Raymond White, CHS Track Coach 1969-2005. 

Your class donated $250.00 towards the upkeep of the Sports Hall of Fame. You can visit the website at: http://cranfordschools.org/chs/athletics/hof/ and if you're ever near CHS, stop in to visit the Hall of Fame.

Chuck Archdeacon, Patricia Moore Schaafhausen & Bill Martin

Coach Ray White, lookin' fit!

Past Inductees have included:

Arlene Cadiz Triolo

Do you remember Arlene Cadiz Triolo? Were you friends? Do you have memories? Photos? Arlene died in 1996, and her daughter Jessica Triolo Cox sent us this email:

"Hello! My mom, Arlene Cadiz Triolo, passed away on 4/5/1996. I don't have a lot of pictures etc from her and would love to find some to share with my two kids. Is there any way I can get access to her profile only so I can view pics etc? Thanks for your help with this! I appreciate it. Jessica Cox"

We can't give Jessica access to just her mom's profile, but we can do better than that - we can ask for everyone's help in sharing your memories and photos with her.

You can reach Jessica via email at Jessicacox918@gmail.com And while you're at it, why not share your memories and photos of Arlene (and all of your CHS friends) here on our site for all to enjoy? Simply go to Messages on the left navigation bar. Please let us know if you were able to help Jessica and Arlene's 2 grand-daughters. 

Moved? Retired? Changed Internet Providers?
Don't forget to update your Email address here (and your mailing address and phone)

Emails to the following classmates have bounced

2016:

The Boys of Summer - Citi Field, August 2015

Gene Demsey, Kenny Gorlin, Robert Kasdon, Chuck Archdeacon and Ken Krichman

Barbara Walton Langer

Sad to report that Barbara Walton Langer of Brick, NJ, passed away this past Sunday after a courageous fight against Leukemia, after having successfully overcome Breast Cancer in recent years. Our condolences to Barbara's family - she will forever be in our hearts. 

Our condolences go out to Donna Polidoro on the passing of her mom

Mary Rita Polidoro, 95, died at her home in Lakewood, N.J., on March 14, 2015. She had been living with her daughter and son-in-law in their home in North Carolina for the past 5-1/2 years. Family and friends are invited to the viewing on Wednesday, March 18, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Dooley Funeral Home, 218 North Ave. W, Cranford, N.J. 07016. A memorial service will be held the next day at 10 a.m. at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, N.J. Born in Yonkers, N,Y., Mary lived in Elizabeth, N.J., Garwood, N.J., and Cranford, N.J. She was a graduate of the University of Maryland and taught elementary school in Cranford until her retirement in 1979. She was predeceased by her husband, Henry Polidoro, who was deputy chief of the Cranford Police Department when he retired in 1981. She is survived by her daughter, Donna Zielinski and her husband, Roger, of Beaufort, N.C., and her son, Richard and his wife, Theresa, of Cranford. She leaves one granddaughter, Christine Chimento and her husband, Steven, of Staten Island, N.Y., and one grandson, Michael Polidoro and his wife, Kathryn, of Waldwick, N.J. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Holy Redeemer Hospice, 1228 Route 37 West, Ste. 6, Toms River, N.J. 08755.
Published in Star-Ledger on Mar. 17, 2015- See more at: http://goo.gl/ca7yVW

Philip T. Ehlers, Sr.

Philip T. Ehlers, Sr., age 66, of Brick died on Friday, April 17, 2015 at Community Medical Center in Toms River after a two-year battle with Melanoma. He was born in Jersey City and lived in Cranford before moving to Brick in 1979. He was employed for over 41 years with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority in Woodbridge; retiring in 2010 as a Project Analyst. After retirement, he was very proud to work at Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck. He was an avid Golfer and Bowler who enjoyed spending time with his loving family. He was a parishioner of The Church of the Visitation in Brick. 

He was predeceased by his brother, Richard and by his son, Joseph Schaeffer. 

