Adventure in Casco Bay

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a memorable trip
That started from the Portland docks
Aboard a tiny ship."

With apologies to the authors of the Gilligan's Island theme song, we share this story of a 5 1/2 hour sightseeing cruise in Casco Bay, Maine with a stop for lunch on Bailey's Island - planned and carried out on August 14th by five GHS Class of 1960 classmates: Jacqui Tier Sanford, Linda Giles Merikanto, Donna Blake Beise, Janice Dick Drummey, and Mary Phelan Nordman. Bailey Island was first populated by Europeans in the 1600's and was called Newaggin by the local Abenaki. Cook's Lobster House is a Bailey Island landmark. So are the Giant Steps, a natural rock formation.

Our adventurers listened to the Captain describe the history of Casco Bay and cruised past lighthouses, forts, and 19th century summer colonies. Jacqui Tier Sanford says this was "a beautiful day to renew old friendships - a glorious Maine day on the ocean with good company. We did a lot of talking regarding both past and present times and had a great lunch at Cook's Lobster House. I think we were all sorry to see the day end."

News from Yvonne Savaria Perreault

Yvonne Savaria Perreault writes, " I really believe thus is the happiest time of our lives. We love being retired and having the time to do what makes us happy. Roger loves to fish and I go along for the ride. It is a joke with us because most of the time I bring a book along to read (my favorite hobby) and I just troll a line. Wouldn't you know it - I catch the fish!" Yvonne adds, "We both volunteer one day a week at the regional hospital here in Mountain Home, Arkansas. We are also members of the Rod 'n Reel Club and active in our local church. The Ozark Mountains are beautiful with a bounty of hiking trails. We started geocaching while we were still living in Massachusetts and we have continued caching here. It brings us to locations that we would not find on our own and we have met a great group of people "addicted" to the same hobby."

Both Roger and Yvonne have Facebook pages. Their son and his family are only 2 1/2 hours away in Farmington, Arkansas. Their daughter and her family live in Houston, Texas.

Want to send a message to Yvonne? Leave a comment to this post or send an e-mail to ghsclassof1960@gmail.com .

Holy Rosary School Civic Club

In this Gardner News photo, Captain Henry Cormier of the Gardner Fire Department explains the purpose of Fire Prevention Week to the Grade 8 Holy Rosary School Civics Club. Shown in the photo are James Sand, recording secretary; Andre Bernard, corresponding secretary; Jacqueline Tousignant, president; Edward Hachey, vice-president;Georgette LeBlanc, treasurer; and Dianne Roy, sergeant-at-arms.

Thanks to Dianne Roy Young of East Templeton for sharing this photo. If you have a photo we can post to the GHS Reunion web Log, please send it or tell us about it in an e-mail message you address to ghsclassof1960@gmail.com.

Remember Heddy Sakai?

Richard Goguen and Heddy Sakai

Heddy Sakai was an exchange student from Japan during our Freshman year at Gardner High School. Richard Goguen sent along the photo and story. "Through Facebook, I made friends with Chandra Farnsworth, who now lives on the west coast. She told me that Heddy Sakai was living in Boston and teaching at Bentley college. Heddy had gone back to Japan after our Freshman year but returned to get her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College before going to work in New York City. While in New York, she got her Masters and Doctorate from Columbia University. She came back to Boston and taught briefly at Framingham State College before assuming her current position at Bentley College. I knew Heddy because I used to go to the Farnsworth's after school and before band practice our Freshman year. We made contact via e-mail and have met several times since Easter. The photo was taken at my house."

Are you looking for someone you remember from High School? Send a message to ghsclassof1960@gmail.com . Maybe we can help you make the connection.

Still Magnolias

Photo 2004 provided by Gladys Narkevicius Richardson

Not to be confused with the Steel Magnolias, these ladies are still magnolias today. Gladys Narkevicius Richardson sends along a story about how old classmates can become new friends when they share common interests. "Even though we all went out separate ways after graduation, about ten years ago we reconnected and now meet about once a month. We get together in the Boston or Worcester area and go to plays, symphonies, museums, or just do lunch."

Standing in the photo above are Virginia (Blake) Monette, Diana (Virta) Wood, and Gloria (Michaelewicz) Tarpey ('59). Seated are Gladys (Narkevicius) Richardson and Winona (LeBlac) Moeller.

Do you belong to a group of GHS classmates who get together from time to time? Know someone who does? Please help us get a photo and short write-up to go with it. Want to send a message to any of the classmates pictured above? Send your message to ghsclassof1960@gmail.com .

News from Elaine Stanley Guaraglia

Elaine Stanley at the California Academy of Science, San Francisco, June 10, 2009

Since retiring from 40 years of teaching in elementary schools, Elaine keeps active by becoming a master gardener, walking dogs, and conducting tours for Canine Companions for Independence - an organization that trains dogs to assist persons with disabilities. Elaine and her husband also go out on Bodega Bay fishing. Elaine's daughter and son-in-law (who hails from New Hampshire) are both specialty veterinarians in Tucson, Arizona. Exercise is important to Elaine, who does Scottish Dance on Monday Nights and walks briskly five times a week in her Santa Rosa, Califirnia neighborhood. She invited us to view her performance with the Redwood Country Cloggers as they perform "Cajun Moon" at the Cloverdale Old Time Fiddle Festival in northern California, on YouTube. Click on the link to see Elaine dance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYXe-T-d_Tw or enter Redwood Country Cloggers in Google or your favorite search engine. Elaine says that clogging is like tap-dancing, square-dancing, and folk dancing all melded together. She dances with her group at farmer's markets and fairs.

News From Laurie Blacquiere

Laurie Blacquiere

Many GHS classmates will remember Laurie Blacquiere as a very outgoing fellow - always with a crowd around him - but few know that he transferred from Notre Dame High School to Gardner High School. Following graduation, Laurie attended the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMASS where he majored in Ornamental Horticulture. He then enlisted in the United States Air Force. Upon discharge he went to work for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford, CT. In 1966 he left to return to Gardner and took on the task of expanding the Gardner Munical Golf Course from nine to eighteen holes. March of 1970 marked the beginning of Laurie's long career as a firefighter in the Citty of Gardner which included earning an Associates Degree in Fire Science Technology. Laurie retired from the Fire Department in 2001, but still maintains a few horticulture accounts and enjoys doing work on his own property. Laurie and his wife have been married for 43 years and now live in Otter River. They have two adult boys and five grandchildren ranging in years from 17 to three. "The last one is a wonderful little girl after four boys," says Laurie.

Laurie has been a member of the Gardner Lions Club for forty years. He was chosen to receive a "Melvin Jones" fellowship - the highest award given to a Lion at the local level. Laurie is curretly the chairman of the sight and hearing committee. He has also volunteered three years of service with other businesses for construction of the Gardner Animal Hospotal on West Broadway.

Laurie is one of 28 other GHS Class of 1960 classmates currently on Facebook. You can contact him there or send a message to him via ghsclassof1960@gmail.com.

Editor's note: Laurie J. Blackquiere, age 67, died on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at UMASS Medical Center in Worcester.