This will be updated occasionally to keep the main page less cluttered.

 

EVENT SUMMARY, July 18 - 19, 2008
At our meeting on September 26th, the committee decided that our 25 year class reunion will be the weekend of July 18-20, 2008, with the primary event (and suggested hotel accommodations) held at the Arlington Park Sheraton. Following is a list of each event with details:

Friday, 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Day at the Races (Arlington Park)

Here's a Google Map to the Racetrack
The plan is to meet in the picnic area around 3:00 PM, which is about when the first race goes off.  Several of the committee members will be there, and we'll have a PHS Flag to mark our territory.  The more the merrier, so come early and win some money!  Note that this is generally a no-frills event.  There was no specific RSVP list, we can't offer any discounts for tickets, and the race track would not allow us to specifically reserve space or post any banners.  However, it's a great meeting place for many of the early arrivers for the weekend, and a nice primer for the evening event . . .

Friday, 7:00 PM - ?????
Durty Nellie's Pre-Reunion Gathering

If you haven't been to Durty Nellie's since our 20 year reunion, you are in for a surprise!  Not only has the bar changed dramatically, they moved about three blocks away in December 2003 and are now located off of Smith Street just north of the train tracks.  Here's a Google Map of it's location.  We have a rough attendance list in the RSVP section, though from past experience this tends to be quite inaccurate as we usually get many more people showing up than are listed.  This is fine as there are no set minimums or limits - just show up and have a great time!

The evening starts at 7:00 PM and basically keeps going until the bar closes.  Weather permitting we will basically have the entire upstairs beer patio - but in the event of inclement weather we will be located in the bandroom.  However, the current forecast is for hot & clear weather, so head upstairs to the patio!  You should enter by the main band entrance doors (north side of the building, under the marquee).  There will be a doorman collecting a $20 per person entry fee; this covers reunion costs including the food, access to drink specials and the cover charge for the band.  Once you get up to the beer garden you will be greeted by a committee member (probably Andy Locascio or Mike Gerlach) and will get a nametag.  The doorman will also provide you with a wristband that gives you access to all of our reunion-related specials at the bar.  These include the following:

  • Pizza, wings, veggie tray and chips/salsa (out until roughly 10 PM or so)

  • Special reduced prices on drinks anywhere within Durty Nellies:

    • Beer bottles - Goose Island Summertime, Sam Adams Light, Bud Select, maybe a couple more.  Beer drafts - Stella and Hoegaarden (and maybe a couple more).

    • Drinks - Margaritas, House Wine, Kamikazes.

    • Other - for those not drinking (or just needing a break), soda is complimentary.

  • Baggo boards will be set up for our use.

  • The band "Sixteen Candles" will be performing that evening in the band room (start time approx. 10 PM). They are an excellent 80's music band - a thanks to Mark (the owner of Nellies) for getting them scheduled for our event!

Saturday, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Palatine High School Tour

This was a very popular event at the 20 Year reunion and is a great chance to revist the place where most of us spent four years of our lives.  If you are interested in attending, please be at the school no later than 10:00 PM.  Jeff Johnson, Melanie Duncan-Maione and perhaps a couple other committee members will be there to greet you - coffee and doughnuts will be complimentary.  Representatives from Palatine High School will also be on hand to take you down, around and through memory lane.  You will certainly be surprised at how much seems familiar, yet has changed.  A worthwhile experience, even if you're still hung over from the Nellies experienced the evening before!  

In case you forgot where our school is located, here's a Google Map link.

Saturday, 7:00 PM - 1:00 AM
THE MAIN EVENT...
We are in the Arlington Ballroom at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest, which is the hotel right next to the Arlington Park Race Track - if you are unsure on how to get there, here's a Google map of it's location.  If you purchased a ticket in advance you are already on the master list of invitees and will be quickly checked in at the door. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $110 (cash or check only).  Cocktails start at 7:00 PM, with dinner being served from 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM.  No assigned seating, and the dress code is "causal but tasteful" - translated, "just don't dress like a slob!"