He is survived by his beloved wife of 13 years, Ada P. (Johannsen) Ehlers; his sons, Philip T. Jr. and his wife, Roseann, James Schaeffer and his wife, Jennifer and John Schaeffer; his daughters, Jenn DePauw and her husband, Chad, Crystal Verdura and her husband, Rick, Lisa Christensen, Jackie Pacheco and her husband Alberto and Julie Schaeffer; two beloved brothers, Theodore and his wife, Linda and Donald; and his sister-in-law Dawn. He was the proud grandfather to 13 grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and dear friends. 

Friends may call on Tuesday, 2-4 & 7-9 PM at Weatherhead Young Funeral Home, 885 Mantoloking Rd. Brick, NJ. 

A Funeral Mass was held on Wednesday, 11:00 AM at The Church of the Visitation in Brick. Interment was private. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made in his honor to the American Cancer Society . - See more at: http://goo.gl/w31UkX

Edward M. Wolf

Edward M. Wolf Jr., 65, Florida businessman, passed away Monday, March 2, 2015, at St. Barnabas Medical Center. Friends are invited to visit from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Dooley Funeral Home, 218 North Ave. West, Cranford, N.J. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday at St. Michael's Church, Cranford. Interment is in Fairview Cemetery, Westfield, N.J. Raised in Cranford, Edward lived in Boca Raton, Fla., for many years before returning to New Jersey two years ago. He was a real estate associate and a business owner in Florida. He was predeceased by his father, Edward Sr. Surviving are his loving mother, Florence (Dunham) Wolf; his partner, Ron Johnson; his devoted sister, Carol Iden and her husband, William; a nephew, Michael, and a niece, Suzanne.

Published in Star-Ledger on Mar. 4, 2015

Michael 'Mickey' John Lebret, 1949 - 2015

Michael J. Lebret, 66, of Freehold passed away peacefully on Friday, January 23, 2015 at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township. Mick was born in Denver, Colorado, was raised in Cranford, and had lived in Manalapan for thirty years until moving to the Villages, Freehold in October. He was a graduate of Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, where he was a member of their 1973 club football team which was inducted into the college’s hall of fame in 2004. Mick proudly served his country in the U.S. Army for three tours in Vietnam. He was a life member of the V.F.W., Post 335, Cranford. Mick retired as a salesman of Safety Products for Madsen & Howell of Perth Amboy. He was an avid golfer, who could be found on the links at Spring Meadow but most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.

Mick was predeceased by his parents, George and Elizabeth Lebret. He is survived by his wife of thirty-four years, Mary Ann Lebret; a son, Steven Michael Lebret of Freehold; his brother, George Lebret and his wife, Claire of Brick; his loving in-laws, Jerry Blake of West Hollywood, California, Rose Mary Gruccio and her husband, Bill of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Joan Lacki and her husband, Alan of Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, Jeanne Dalesandro of Nutley, and Ruth Ann Solomon and her husband, Curt of Barnegat; numerous nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews; and his dear cousin, Mary Rood of Niles, Illinois.

A visitation will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on, Wednesday, January 28, 2015 from 3:00 to 7:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his 11:00 AM funeral service at the funeral home on Thursday, January 29, 2015. Interment will follow in Brig. Gen. Wm. C. Doyle NJ Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, Arneytown. For those who desire, memorial contributions in Mick’s name may be made to the Special Olympics of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, 213 Newport Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701. For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.

Link to Obituary

Samuel 'Sandy' McDowell
Recently checked in with us...

Hi everyone, I keep getting these updates so I thought I'd add my 2 cents.

After graduating high school, I went to Middlebury College, partied, flunked out, got back in, and graduated in 1972. The best 5 years of my life. I am still banned from campus for certain activities, but I'm no longer recognizable - I'm old and grey. After Middlebury I worked a few years as a bartender and computer operator. I designed a masters program in information systems at the University of Vermont, and graduated with a M.A. in 1976. I moved to Tarrytown NY and worked in a clinical lab company as a biostatistician, Director of IT, and maybe some other things. While in Tarrytown I started my PhD in Operations Research. It took me quite a while, and finally graduated in 1991? I moved back to Vermont and consulted for 10 years. Because my time was mine I trained and competed for a number of years as a Masters triathlete. Running out of knee cartilage I had to give it up. At about the same time we sequentially adopted 2 girls from China. One is now a freshwoman at Montana State University, the other is a junior in High School. Retirement is a 4 letter word. Over the past many years I have done a fair amount of traveling: skiing many areas in Northeast and out West, hiking the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, 2 trips to the Galapogos, a photo safari in Africa, and a trip on the Amazon (swimming with Pirhana- I was told that there were enough tree droppings that they wouldn't attack me - I guess they were right if I'm typing this, and a hike to Mt Everest base camp year. Right now I'm teaching at night at either University of Vermont MBA program or Champlain College undergraduate. My day job is VP at a high tech health company in Burlington. Imagine my whole life fits in a short paragraph.

