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Reunion Newsletter Northwest High Class of 1970 - 50 Year Reunion

Inside this issue

Front page ..........................1 Brave New World ............2 Life in St. Louis .................3 Coast to Coast ...................4

Planning Committee Updates .................................................5

Planning Committee Updates (cont.) ...................................6 Announcements ...............7 Where are they? ...............8 In Memoriam .....................9

CLASS of ‘1970... Enters a Brave New World

There were 11 public high schools in St. Louis when Northwest had its first graduating class in 1965. Cleveland, Roosevelt, Central, Sumner, McKinley, Southwest, O’Fallon, Beaumont, Sol-dan and Vashon were the others.

by Marvin Goodwin

August 1st, 2019 Issue 1

Welcome to the Northwest High School

Class of 1970 Newsletter.

We hope to share some experiences as well as share

some memories of high school as we approach our 50th year

class reunion in 2020. ~Marvin Goodwin

As your Planning Committee Chair, I also want to take a minute to welcome you to what we feel will be a fun filled weekend. Please be sure to sign up for goodies and extras on our very own website below. Al-so , if you want to help out on one ore more

of our committees, contact me at t.simpson3@gmail.com. Ho[e to see you at

the Reunion starting June 12, 2020 at the Holiday Inn Riverport.

~Ted Simpson

www.nw70reunion.org.

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CLASS of ‘1970... Enters a Brave New World (cont.)

They came from various

neighborhoods of St. Louis,

these wide-eyed youngsters

preparing for the next level

of education. They lived on

streets named Ruskin, Ga-

resche, Thrush and Plover,

Genevieve, Sacramento, Pen-

rose and Anderson, Mar-

garetta, Farlin, Calvin and

Shreve, and Goodfellow,

McLaran, Euclid and Bessie.

From such elementary

schools as Scullin, Walbridge,

Mark Twain, Herzog, Ash-

land, Walnut Park, Laclede,

Benton and others, high

school awaited them. In time,

they would become the Class

of 1970 for the relatively

new Northwest High School,

which had opened less than

three years ago.

Most who attended the fresh-

man orientation in the school

auditorium in September of

1966 thought the same thing,

that 1970 seemed so far in

the future that it almost

seemed like light years away.

But the immediate task at

hand for those freshmen-to-

be was what subjects to take,

who were the teachers, nego-

tiating the new building and

getting acquainted with new

classmates.

How about biology or sci-

ence, and maybe history and

English, or what about Span-

ish or French, and perhaps

Algebra, Chemistry and

Physics. Typing, business

law, home economics and

such were also options, as

well as theatre arts.

Students would become fa-

miliar with a number of pop-

ular teachers, including Mr.

Robben, Mr. Gladden, Mrs.

Batt, Mrs. Lewis, Mr. Reinsch,

Mrs. Findlay, Mr. Barron,

Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Lavington

and Mr. Yowell.

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Inside Story Headline

Blasts from the past included shopping, watching, listening

Life in St. Louis

Don’t look back …

someone might be

gaining on you.”

Satchel Paige

The times, they were a changing for the teenagers

who entered Northwest High School in 1966 as the

Class of 1970.

Streetcars and cobblestone streets had all but disap-

peared only a few years before, and train travel con-

tinued its downward slide as buses and taxi cabs be-

came the major mode of public transportation.

While books, classes, teachers and school activities

were the main emphasis for these students, life still

went on out of the classroom with a distinctive St.

Louis flavor.

They listened to top 40 and rhythm and blues tunes

on KXOK-630, featuring Johnny Rabbitt and KATZ-

1600, with Donny Brooks among the popular DJs.

Both were long-time AM stations on the radio dial,

with newcomer WESL on the FM band.

They listened to the Beatles, Sly and the Family

Stone, the Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five, the

Temptations, the Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Jimi

Hendrix and Joe Cocker on the radio, and even Bob

Kuban and the In Men.

On TV, they watched Cookie and the Captain on KPLR

-TV Channel 11, and perhaps enjoyed the Charlotte

Peters Show on KTVI-Channel 2. Spencer Allen was

the leader of the area’s newscasters and Jim Bolen

and Dianne White were among weathercasters.

And who could forget the wildly-entertaining Wres-

tling at the Chase, with Joe Garagiola, telecast on

Channel 11 from the Chase Park Plaza Hotel on Lin-

dell and Kingshighway.

TV shows such as The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, I

Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Gunsmoke, Bonanza

and Hogan’s Heroes were still popular, but only after

homework assignments were done.