The entire committee has worked very hard to help make this reunion a memorable event and really hope that over these last few days more people choose to come.  We feel we've come up with an outstanding deal for everyone attending the main event.  During our decision process we have learned from past events and took advice from many of our fellow classmates.  For the Saturday July 19th main event you can expect:

  • A beautiful, conveniently located hotel with plenty of amenities.

  • Less crowded, private environment, perfect for relaxing and catching up with fellow classmates.

  • Expansive menu with several different food stations - CLICK HERE for the menu

  • FIVE hours of open bar, with multiple bars servicing us.

  • More entertainment & dancing throughout the evening, with a full-time DJ.

  • Some raffles and giveaways are planned.

  • A special Reunion slide show will be running all night.

  • Photographer on site (better setup than for our 20 year).

  • All this for a lower ticket price than most PHS reunions held over the past few years!

If you are still not sure about attending the reunion main event, please take a moment to read this. To view or download a PDF copy of the invites, click here.

Sunday and Beyond...
At the moment we don't have anything planned for Sunday, and after a long weekend perhaps that's a good thing!  What we will do is update the website shortly after the reunion, also setting up a section for uploading pictures, posting comments, etc.  We encourage all classmates to check back frequently to this site for all new post-reunion updates.


 
Room Reservations & Rates (updated 7/9/08)

UPDATE: our special room block cutoff date has expired at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest (Arlington Park Sheraton), and unfortunately they appear to have sold out of rooms for our weekend.

If you were still hoping to get a hotel room, the Sheraton has worked out a deal with Hotel Indigo (920 E. Northwest Highway, Palatine - it's the hotel right next to the Cotillion, where we had our 20 year event).  As a professional courtesy this hotel will honor our special $99 per night room rates and they also offer a shuttle service to and from the reunion.  Rooms and rates are subject to availability, so it's highly recommended that you get your reservations done ASAP.
For reservations at the Hotel Indigo, CALL THEM at (847) 359-6900, and when making reservations be sure to mention you are with the Palatine High School Reunion Class of 1983. 

For more info on the Sheraton, you can visit the hotel info online at www.sheratonchicagonw.com.  They have a ton of amenities, plus feature a very cool indoor water park that's good for both kids and old folks like ourselves!  We have a special rate for these which will save you about $10 per pass purchased.  For more information or to purchase a pass, please go to www.cocokeywaterresort.com, click on EZPASS, and type in your promo code PALATINE after selecting number of passes and date you wish to attend.


 
RSVP List of Attendees

We started off pretty well in terms of pre-ticket sales, but THE COMMITTEE NEEDS YOUR HELP - the sooner you buy your tickets the better as it helps the committee better plan and allocate resources.  Are you still not sure about attending?  If so, please read this short writeup...hopefully it will help convince you on the fun you'll have by joining your fellow classmates for our 25th. 

For the Saturday Main Event, here's a list of classmates who have have already purchased tickets or indicated they are attending (in bold), along with those who (via the web or e-mails) stated they may be coming and/or are definitely attending Durty Nellies.  Note that this list only covers information received directly from fellow classmates to date.

As of 7/16/08:
(does not include spouses or significant others)