Donald 'Don' R. Dieffenbach, 1949 - 1991

We recently heard from fellow classmate Donald R. Dieffenbach Sr.'s son Don Jr., who corrected our status on his father, Donald Sr., who passed away in 1991. Don Jr. also asked if we could share any photos of his dad growing up with Don Jr. and his children - Donald's grandchildren. Don Jr. said that his dad attended our 20th Reunion, so if you have photos from the 20th that include Donald, or photos growing up with Donald, please send them to us at kevin@chieff.com and we'll forward them to Don Jr., or you can send directly to ddieffenbach@yahoo.com. It will mean a lot to family who lost their father & grandfather far too soon.

Noreen (Sloan) O'Connell, 1950 - 2014

Noreen E. O'Connell, age 64, of Lewiston died Thursday, September 18, 2014 in Mt. St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston, after a lengthy illness.

Noreen was born February 8, 1950 in Springfield, MA, the daughter of the late Francis and Rosemary (Strain) Sloan. She and her family moved to Cranford, NJ in 1961 and she graduated from Cranford High School in 1968 and attended Union College. From 1971 to 1982 Noreen lived in Germany and worked with the American Red Cross as a Coordinator of Emergency Services for the U.S. Military. On December 31, 1985 she married Patrick J. O'Connell and moved to Lewiston.

Noreen had a long career in Real Estate in New York and New Jersey, where she managed and was a broker for many local Real Estate Agency's. A Devout Catholic, Noreen had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and attended Our Lady of Fatima Shrine. She also volunteered at the Heart & Soul Food Pantry in Niagara Falls. A talented artist, she has done many drawings and paintings. Above all, Noreen loved her family and friends.

She is survived by her husband, Patrick; a daughter, Jenevieve K. (Robert) Nablo and a son, Kenneth O. Cobb-O'Connell, both of Lewiston; a beloved granddaughter, Kathleen Nablo; two sisters, Ann (Jerry) McGovern of Cranford, NJ and Elizabeth (Robert) Power of Garwood, NJ; two brothers, Thomas (Gail) Sloan and Robert (Marie) Sloan both of Westfield, NJ; and a sister in law, Cindy Sloan of Annapolis, MD. She was predeceased by a brother, James Sloan.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, September 22, at 10:00 am in St. Peter's RC Church, 600 Center St., Lewiston, with the Rev. Msgr. David G. LiPuma officiating. There will be no prior visitation. (Please assemble at church). Burial will follow in the Dickersonville Cemetery, Lewiston. Memorials may be made to Our Lady of Peace Nursing Care Residence, 5295 Lewiston Rd., Lewiston, NY 14092. Arrangements have been entrusted to HARDISON FUNERAL HOME, N. Fourth & Ridge Sts., Lewiston.

Thank-you to Lorraine DuChez Friedman for bringing this to our attention.

Allan Litwack checking in...

My wife, Karen, and I are about to embark on our second trip this year to Israel to visit our daughter, son in law and four grandchildren. Last there in January for the birth of #4 and visit with the big brothers and sister. The boys have a long list of places to visit this trip and we are ready!! More upon our return in mid October

Edward Thomas Southwick, 1949 - 2014

Edward Thomas Southwick, age 64, passed away peacefully on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. Born Oct. 18, 1949 in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Jessie and Edward Southwick, Edward spent his early childhood in New York and moved to Cranford, in 1960 graduating Cranford High School in 1967.

