“Back to School” after 46 years

Our “Back to School” reunion event on Friday, March 20th was a great success with over 80 people attending the tour of Lusher Charter School/ Fortier Campus and over 120 attending the buffet dinner that night at The French Market Restaurant in the Vieux Carre.

On that beautiful Friday morning, we gathered on the Freret Street front steps of our Alma Mater for name badges, photos, and a welcome address by Lusher CEO, Kathy Riedlinger who invited us to become involved with this wonderful school. She knew the reputation of the Class of ‘63 and recognized our Shirley Trusty Corey who had aided the school on many occasions. While the school had had many groups visit in the past, we were the largest to visit the arts-based charter school.

Serious planning between the school and your Reunion Committee had gone into our visit. Lusher’s Administrative Assistant, Pat Dover, and Parent & Community Liaison, Jenny Cromer were our working partners in bringing the Fortier Class of ’63 “Back to School”. The Committee had decided that the tour would only be effective, and fun, if the students were there and we could see them in rehearsal and practicing their arts. That’s why we gathered on a Friday.

Newspaper articles, we separated into three smaller groups in order to fit into the classrooms and rehearsal halls. Each group had a handpicked guide. One group started in the renovated gym. (A German company had been so impressed with the school that the company donated 1.9 million dollars for the gym renovation.) Another group started in the Band Room where the Advanced Jazz Ensemble was rehearsing. (Peter Dombourian would have been proud.) And our third group started with a visit to the Advanced Dance Class. As the groups rotated around the air-conditioned school, we were also awed by visits to the blackout theatre, orchestra and violin classes, chemistry, and physics labs, and especially by the presentations at each location by faculty members.

Our tour groups ended together in the beautifully restored library. A closing address by Lusher Senior High Principal, Fortier Class of ‘66’s Wiley Ates was greatly appreciated. His clever closing of “That is all” was chosen to remind us of our own principal, Dr. Schwertz.

Please learn more about Lusher Charter School at http://lusherschool.org. Be sure to click on and read “About Lusher” and also click on the “Fortier Campus” tab. Many members of the Reunion Committee, as well as other classmates from the tour, are interested in a continuing relationship with Lusher. Several ideas will be discussed.

When we first started planning this event, we were concerned that a Friday event would not draw as many classmates as a Saturday event, that some would not be able to get away from work obligations. But we should have known better. We should have known that the Class of ’63 loves to get together, see each other, reminisce, and talk and talk and talk. The 122 attendees surpassed the turnout for the 60th Birthday Party (116).

The Friday night buffet dinner filled the Private Party second floor of the restaurant. Many classmates had taken the opportunity to have a three-day weekend.

Many came from out of town to take advantage of an opportunity to visit relatives and friends who live here. Classmates came from California, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Florida, and Texas. It’s interesting where our lives have taken us. The majority of us still live in the Greater New Orleans area, but large percentages live in Baton Rouge, Mississippi, Texas and Florida. Many of those who have moved from the GNO area still have family in the area and visit often. Family comes first in our lives. Our parents taught us that.

The restaurant’s Chef W. Clayton Kendrick did a first class job in helping us plan the buffet dinner. He offered several of his specialty dishes including his jambalaya, seafood pasta, and Bourbon bread pudding. He added salad and fried catfish and even took care of three vegetarian classmates. The service was excellent.

We had previously seen the long, wide balcony of the second floor, but were advised that the balcony and its many tables could only be used if the weather permitted. The weather was spectacular. It was perfect. Without the balcony, we would have been elbow to elbow.

The Committee had agreed to ask the school for our tour on either Friday, March 20th or Friday, March 27th. The school chose March 20th. On March 27th, we all listened to tornado warnings and street flooding advisories. There were major rainstorms that day and the entire weekend.

There are many reasons that the Committee decided against a 45th Reunion and in favor of a series of smaller events that would lead up to the 50th Reunion in 2013. At our next meeting, the Committee will consider several venues for future smaller events and also begin to gather information on hotels and bands for the big 50th.

As always, the event was the result of a Tarponly team effort of the Reunion Committee…. Ben, Nelson, Bonnie, Anne, Lynda Lee, Earlyn, Barbara, Leif, Jack, Linda, Emile, Lynne, Jonnie, Kathy, Myron, Pam, Peggy. You’re the greatest!!

Thanks to John Hickman for your hard work and diligence in heading the critical Contact Committee.

Thanks Anne for sharing your home for our meetings.

Thanks, Nelson and Bonnie for being there when we needed you.

What a treat to have Shirley Trusty Corey join us for a meeting and at the school. A mutual admiration exists between Shirley and the Class of ’63.

We miss George Solomon.

A special thanks goes to Ben Mathews for his masterly handling of our year-round website.

The website is the key to attendance at future events. If your street address, phone number, or e-mail address changes, please “Update Your Info” on the website. The Reunion Committee’s biggest concern is that a classmate will be sitting at home missing an event because they didn’t know about it. Other than your visits to our website, E-mails are our first line of contact with you. Postcards are not as reliable and cost about $150 for each mailing.

Thanks to all of you classmates who came and enjoyed the “Back to School” event.

There’s still a lot more fun to come in the years ahead.

Fortier Forever,
Hank