Condolences to Bob Rodgers on the passing of his Mother

On Tuesday, September 30th, Bob Rogers' mother, Ann Wheeler, passed away.  Condolences to Bob and his family. 

We Mourn the Passing of Isiah Shuler in 2012

With sadness, Sue Swanson has reported that Isiah Shuler passed away on September 29, 2012.  Our thoughts  and prayers go out to Isiah's family.

Additional information can be found on the IN MEMORIAM page.   



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Aloha from Kauai

My older son moved to Houston in 2003.  He married and has a family here.  My other son moved to Austin almost 4 years ago.  He moved to Houston last year.  Although we are blessed with many good friends up north, we missed being with the family, especially our 2 grandchildren.  We bought a house, outside of Houston, last October. In May we put our Croton house on the market and it sold quickly.  I now live in a nice city just southwest of Houston. There is a lot to do and we are a little over an hour from Galveston Island.

We're currently vacationing in Hawaii.

- Arlene Gabrielian Lazaro

As We Grow Older Together

Over the past few years, as we have happily come together through the wonders of technology, we have also been saddened by the news of the passing of many of our classmates, including the most recent two friends who left us this past week and the recent passing of the spouse of another.  Collectively, we feel not just a deep sense of loss for those who have passed, but, as David Perugini shared in a message to me today, we are also "witnessing brutal evidence of our ephemerality."   Yes, our own mortality and the realization that we are all here for a very brief time.  I don't mean this to be a morbid thought, but, rather, a reminder that we should appreciate the time we have together.  Since the most recent Class News emails went out I have heard from several people expressing their excitement about our 50th reunion.   What a perfect opportunity it will be to reconnect with old friends and celebrate our lives as we joyfully grow older together.

David has shared some lovely thoughts regarding this topic on the IN MEMORIAM page under GENERAL COMMENTS.  I hope you'll take the time read his moving message.  Fran Antunovich Esposito and Linda Scott Salemi have also added heart-felt messages to the GENERAL COMMENTS section.  Be sure to check out their messages as well.
- Pook Siprin Bellini

We Mourn the Passing of Bill Coleman

With great sadness we learned that Bill Coleman passed away this morning.  Bill served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam where he was wounded in 1968.  He later became a career firefighter and N.Y.S. Arson Investigator, after graduating from the N.Y.S. Academy of Fire Science.  Bill served as Fire Chief in Ossining and retired in 1988.  Condolences go out to Bill's family.

50th Reunion Update

We're now just a little bit more than a year away from our 50th reunion!  If you haven't already done so, MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW for the weekend of September 25-27, 2015!  Mike Sellazzo and Carol Moshier Desiderio have been working hard to come up with some great activities and venues for our reunion weekend.  The main reunion event on Saturday night will be held at the Cortlandt Colonial Restaurant in Cortlandt Manor (Peekskill).  Other events for the weekend are still being worked out.  It is possible that there will be several options for Saturday daytime events, allowing for everyone to decide what they would like to do.  

2 John Walsh Blvd.

Peekskill, NY 10566

We have rooms being held for the "Ossining High School Class of 1965" group at the new Peekskill Holiday Inn Express.  Currently 20 rooms are being held, and more rooms may be added, if needed.  The cut-off date for reservations is August 24, 2015.  Our rate (for either Standard King or 2 Queens) is $149+ tax per night for Friday and Saturday.  (Note that Holiday Inn can't reserve rooms more than one year out, so we can begin making reservations on 9/25/14.)

For reservations, call:
Peekskill Holiday Inn Express:  914-743-5700
Holiday Inn Central Reservations:  1-800-465-4329

Holiday Inn Express and Suites : Peekskill-Lower Hudson Valley

This hotel is 100% smoke-free and features high-speed, wireless Internet access in all rooms. Enjoy the heated pool to relax and rejuvenate after a day spent touring or hiking. Our hotel's guests are invited to enjoy our free, hot Express Start Breakfast Bar. If you want to keep up your workout routine while traveling, then take advantage of our 24-hour Fitness Center.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in 2015!  

We Mourn the Passing of Bob Lauer

We are saddened by the news of the passing of our classmate, Bob Lauer, and extend condolences to his family.  Mike Sellazzo has reported that Bob passed away on September 13th, after a battle with cancer.   Bob was a retired Croton police officer.  He had retired to Florida with his wife, Carmen.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Carmen during this difficult time.

Condolences to Rita Rolls Beirne on the Passing of Her Husband

We are saddened by the news of the passing of John Beirne, husband of Rita Rolls Beirne, on August 4th, after suffering a massive stroke.  Rita and John were married for 44 years and have two sons, Dan and John.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Rita and her family.

Philip Perugini (David's Dad) Honored at Yankee Stadium

The Wounded Warriors Project and New York Yankees have a program to honor Veterans. One Veteran is brought on to the playing field and introduced to the crowd during the 7th inning stretch at Yankee Stadium.

My father, Philip P. Perugini, has been chosen to be so honored on Thursday, August 7, 2014. It is a 1:05 pm game against the Central Division leading Detroit Tigers. My father - a former member of the 101st Airborne Division, Easy Company - was wounded as he parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The World War II exploits of his company were featured in the 2001 HBO mini-series, “Band of Brothers.”
- David Perugini

We're so proud of your Dad, David!  We all remember him well from our OHS days!  
-Pook Bellini

New Directory Update

NEW DIRECTORY UPDATE FOR 8/5/2014!

I just released a new edition of our Class Directory. Along with the usual address, email and phone updates and such, I've added birthdays to our listings plus a one-page chronological calendar of all known birthdays. I also located some missing NOW photos of a few classmates.

Look in your email INBOX for my message containing the link to the download. If it's not in your INBOX, notify me and we'll figure out what went wrong.

- David J Perugini