After high school, Edward enlisted in the army and spent three years in Korea. After his time in the service Edward worked as a Electrical Technician for many years. He moved to the Lake Hopatcong/Stanhope area around 1980.

Edward enjoyed music, the outdoors and one of his favorite things to do was fishing in Lake Hopatcong.

Edward is survived by two brothers, Glen Southwick of Orleans, Massachusetts and Paul Southwick of Scotch Plains, and three sisters, Gloria Wygand of Lindenhurst, N.Y., Katherine Miller of Barnegat and Eileen Wyss of Kenilworth. Edward is also survived by his many nieces and nephews.

Edward will be greatly missed but never forgotten for his great sense of humor.

Editor's Note: Edward was a member of the Booglerizers, along with founder Richard DiPaolo (Fran DiPaolo's younger brother) and our own Brian Maloy.

Jack and Judy Sperling checked in with us
following their trip to Costa Rica in February 2014

February 12
Our trip began with a short uneventful flight from San Diego to Los Angeles. In LAX our adventure truly began when we discovered that the original airplane for our flight to Costa Rica would not arrive from Atlanta because of the airport closure due to ice, snow and cold. Fortunately, a substitute airplane was found and, with the arrival of an additional flight attendant from Detroit, we flew overnight to Central America.

February 13
We arrived in San Jose, the capital, and had a driver take us to our hotel near the Arenal volcano. I knew we were going to have a good time when we stopped at a cafe for breakfast and Judy pointed to a mural of a beautiful naked woman arching her back. I must have been very tired as I forgot to take a picture.

The Arenal Paraiso Hotel was quite ok but there were lots of bugs around our cabin. The hotel has some very nice and geothermally heated spas which we enjoyed. The food was great, especially the breakfasts with a variety of fresh tropical fruits including mango, papaya and pineapple. During our first lunch some Japanese tourists were excitedly pointing to a tree. We joined tham and saw our first three-toed sloth.

February 14
Generally, our excursions started rather early in the morning (07:15 – 07:30 central time). Our first excursion was a boat tour of Cano Negro. We saw a caiman, many colorful birds, bats, and different (i.e., spider and howler) monkey species. Both on the way to and from the excursion we stopped at a restaurant with a multitude of iguanas.

February 15
We went to the Venado Caverns where we got goggles and boots. The caving was not easy because of slippery rocks and little padding in our boots. Parts of the cave were so strenuous that Judy decided to wait while the guide and I went together At one point, I had to go through a small opening called the birth canal after which I had to go up a steep rock with my butt pressed on one while climbing the other. I got up the second rock with a little assistance from the guide.

February 16
We departed the Arenal region following a boat ride and a two-hour horse ride through the forest. As one can imagine we were quite sore after the horses. We were then driven, over mostly dirt and rocky roads, to Hotel Montana Monteverde. This part of Costa Rica was suprisingly cool and windy. The terrain was mountainous. During our first day there Judy did some gift shopping and we had very good dinners.

February 17
The El Trapiche Tour was a favorite of Judy's. There we were shown how sugarcane, coffee and chocolate are grown and then processed. We made chocolate and molasses samples. The latter provided concentrated energy boosts over the next few days. I don't like coffee but Judy found the arabica coffee quite tasty.

Towards the evening we took a hike into the nearby jungle where Judy discovered leaf-cutter ants and their huge ant hills. This was quite fascinating to both of us but we were disappointed to not see monkeys.

February 18
Some of our most physical and fun adventures happened on this day as we travelled into the cloud rain forest. First we took a nature hike along some trails and across suspension bridges. The views were exquisite and the plants were definitely different than what is normally seen in New Jersey and California. So many different varieties of editable fruit grow there. Also, we saw a two-toed sloth right next to us.

My previous experience with zip lines, at Big Bear Lake, saw us getting soaked to the skin as we zipped along in a torrential rain with distant thunder. Well in Costa Rica we also got soaked by a continuous fine misty rain accompanied by strong winds. First we went up a very high tower holding on to our hats and other loose items as the wind howled around us, but the following zip line was definitely worth it. All together, we went on ten different zip lines some of which were about one-half mile in length. Speeds reached ~40 miles per hour. What a fun and memorable, albeit wet, adventure!

