ECHS 1968 50th YEAR REUNION A SUCCESS

A fiftieth year reunion was celebrated by the EL CERRITO HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATING CLASS of 1968 on Saturday night, October 6th, at the Richmond Country Club. Of the approximately 230 celebrants in attendance, many, many had a good time, often proclaiming this more than once throughout the evening. The food, served buffet style, was enthusiastically consumed, so it must have been tasty. Music was provided by The Nite Owls who used to play at high school parties back in the 1960s. They've stayed together all of these years, like The Rolling Stones no less. The photo included with this article is but a sample of what will be available to classmates via a private website. A display board served to honor those of our classmates who are deceased. They remain in our thoughts. Once a Gaucho, always a Gaucho.

In fifty years many classmates were able to grow beyond the cliques that we thought defined us when we were teenagers. In fact one could call our celebration a "lovefest" masquerading as a class reunion. It was heartening to see so many classmates having grown into friendly, approachable, vibrant people. The personal growth and comradery were palpable. The dinner and music Saturday night were preceded by a cocktail gathering at Chevy's Emeryville on Friday evening, and followed by a picnic on Sunday afternoon at Arlington Park in El Cerrito. All three events were an unqualified success based on opinions expressed by attendees to the Reunion Planning Committee. That committee consists of Co-chairpersons Paul Bailey and Rich Runswick, as well as committee members Shirley Gotelli nee Carlson, John Gotelli, Lynn Green, Joan Hunter, Judy Gunnell nee Kasari, Steve Kirby, Jeanne Lotta-Sellars, Jim Perry, and Donalyn Lemone nee Shields.