Chain of Rocks Park in North St. Louis and Forest

Park Highlands were among amusement parks many

students headed to on weekends and the North Drive

-In on Lewis and Clark, and the Airway Drive-In on

St. Charles Rock Road were destination points where

they could watch the latest movies at drive-in thea-

tres.

Neighborhood theaters were around, but midtown

St. Louis, home of the Fox Theatre and Loew’s Mid-

City were venues where they watched popular mov-

ies such as Easy Rider, Green Berets, The Wild Bunch,

The Graduate, 100 Rifles and Butch Cassidy and the

Sundance Kid.

Their families shopped at Stix, Baer and Fuller and

Famous Barr for clothes, and National, Kroger,

Schnuck’s, Bi-Rite were among favorite stops for gro-

ceries.

And with no Lowes or Home Depot stores around,

Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck were destina-

tions for home improvement and appliances, along

with Western Hardware. They also shopped at Wool-

worth and Kresge, each with stores downtown, as

well as K-Mart.

The Admiral riverboat was a mainstay on the banks

of the Mississippi River, where the recently con-

structed Gateway Arch stood proudly as the memori-

al to westward expansion.

This was the St. Louis in the late 1960s, a changing

city with a changing population as thousands of stu-

dents, like those at Northwest, would negotiate the

high school experience.

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Coast to Coast

Grads have spread out all over the country

With diplomas in hand and abundant optimism in their

minds, the Class of 1970 from Northwest High School

was ready for the next challenge of life.

Some would continue their educations in college, some

would head straight to the workforce, obtaining fulltime

careers and others would join or be drafted into the mili-

tary.

They would become lawyers, doctors, musicians, actors,

supervisors, airline pilots, teachers, journalists, members

of the clergy, and business men and women.

But while the Class of 1970 had its origins in St. Louis, that class, as individuals, would

spread through all parts of the United States as they sought their fortunes.

Some would wind up in Southern California, a land of palm trees, gorgeous weather

and exciting events. But they'd also endure perhaps the worst traffic in the country

while weighing the benefits of ideal climates and horrific commutes.

Some ended up in Northern California, another popular area with beautiful scenery,

ideal weather and heavy traffic, particularly around the Bay area. But Silicon Valley

and its offshoots made it a desirable place to work with worthwhile compensation.

Oregon and Washington have been other residence areas for graduates, who've en-

joyed a culture quite different from their Midwest origins.

Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico have been other known

residences of graduates, while the burgeoning Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas

have had their share of classmates who've made the move from Missouri.

Some have gone on to New Jersey and New York City, an epicenter of sorts for all

things of importance happening in the United States.

Alabama and Georgia are also homes of former Class of 1970 graduates, as they enjoy

the southern hospitality the area offers.

Graduates can also be found in metro Chicago and Michigan, while a sizeable number

can be found in Missouri, with representatives in greater Kansas City, Columbia and

greater St. Louis, including a share in Illinois.

Some of those Missourians spend winters in such states as Florida and South Carolina.

Indeed, nearly 50 years after the Class of 1970 achieved its goal, many of those indi-

viduals, older and wiser, have made their final destinations and have found different

parts of the country their permanent home.

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Research Committee

Chair: Sharon Galloway Peiffer

Members:

Nancy Schlagel Scotino

Joan Fisher Frierson

Daniel Kelly

Marvin Goodwin

Gary Woodcock

A year ago we started with a list of 343 class-

mates and very little contact information. In

the last12 months we learned there are 28 of

our classmates no longer with us. Of the re-

maining 315 we have at least some contact

information for 196. This leaves 119 class-

mates whose whereabouts are unknown. We

know some of our classmates just do not

want to be found and a couple who chose,

for various reasons, not to provide any con-

tact information but we ask that you take a

few moments of your time and log into the

reunion website.

See if any of your friends are listed as

“unknown.” on the website. If so, please en-

courage them to contact me or better yet,

register on the website. If nothing else, if you

are comfortable, just forward to me (or any

member of my committee) their contact info

and we will reach out to them. I can be con-

tacted at s.l.peiffer@gmail.com . The reunion

website is www.nw70reunion.org . Looking

forward to June 2020 and reconnecting with

friends. I would have said “old friends” but

that doesn’t apply to us!

Planning Committee Updates

Lodging Committee

Chair: Pat Otte-Sherman

Greetings classmates! We have now secured

rooms for you. Thursday June 11, 2020—

Saturday June 13, at the Holiday Inn Airport

West - Earth City. Hope to see you there!