February 19
We transferred to a the Hotel Si Como No Manuel Antonio/Quepos region. This was our furthest point south, just slightly above 8 degrees latitude. On the way to the hotel, we stopped to see the many crocodiles in the Tarcoles River. Fortuately, we were on a bridge and not too close.

The hotel was exquisite and we had a wonderful view of the blue Pacific Ocean and the many rocks jutting through the surface. Walking around the hotel we saw spider monkeys and other tropical animals.

Being our thirty-sixth anniversary, we had a very nice dinner and enjoyed the great evening weather.

February 20
First, we went to the Manuel Antonio national park. There we had a wonderful hike through the jungle where we viewed sloths, monkeys, deer and even racoons. Although we didn't go into the ocean, the beaches were very nice and the water was warm.

In the afternoon, we had a memorable experience on a catamaran. Judy did some snorkling but also went on a slide and jumped off the top of the ship. I spent my entire time snorkling as I found the sea life to be most fascinating. Afterwards we had a delicious Mahi Mahi buffet dinner follwed by additional sailing. As we continued sailing, we had several dolphin swim along the front of the boat.

February 21
In the morning we went to a butterfly garden across the street for the hotel. There were so many different and colorful butterflies. We were able to take a movie with our android tablet.

In the afternoon, we took a river excursion through a mangrove forest with brackish water flowing into the ocean. We saw mostly birds but also had our one and only view of an anteater.

February 22
We enjoyed the hotel in the morning and then transferred back to San Jose in preparation for our trip back to San Diego. For the first and only time we had a driver who spoke very good English. We stopped again at the Tarcoles River where we again viewed the crocodiles and had lunch. For the first and probaly last time I had an Native American delicacy of pickled Mahi Mahi in lemon juice.

February 23
We flew to Los Angeles and then San Diego. Next day we were back to our regular routine.....

Summary
We recommend Costa Rica. The people are very hospitable and the food was quite good. The parts of the country we saw were modern and the public rest rooms were generally remarkably clean. The country has no military and has a strong focus on ecology.

Next we are planning a trip to the Canadian Rockies.

Glenn S. Wyllie, 1948-2014

Glenn S. Wyllie, CHS67, passed away this past January and it went unnoticed until one of his fans brought it to our attention. Glenn was said to have lived 'off the grid' in the hills of North Carolina with his dog Simon. Glenn was a skilled luthier and craftsman who designed and made custom guitars, but was best known for his effects pedals for guitarists, both custom and production models. Here's a quote from another fan: "his name's glenn s. wyllie and he lives way out in the sticks in north carolina and his pedals are the fuzziest. he makes a hotrodded shinei super fuzz called the Rising Sun that is real good. it's like fuzz/overdrive/octave all in one with lots of knobs and a sweeeeet psych design etched into the case. he'll send out sound samples if you e-mail him. they have sound samples of some of his stuff at tonefrenzy too... the overtron and moonrock sound incredible too. At CHS, Glenn was a member of The Renegades and The Savages.

Cranford Citizen & Chronicle
June 8, 1967

Click the following link to view the Cranford Citizen & Chronicle issue from June 8, 1967 announcing our graduation: http://goo.gl/gLHBoS

"The names of 390 candidates for diplomas at the Cranford High School graduation exercises to be held at Memorial Field at 6:30pm on Tuesday, June 20, and a schedule of year-end events were announced this week by Dr. Charles Post, principal. There were 424 diplomas conferred upon members of the school's largest graduating class."

Not sure about the '390 candidates' vs '424 diplomas' reference - did anyone get 2 diplomas?

Did you know the entire Cranford Citizen & Chronicle has been scanned and placed online? And it's searchable? You can find articles on us from our Elementary and Middle School days, and our families. Enjoy!