Jack Amell

Marc Andre

Dave Andriano

Tim Arnold

Bill Bass

Sandra Bauman

Liz Bender

Dina Benson-Huskie

Mark Betz

Mary Birks-Sleppy

Erik Bo-Hansen

Laura Brown-Dour

Carol Brown-Latham

Julie Bunting-Poland

Cathy Butler-Daleiden

Timothy Byrne

Lisa Calarco-Crivolio

Elizabeth Carlson

Maribeth Chambers

Ed Cheatham

Patty Claps-Creager

Kara Clausen

Adam Contino

Patrick Courtney

Laura Daugherty-McConkey

Robert Diaz

Gene Dorsch

Melanie Duncan-Maione

Brad Eckenroth

Jill Eunson-Stonis

Laurette Ferraresi

Cheryl Flynn-Coloney

Jon Foster

Carlos Fracchia

Kim Fronczak-Mooneyham

Paul Furtak

Janet Gallagher-Mobille

Mike Gerlach

Michael Giampa

Mike Gibson
Greg Gildea

Ginnette Gilmartin

James Godsey

Jennifer Graveline-Yochem

Jennifer Grealish

Gordon Greb

Susan Greenhill-Reisman

Kari Groberg-Mitchell

John Guss

Randy Hembrey

Lynda Hetman-Betz

Rich Huss

Nancy Iwans

Jim Iuorio

C.J. Johnson

Jeffrey Johnson

Mike Kapsch

Jacqueline Koester-Sagan

Jeff Kraeger

Elizabeth Kramer

Laura Langer-Rettke

Jennifer Larson-Thurber

Paul Laschinski

Krista Leahy-Voltolina

Andy Locascio

Randy Lock

Dan Loughmiller

Tom Loverde

John Lundin

Kelly Lyng-Knetsch

Erin MacEachen-Travis

Bill Maher

Lisa Maher-Estes

David Marsala

Earl Martin

Skip Martin

Brad Maxedon

Steve May

Matt McElman

Bryan McGonigal

Jill McGovern-Loveall

Tom Meagher

Matilda Meza-Ryan

Darroll Miller

Mary Pat Miller-Zolna

Jon Mirski

Robert Mitchell

Corina Mueller-Baker

Lori Nelson-Eshoo
Aline Nguyen-Hinkle

Joseph Niedzwiedz

Robin Novak-Tucker

John O'Driscoll

Tim O'Hara

Colleen Patten-Fenton

Sue Peotter-Willard

Amy Pieper-Kendrick

Darin Pope

Donna Pugliano-Frazier

Leon Rebodos

Krista Reddington

Mark Rumlow

Susan Russell-Harry

Rayed Saleh

Camille Sammons-Shoaf

Andy Samoore

Thomas Schaffer

Julie Schaffnit-Shields

David Schreiner

Stephanie Schulewitz-Saxsma

Ruth Schuster

Robyn Schwartz-Huss

Reid Seidner

Dave Shoaf

Brenda Sladek-Clapp

Robert Sleppy

Loretta Spaniol-Hedges

Kimberly Stander-Drews

Beth Stein-Kurlander

Susan Struble-Priebe

Michael Sydorowicz

Carrie Tholl-Bellis

Mike Updike

Jill Vandervieren-Gildea

Carla Vollenweider-Irving

Bradford Von Readen

Sandra Walters-Ryan

Brett Weiss

Lisa Weninger-Selsky

Joe Wiegand

Shan Wilde-Vogt

 

 

Other Weekend Events - Results and Plans:

First and foremost, Friday Night @ Durty Nellies will start at 7:00 PM - more details soon.

Thank you to everyone who voted over the past few weeks.  Some of the results were close...the committee is pleased to announce that we will be sponsoring a FRIDAY AFTERNOON Day at the Races and a PHS School Tour on Saturday (late morning).  There is also a chance that we may add in a Sunday Brunch depending on perceived turnout.  Here's the results:

  1. PHS School Tour (Saturday) - 26.2%
  2. Friday Day at the Races - 24.6%
  3. Saturday Day at the Races - 21.6%
  4. Sunday Brunch @ the Sheraton - 13.9%
  5. Water Park Party @ the Sheraton - 7.6%
  6. Other ideas - 6.1%

Obviously if anyone wants to hit the race track on Saturday, or take advantage of our special rates on the water park, you are free to do so.  More info on both the Friday Day at the Races and PHS School Tour will be posted in the near future.

 

"Official" invites have been mailed!

Through classmate updates and our postcard mailing we've collected slightly over 400 physical mailing addresses that we believe are valid.  These people have been sent an "official" reunion invitation by mail, which were dropped off at the post office on May 22nd (there was a date typo on the mailing envelope, but it should have been manually corrected).  We encourage everyone who receives an invitation to return the RSVP card - even if you aren't planning on attending - as this will help us further verify current mailing addresses.

NOTE - every one of our 595 fellow Class of 1983 classmates are invited.  You do NOT need an "official" invite to attend any of the events!  Refer to the info on purchasing tickets.

If you don't get an invitation in the mail, and if you did not receive the postcard reminder from us back in early April, that probably means we do not have a valid mailing address for you.  Unfortunately we cannot mail an invitation to the people listed in this file, because we either have no mailing info or a previous address in our database has been confirmed as incorrect.  If you see your name on this list, you can help us by submitting updated contact information via the Classmates page or e-mail (reunion@phs1983.com).  Additionally, if you have any info about others on this list, you're encouraged to provide any updates possible.