Prices are as follows:

Other pertinent information:

Room Type Rate

Standard King/Queen $103.00

King Suites $123.00

METHOD OF RESERVATION

Individuals will call the hotel at (314)291-6800 and ask for

the 50th High School Reunion Group Block - HSR to make

their own reservations, or use the online booking link that

will be provided. They will need to provide a credit card

to guarantee their room at the time of reservation.

Guests must be 21 years old to check in.

CUT-OFF DATE

The group block is available until midnight Friday, May 29,

2020. Reservations received after that date will be provid-

ed solely at the hotel’s discretion and on a space available

basis at prevailing public rates. Any group concessions will

not apply to rooms reserved outside the block.

CANCELLATION

Reservations may be cancelled without penalty up to 6pm

day before date of arrival. After that, one night’s room

and tax will be charged.

PAYMENT

Guest room charges and incidentals will be paid at check

out by the individual guests using the rooms.

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Planning Committee Updates (cont.)

Event Committee

Chair: Joan (Fisher) Frierson Committee Members: Shirley Sweetenburg-Sexton Pat Otte Sherman Lynn Madison Jackson John Dennis Tate Karen Wade Robinson Sharon Fahey Gardner D. M. Stith-Rutlin James (Ricky) Martin Marvin Goodwin

“The long and winding road That leads to your door Will never disappear I've seen that road before It always leads me here Lead me to you door” ~The Beatles Can you believe it’s soon to be 50 years? The path that led us from wide-eyed high school graduates in 1970 to the seasoned adults of today has been filled with twists and turns for most of us. While we cannot revisit every turn or lane change, start or stop, slow down or speed up along the way, the goal of your Event Planning Commit-tee is to provide an extraordinary weekend revisiting paths along that road, bringing us back to where it all began—our beloved Northwest High School. Buckle up classmates! Are you ready for the ride? First stop is a fun and interactive reception on Friday night. The theme of the evening is “Show Your School Spirit.” Wear our NWH blue and grey or break out that letter sweater! 70’s fashions are encouraged. We will turn back the clock as we eat, drink and catch up with classmates. On Saturday we are planning a daytime activity as well as a dinner dance that evening. 70 Class Classy is the theme of the evening festivities. More details to come! The weekend will culminate on Sunday with a continen-tal breakfast, a spiritual commune and special good bye surprises. This is a weekend you don’t want to miss. So mark your calendar and let the countdown begin. It will be a week-end to remember that will earn a special landmark along our road of life. As the old saying goes—Be there or be square!

Finance Committee

Chair: John McDermott

Members:

Kert Rosenkoetter

Steven Roberts (Legal Counsel)

Brenda Mamon

Mark Sevier

The finance committee has identified several fund

raising efforts to help defray the cost of the activi-

ties during the 50 year reunion weekend. They are

as follows:

• 50th Reunion Souvenir Booklet with advertis-

ing pages. This book will be a keepsake given to

members of the class that are in attendance at

the reunion and will be made available to those

who cannot make the weekend reunion. The

book will have information on NWHS and other

facts concerning class members and activities.

There are opportunities for businesses and

people to take out ads for congratulations and

for business sales and services from the St. Lou-

is area. More will be coming in future newslet-

ters and on the website on how an ad can be

placed and the cost of advertising in this book-

let. John, Kert, and Steven will be putting the

information together so stay tuned!

• Possible fund raising Christmas Party and

Dance for the St. Louis area Class of ’70 mem-

bers and friends. Brenda and Mark are explor-

ing the possibility and opportunity for this

event.

• Donations from classmates on the Class of ’70

50th Reunion website will go towards our ef-

forts. (donation button on the website)

• You will be able a vote for your favorite songs

from 1967 to 1970 on the website, with the top

songs being played at our 50th Reunion. The

cost to vote will be minimal, but all proceeds

will go to our fund. Ted is putting this together

and will launch this shortly.

• Other opportunities are still being explored.

We are looking forward to getting these projects

moving forward so as I said, stay tuned for the next

newsletter with more information.

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Announcements

Reunion Memorabilia

Reunion memorabilia is now

available for purchase at our web-

site—

https://www.nw70reunion.org/

shop/

Some sample items are:

T-shirts and Polos

Caps and Jewelry

Backpacks and Blankets

And MUCH, MUCH more! Please

come check out our store and

make a purchase or two as…

PROCEEDS GO TOWARDS

REUNION EXPENSES!