Get the Facebook Class Connection App -------->

You can now access our site via Facebook. Follow the link to the right to install the Class Connection Application in Facebook, or click this link to install (you'll need a Facebook account to use this):

https://apps.facebook.com/classconnection/?cct=D6A2D52C-293E-446E-B9B5-AFB8724A272A

And you can read this Q&A on the topic of Privacy: www.cranfordhs.org/Privacy-Explanation.htm

David Papier recently checked in with us...

David writes: "I just returned to Florida from 2 months of volunteer teaching in Ecuador. I lived with a family in Quito, the capital, and helped them with their English. I also had plenty of time for sightseeing in the city and for visiting other sites in the country. Quito, especially the old quarter where I lived, is fascinating: churches, plazas and gorgeous colonial architecture. The standard of living is surprisingly high. The elevation is high, too: 9200 feet, so the city is never hot even though it's almost right on the equator. (Quito is the second highest capital city in the world. You get an A if you can name the highest.) Ecuador has a lot of scenery packed into a small area because there are three zones: the coast, the Andes and the jungle to the east. The mountains have blizzards and glaciers, while a short distance away the jungle is hot and steamy with daily rain (and insects with their own air force). I didn't make it to the Galapagos this time, but even without that, I would recommend Ecuador to any traveler. I will be in Florida until May when I make my annual drive up to Long Branch [NJ]."

Here's a great article on David's work with the Diabetes Research Institute:
http://dri.giftplans.org/index.php?cID=166

Ed. Note: David has had many interesting experiences living in Costa Rica, Belgium, Vietnam and China, while teaching ESL. He may consider Florida his home, but he returns to Long Branch during the summer when he's between assignments. Reach out and say hello, perhaps arrange a get together. We'll let you know when David gets back in town.

Thanks go out to Cory Pollock Gibbs for reaching out to our class for news and updates.

We missed this when it happened, so one year later, on the anniversary...

Henry Carlton Doscher

Published 9:28am Monday, December 17, 2012

Henry “Hank” Doscher, 88 of Columbus, died on Sunday, December 9, 2012 at the Hospice House after a short illness.

Born in New Jersey, December 12, 1923, his parents were Henry N. Doscher and Elsie Weeks Doscher.  He was preceded in death by his wife, Anne E. Doscher and sister Marjorie Nickel.  He and Anne lived at Tryon Estates in Columbus since 2000.

Hank served in World War II in the Army Signal Corps in Pearl Harbor.  He went on to complete bachelor and masters degrees at Rutgers University and had a long career as a history teacher and public school administrator.  He retired from Cranford, New Jersey High School as the assistant principal.

Hank, Anne and their children spent many happy summers at Crystal Lake in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.   Later, they spent half the year at a cottage on Newfound Lake in Hebron, New Hampshire.  Both of their children chose to remain in New England.   His daughter, Laura Hayden and her husband Peter Hayden now live in Gloucester, Massachusetts and Tunbridge, Vermont.  Their son, Paul A. Doscher, and his wife Deborra Doscher live in Weare, New Hampshire.

Hank is also survived by four grandchildren, Kelsi Doscher, of Wellington, New Zealand, Brent Doscher of Nottingham, NH, Melinda Hayden of Boston, Massachusetts and John Hayden of Gloucester, MA.

There will be no memorial services, but contributions in memory of Hank Doscher may be made to the Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, 130 Forest Glen Drive, Columbus, NC 28722 or The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, 54 Portsmouth St., Concord, NH 03301. To sign the online register book, please visit www.shulerfuneralhome.com.

- See more at: http://www.tryondailybulletin.com/2012/12/17/henry-carlton-doscher/#sthash.urjadLY2.dpuf

“Every mountain top is within reach
if you just keep climbing.” 
Barry Finlay, Kilimanjaro and Beyond

This past summer our classmate, Richard Rudolph, fulfilled a long-standing dream when he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the world’s highest free-standing mountain. Richard joined two fellow trekkers from Ontario and two from Florida for the eight-day climb. The climb was guided by local Tanzanians working for the outfitter Tusker Trail. Following the Lemosho route and camping each night, the climbers trekked  around the southern side of Kilimanjaro and traversed several climate zones before their final ascent to 19,340-foot Uhuru Peak on August 31. “During summer trips to Colorado in the 1990s I began climbing some of the 14,000 foot peaks in the Rockies,” said Richard. “When I told a friend how much I enjoyed those experiences, he gave me a catalog for an adventure travel company that guided on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Ever since then I fantasized climbing Kilimanjaro some day; to finally do so was literally a dream come true.” Richard added, “Kilimanjaro is a spectacular and starkly beautiful environment. I was especially mesmerized by the glacier-studded landscape on the summit, which overlooks a huge volcanic crater. Reaching Uhuru Peak was every bit the exhilarating experience I expected it would be.”