 

Did you get our postcard reminder???  Our E-mail updates???

Back at the end of March the committee mailed out a postcard reminder to all physical addresses we have in our database - over 460 - and as expected many were returned as undeliverable and/or unable to forward (approximately 90 to date).  We are aware that many of these addresses are old - some may be your original parent's house - but here's the question:  DID YOU GET IT?  If not, odds are good that we don't have your current mailing address.  Please visit our classmates page and update your profile.  In the meantime, we will be sorting through the invalid addresses from our postcard mailing and updating the database accordingly. 

The last three e-mail update messages went out on April 28, April 21 and April 4.  If you don't get this message we may still be missing or have incorrect e-mail contact information for you.  Please visit our Classmates page to update it.

 

Committee Tasks and Upcoming Plans

Back in the late fall we put together several different subcommittees - Main Event, Fundraising, General Events, Yearbook, Invitation, and Friday Night/Durty Nellies.  All committee members will handle the ongoing classmate searches, and the committee chairman (Bryan McGonigal) is in charge of this website and primary communication efforts.  Several people have committed to working in more than one committee, and we can always use additional help.  If you are a classmate and can devote even a small amount of time to the reunion efforts, please let us know.  Also, in the Contact Us section is a full list of committee members and associated tasks.

What will be happening over the next couple months:

 

WE NEED YOUR HELP with the Classmate Info section!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Our Classmates page contains lists of individuals that have either outdated or no contact information.  Any help you can provide to update yourself or track down others would be appreciated - in fact on that page is an easy submit form to send us info. Please go to our Classmates Page to fill out complete contact information.  Note that this info is for our records; it will remain confidential and will NOT be published or distributed.  Please also feel free to send info directly to reunion@phs1983.com.

In terms of recent updates, from January 21 through May 19 we have received nearly 150 updates directly from classmates!  Some confirmed current info we already had but most contained new or updated contact info.  THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to help.  The committee will continue to send out requests to locate missing fellow classmates, and we would really appreciate your help.  Any leads we can get are fine, but a valid e-mail address is the most important as most of our notifications will be sent out this way.

 

New Site Updates

(1/20/08)This is long overdue but finally the "new" site is up and fully functional.  Originally the plan was to do a more fancy flash-based site, but with all my delays and various time constraints the decision of  functionality over flashiness has prevailed.  A few of the links are carryovers from the 20th Reunion site, and some still need some development, but for the most part the site is completed.  There will likely be some additional content added as we get closer to the event, along with any advertising as it becomes available.  All future reunion updates will be posted right here on the main page, and some archives may make their way over to the forums section.  For the past several months there were little changes on this website, but officially at this moment - mid-January - you can expect to see much more frequent updates posted right here.

 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Web and e-mail updates coming in early January

Seasons Greetings to all of our PHS classmates!  Where has the time gone, it's almost 2008!

Updates to this site and other planned things have been painfully delayed...nothing to blame but work and daily life getting in the way.  Nonetheless, the plan is still to have this fully updated as soon as possible, and as in the past the timeframe has moved again.  I am targeting early January for the full site update along with additional reunion info passed along to everyone.  Fortunately the most important news that needed to be shared - the reunion dates and place - has been available for the past few months.

At our most recent committee meeting (November 29th) we went over lots of general topics, plus put together a "find the classmate" breakdown by committee member.  In January it's likely you may be hearing from one of our committee members regarding any address or e-mail updates.  Additionally, as has been promised, there will be a new system and list posted right here to hopefully facilitate the process.

In closing, I'd like to pass along my best to a long-time friend, fellow classmate and reunion committee member Leon Rebodos, who due to a potential aortic aneurysm underwent emergency open heart surgery on December 6th.  As of this writing (12/24) he's doing much better and is home for the holidays.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

The next committee meeting is Thursday, January 17th, 7:00 PM, place TBD.  More info will be posted after the holidays.  If you are not on the committee but would like to attend, feel free to come by.