Select the Songs You Want to Hear

We are currently working on a website

application to allow you to vote for

your favorite songs from our high

school days to play at the reunion,

songs such as the Miracles ‘Tracks of

My Tears’, The Doors ‘Light My Fire’,

Marvin Gayes ‘What’s Goin On’ or The

Beatles ‘Hey Jude’. You will be able to

vote as often as you wish up to a date to

be determined but there is a catch…

• You must be registered on ur reun-

ion website to participate

• Each song vote will cost 25 cents,

sold in blocks of 20 at $5 a set.

Songs will be made available based on

their poularity on thee Billboard and

R&B charts from 1967-1970. You will

be able to monitor the results and vote

some more should you see any of your

favorite songs start to fall out of the top

100.

Be sure to look for an update in our

next newsletter and start thinking of

YOUR favorite songs from that era so

you come ready to cast your votes.

Once again…

PROCEEDS GO TOWARDS RE-

UNION EXPENSES!

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Where Are They?

If you have any information like and email address, home address or phone number, regarding any of the people below, please help us to contact them by sending that infor-mation to Sharon Galloway Peiffer at s.l.peiffer@gmail.com. We appreciate your help!

George Edward Alewel

Louis Parker Anderson, Jr.

James Patrick Andrews

Deborah Lynne Benson

Janet Felkel Berman

John F. Boler

Michael Joseph Boyle

Robert William Brown

Kenneth Brown

Janet Lorraine Brown

Darlene Brown

Walter Walther Brown, Jr.

Jo Denise Bryan

Mary Jane Buetterhorn

Virginia Burns

Patricia Calkin

Deborah Carr

Richard Anthony Catlett

Randy Crenshaw

Florence Czaicki

Gabrielle Lourdes Davis

William M. Dentshier

Judith Ann Dowdy

Maryanne Dragschulz

William Edward Esters

Diane Lannette Fields

Ruth E. Fiori

Jack A. Frazier

William B. Funke

Mona Lucretia Harris

Susan Marie Harting

Roger Kevin Hayes

Brenda Diana Hill

Carleton David Hinton

Victor Houston

Darryl Steven Howard

Craig Edward Hunter

Charles Jackson, Jr.

Joyce Ann Johnston

James Frederick Jones

Richard James Kessler

Flora Lee Kilgore

Lafayette Eugene Lacy

Richard Raymond Larkins

Keith Leroy Laura

Derrick Russell Lewis

Michael Jerry Lewis

Michael Lott

Russell Glen Luke

Naomi Mabins

Doreen K. Martin

Francine Martin

Stephen Anthony Martin

Diane Marie Mazzola

Glenda Kay McMillian

Cheryl Dianne Moore

Mike Dennis Moore

Linda Lee Myers

Geraldine Nelson

Thomas Lawrence Nicolai

Melvin Palmeri

Deborah Jean Patterson

Elaine Veronica Perry

Virginia Frances Podorski

James Pribble

Flora Reid

Cynthia Louise Reidmeyer

Steve Revere

Evelyn Ozella Rice

David Norman Richter

David Wayne Robbins

Stanley Wern Rodgers

JoAnn Rooney

Debra Rubbelke

Neal Ray Schmidt

James Scholtis

Larry D. Schroeder

Gregory Stephen Scott

Paul Langston Young

Mark David Semar

Joanne Sheputis

James Shringer

Michael Edward Siebets

John Edward Siebuhr

David Timothy Smith

Douglas Cameron Smith

Marion Smith

Linda St. James

Deborah A. Stelmar

Sandra Jeanne Theriault

Vernon Bernard Thomas

Ronald Charles Townsend

William Howard Tucker

Leora Turner

Sharon Edith Wade

Claude Walton

Rocky Errol Washington

Donald Waters

William C. Webster

James Lee Williams

Maurice Wilson

Michael Mitchell Wilson

Dianna Winfield

Christine Marie Yackey

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In Memoriam - Rest in Peace

Douglas Alexander, Jr.

Edward Gerard Angelbeck

Leonard T. Bober

Robert Livingston Boyd, Jr.

Ronald Clark

Emma Loveetta Coleman

Valeria Marie Corpus

Vernetta Cox

Elmer Germany

Steven Lynn Hearns

Suzanne Marie Hoffman

Deborah Jean Johanpeter

Albert Lee Keys

George Dallas Lee

Joanne Virginia Liscombe

Robert Jack McGary

Daniel Murphy

Holly Lee Niemeyer

Glen William Petro

Carol Sue Pyatt

Michael Robinson

Rodney A. Savage

William John Schmidt

Michael Joseph Soos

Thomas John Stavron

Edwin Lamarr Temple

Cassandra Jean Williams

Janet Ellen Young