Some Fun Links

How New Jersey Are you, a Quiz
http://www.gotoquiz.com/how_nj_are_you

Index of Cranford HS Yearbook online
http://archive.cranfordlibrary.org:8080/Yearbooks/

Cranford HS Sports Hall of Fame (check out all years)
http://www.cranfordschools.org/chs/athletics/hof/index.html

WABC's Top 100 Lists for the years 1964 thru 1982
http://www.musicradio77.com/music.html

WABC's DJs
http://www.musicradio77.com/WABCDJ.html

The official site of Cranford
http://cranford.com/

And the People Page at Cranford.com
http://cranford.com/people/

Several great Facebook Pages (require that you have a Facebook account):

• Our own Class of '67 Page
  facebook.com/cranfordhs67
• You Knew Your Grew up in Cranford When...
  https://www.facebook.com/groups/172894629454238/
• Cranford Class of _____
  https://www.facebook.com/groups/cranfordclassof/
• Cranstock
  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cranstock-Summer-Wing/194534540560247

Our own Pam Klein Scheiber has written a new historical novel, Love and Betrayal  

Israel's victory in the 1967 war brings acclaim and respect the world over-except from its Arab enemies. Israel is later forced to defend itself against a surprise attack from Egypt in 1973, and the Israeli defense minister, Moshe Dayan, decides the country needs a more secure southern border.

Meanwhile, in the United States, twenty-four-year-old Danielle Katz has survived the unimaginable. As she boards a plane to begin a new life in Israel, Danielle is haunted by horrific memories of her brutal rape. Now as she arrives in a strange country, knowing no one but her self-absorbed sister, Danielle knows it is up to her to turn her life around. Through her belief in the Almighty and her courage to face challenges, she manages to do so-meeting her future husband, Marvin Steinberg, in the process. After she and Marvin partner with a group of Americans to build a dream city on the shore of the Mediterranean, they head for Yamit, where they unwittingly become a part of Israel's history.

In this saga, a modern Jewish heroine embarks on a courageous journey of self-discovery as she helps settle a barren land and risks everything to protect an exquisite desert Eden from demise. 

About the Author

Pamela Schieber was an original settler in the town of Yamit and has owned businesses in Israel and Atlanta, Georgia. She used her master of arts in psychology to work with autistic adolescents in residential treatment and has an active interest in the future of Israel and Jews around the world. She now lives in Florida.

To order or preview the book, click this link: http://amzn.com/1475979398

Congratulations to James Forestal, CHS Class of '13

James is this year's recipient of the CHS Class of '67 Scholarship in the amount of $500.00. This year we left it up to Cranford High School's own Scholarship Committee to evaluate and select a candidate. We are the only alumni class that grants a scholarship to a CHS graduate and it's because of you that we're able to do this. You made this possible through your generous donations to the Scholarship fund in conjunction with the 45th Reunion. Thanks to all.

A little about James:  James Forrestal has always been very focused and driven. He has much self-discipline and is able to multi-task by keeping up his schoolwork, performing in theatre and music projects, community service and being on the Varsity Baseball Team. He has had leads in four Cranford High School productions. He is a member of the Latin Club, Model UN and Tri-M. He moved to leadership roles in Junior Year as Choir Manager for Noteworthy Gentleman and the Cranford Choir. He also has set the benchmark for the Cranford students in most lifetime National and Regional Honor Choirs, along with six All State Choirs.  He is ranked as the top Baritone in New Jersey.  James most recently received the Governor’s Award in Arts Education for Vocal Music and was nominated for outstanding performance by a leading actor in Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards.  James father is a graduate of Cranford High School.