 

It's official - 25th Reunion Date and Place Set!
July 18-20, 2008

At our meeting on September 26th, the committee decided that our reunion date will be the weekend of July 18-20, 2008, with the primary event (and suggested hotel accommodations) held at the Arlington Park Sheraton.  We will of course also have the Durty Nellies gathering on Friday night, plus potentially a few other fun events such as a "Day at the Races" and a post-reunion bbq (to be determined later).  More details on the decision process and upcoming committee tasks will be posted in the FORUM section in the near future. 

The contract with the Sheraton is being finalized now, so more info on room reservations and what to expect at the event will be posted later.  During our decision process we have learned from past events and took advice from many of our fellow classmates.  Rest assured we will have more bars/bartenders, more room, more DJ dancing time and more privacy...all of this at a cost that should NOT be significantly higher than what was paid at the 20th! 

The committee has been almost fully divided into subcommittees to handle the events.  More will be discussed at the upcoming committee meetings.  As usual these meetings are open to all classmate, so anyone who wants to attend is welcome to stop by.

If you have any questions, comments, etc. please let us know at reunion@phs1983.com  Also, as has been promised, there will be some major website updates coming soon that will include a full classmate list and a handy online form to update current information.

 

Check out and join the FORUM!

PHS '83 FORUM

Be sure to view and sign up at the OFFICIAL PHS Class of 1983 forum! This is an interactive bulletin board that will be used to post topics, ideas, suggestions, announcements, updated info, etc. It will also contain postings on committee meetings, missing classmates, and other notes where further input from you would be helpful. This will keep our main page less cluttered and the info more organized.

Main topics include the Reunion Wishlist (for various postings on your ideas for the reunion), Classmate Search (lists of missing people and a place to post & request classmate info), and Announcements and Useful Info (area for personal announcements, sharing business and services info, all committee meeting notes and other various general topics). A "guestbook" may also be set up there in the near future.  Anyone can view the sections, but you will need to do a quick registration if you want to post anything. It takes just a minute as you set up a very basic account with a username and password. This helps keep the "riff-raff" off the boards!

If you've used online forums, knowledge bases or bulletin boards before, you'll find this very easy to navigate. If you're new to this process, you should find it relatively intuitive...plus there are some help files and FAQs available. If all else fails,
e-mail me and I'll provide some additional instructions.

Slightly abbreviated summaries of our committee notes and meetings are posted in the FORUM section
Announcements and Useful Info - Committee Notes. The latest writeup covers our small committee meeting on 8/29, then another small meeting/appointment at the Arlington Park Sheraton on 9/8. Additionally, the info from our first meeting (August 9th) is already posted and will remain there for reference. Some of the latest meetings (9/27, 11/29, January 2008) may be posted in the future.

 

Meeting Updates on the Forum

Slightly abbreviated summaries of our committee notes and meetings are posted in the FORUM section Announcements and Useful Info - Committee Notes (see below link and info for details). The latest writeup covers our small committee meeting on 8/29, then another small meeting/appointment at the Arlington Park Sheraton on 9/8. Additionally, the info from our first meeting (August 9th) is already posted and will remain there for reference.  Some of the latest meetings (9/27, 11/29) may be posted in the future.

 

It's time to start the planning for the 25th...

Getting started on this project has been slow in coming but certainly not forgotten.  We're officially kicking off the planning with an OPEN meeting on Thursday, August 9th at Durty Nellies in Palatine.  Start time is 7:00 PM.  Anyone and everyone involved with the Class of '83 is is encouraged to attend, have a few drinks and pass along some of your input on next summer's main event.

Please note that this simply a casual first gathering so that we can assess some of the needs and figure out what's required to take the next steps.  Do not worry as your attendance is NOT an automatic commitment to be on the committee, and if you miss the meeting that doesn't mean you can't still help!  Further details will be sorted out and posted online after this first meeting.

Returning committee members are Lisa Calarco (Crivolio), Patty Claps (Creager), Janet Gallagher (Mobille), Jennifer Grealish, Jeff Johnson, Bryan McGonigal and Mike Updike.  We welcome any individual who would be willing to help at some level to join us - the more people involved, the more dynamic the planning, the easier the jobs for everyone, and the better the results.  We hope to see you on August 9th!