Cranford High School Named
One of "America's Best High Schools"

Congratulations to Cranford High School on being recognized for excellence in education.  Newsweek named CHS #206 in their 2013 annual poll of 2,000 US highschools, a jump of 73 spots over 2012.  Read more at Cranford Patch http://bit.ly/17dr2Jj or the original Newsweek article at http://thebea.st/Yq9o24 We've always known it's a great school!

Did you know that the Cranford Public Library keeps an only archive of the Cranford (Citizen &)Chronicle from years 1894 to 2005 online.  We searched the archive extensively to find old classmates.  Here's the link:

http://archive.cranfordlibrary.org:8080/index.cgi?level=2&pub_title=Cranford%20Chronicle

Well, our planning & preparation was rewarded with a wonderful turnout for our 45th Reunion. Thanks to everyone who traveled from near and far. We had some alumni who had never come to any reunion, others who had last attended the 10th or 20th, and our High Attendance Club (10th, 20th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 45th). The food was great, the music was perfect and everyone got the opportunity to get around and catch up with everyone else. The "Photos: 45th Reunion" gallery is now active in the left Navigation Bar - please upload your photos or send them to kevin@chieff.com and I'll post them for you and give due credit. Please send them at full resolution if you can.  You may have to send one photo per email due to size issues.

The evening began with an invocation by Chuck, the Arch Deacon of CHS, where we paid tribute to those who are no longer with us and those who couldn't be with us because they're courageously battling health issues. During the evening we, in turn, honored Chuck for his tireless work over the years - in 1967, Chuck received the Senior Superlative for "Most School Spirit" and he has tirelessly demonstrated that trait over these 45 years. Steve Rizzo made a donation in honor of Joe Minnock and asked us to toast Joe's service, to his country and to those who were getting the crap beat out of us by bullies. Joe, known more to south-siders, was the first of our class to die in Vietnam, in November of our Junior Year.  

Sandy had little affect on our reunion, Cranford and Clark were almost back to normal, power had been restored, travel was easy (even if gas was a little hard to find). Thank-you to all who made the effort, whether you were able to attend or prevented by circumstances, personal or otherwise,

See you at our 50th in 2017 !

The Reunion Committee

You'll be pleased to know that we have funded this website for the next five years (thru to our 50th) from reunion proceeds. And for our 50th, we'll build in the subscription for the following five years. So "it ain't goin' away!". And several of us have the admin password to ensure that the site survives the passing of any single admin.

The Photo Galleries are now up and working. You can find them in the left navigation bar - we invite you to upload your favorite photos. We've uploaded just a few and have many more to follow.

A word about security. We configured the site so that no one can see your profile or your details other than your name before you've registered. Once you register, you have the choice of showing or hiding your profile and details. If you show it, others can see the public info, and search engines can find it. If you hide your profile, no one else can see it and search engines cannot find it. Regardless of the above, classmates' email addresses, mailing addresses, and telephone numbers are completely protected and not visible to the public, and not findable/indexable by search engines no matter what. And be assured that when you message another classmate, your e-mail address is never shown.

Based on some conversations that we've had, we've made a slight change to the website. We've password protected the Photo Galleries so that visitors (unregistered) cannot view them. If you're registed on the site, you won't see a change - you'll still be able to view them. This includes the 40th Reunion, 35th Reunion, and Us! galleries.

If you have any information, details, or warm, fond and fun memories of our departed alumni, please send us a message and we'll post it to their profile. It would be nice to share recollections, and keep them in out thoughts and hearts.

Did you graduate from Cranford High School but a different year? We are the Class of '67 and this is our own site - we don't charge our classmates - we fund the site out of our class fund. We have the ability to share this url (www.cranfordhs.org) and this website with other CHS class years yet keep each year separate and secure.  It doesn't cost much and we can guide you and assist you. We intend on keeping this website up for many years to come. It's a simple task to switch this site to support multiple years - once switched, classmates would simply see a pre-screen with the various years listed, click their year and be taken right to their class year home page. Contact us using the Contact Us link in the left navigation bar if you would like more details.