Another Bernie Worrell sighting

                                                 77 days until the 50th Reunion
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Saturday, June 23, 2012, Lou Bace Hogan, and her husband, Ed, and, Ed Guididas, and his wife, Mary Lou, traversed the wide wilds of New Jersey to attend the Fourth Annual Local and Legend Music Festival at the Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes to see Bernie Worrell and his orchestra. [Read Bernie's Wiki entry and you might be surprised to discover, as I was, that long before he was our classmate he had already made a couple of remarkable musical achievements.]

Bernie Worrell live at Ringoes

The theme for this particular 4th edition of the music festival was a tribute to and celebration of Bernie's 65 years in music. Kinda makes a 50th celebration of anything less significant in comparison.

If you click the picture to larger size and look very, very closely you might be able to see both Lou Hogan's and Ed Guididas' signatures on the poster.                        Or not.

While Lou and Ed, and, Ed and Mary Lou, - - stay with me here - - were setting up their chairs around 5:15 PM they heard the band on stage mention Bernie Worrell by name. After that band set was finished Lou and Ed G went up to Bernie and asked him if he recognized them. Well, it's only been a paltry fifty years. Of course he did!                                    Or not.

Bernie was extremely preoccupied then, as you can imagine, but they agreed to get together after his performance. However......

Lou relates: " As luck would have it, Bernie's set-up guy had not shown up so Bernie had to do everything himself which took quite a while." That caused the band to go on much later than scheduled. The rules were that the whole place had to shut down at sundown and everyone had to be gone by then. A casualty of the delay the hoped-for meeting with an exhausted Bernie was all too brief. Just barely enough time for this photo to prove to us that Lou and Ed had really been there and really did meet with Bernie face to face. They also had a great time listening to Bernie and his orchestra perform.

Lou, Bernie and Ed with WOO T-shirt

It's a shame they did not get to talk longer with Bernie. Though I must confess I'm inwardly pleased, that, in all the class, I alone, still hold the record for the most time spent with Bernie at one of his performances. He didn't know it but, that chat and performance was the inspiration for the class blog. For that, I'm indebted to Bernie. If you enjoy visiting here, you are too.

For those who have never heard Bernie perform live, except for his long-ago gig up in Sister Rose's Piano Lounge or at our Alma Mater concerts, you are missing something special. You can visit his website and check out his tour schedule. Unfortunately, he will be in Stowe, Vt. the day of the 50th Reunion. You can even purchase something there to show your support for our talented and distinguished classmate. You can also go to You Tube and dial-in his name. There are quite a number of offerings featuring him there. The following You Tube of Bernie Worrell is just a tiny taste of what that man has done throughout his long and brilliant career.



I know we all wish, Bernie Worrell, and his legion of fans, many awarding years of musical entertainment and enjoyment ahead. We can also hope he got himself a new set-up guy.


Photo credits: Lou and Ed Hogan

Jean Peterson Sinnott

                                                 83 days until the 50th Reunion
                                                                                                                                                              Next on our pre-reunion photo cavalcade is a post almost a year in the making because of some technical difficulties. Jean's husband, Richard, was able to solve the problems. Jean had first taken drawing lessons about ten years ago but only started painting in 2008 when she enrolled in an  art class at a favorite art gallery conducted by the owner/artist. Her chosen medium has always been oil because "it really lets you play with color and texture."

Her first painting is The Train. It's from an old photograph belonging to her husband, Richard.  Trains are his hobby and the painting was done as a surprise gift for him. It's of a NYC bound PRR train at the Rahway station.

This painting is from a photo in one of Jean's favorite English garden magazines.

An early still life done with sunflowers she received from Kroger and a vase from her daughter Laura.

An English cottage photo re-creation.














Last, my personal favorite, for some inexplicable reason, painted from a photo taken in 1994 on her first trip to San Francisco.

The Golden Gate Bridge

All in all, some very nice stylized work done by Jean, especially when you consider that she's only been at it for four years. She has her own art room downstairs at home and when her granddaughter, Reagan, comes to visit "we love to paint together."  Jean's brother, Dick, has been an artist for many years so Reagan probably has inherited genes.

 As to why she only started painting later in life Jean says, "I just never thought I could do it. I really think that anyone who wants to can learn. Try it, you may be pleasantly surprised!" We might recall back in our day a certain, Grandma Moses, who only began painting in her late seventies.

There can be no doubt that the gifts Jean is most proud of are all in the photo below taken last Thanksgiving at her home. They just happened to be surrounded by a few of her paintings.

Seated R to L: Jean's son, Steve, holding his son, Ryan. Steve's wife, Diane, with the budding artist, Reagan. Daughter, Laura, with, Isabelle. Laura's husband, Scott, with, Kennedy.("The twins are walking, holding on. They are doing so well.") Standing: Jean's husband, (and chief photographer), Rich, holding, Lily, their Cavalier King Charles, and, Jean, holding Laura and Scott's son, Christian. Jean adds that Reagan and Ryan had a great time playing with the twins and Christian in the pool on Father's Day.

Jean and Richard Sinnott

Jean is eagerly awaiting the Reunion. " We will have such fun." Looks like she's already starting without us.

Photo credits: Richard Sinnott

Richard did an excellent job squaring up Jean's paintings and photographing them for this post. That is not easy to do.   

Janet Tremblay Pozen

100 days until the 50th Reunion

I asked for some photos that you would like to share while waiting for the 50th Reunion to commence and Janet Tremblay Pozen has been the first to respond. And has she ever!


First up: Janet, with her husband, Robert Gray, and four of their five grandchildren. "Tess came along later."  Now this is exactly the kind of photo I've wanted to put up on the class blog from the very beginning, classmates. Just perfect.

Olivia, Robert, Henry, Janet, Evan and Audrey

Then there's this B&W gem from the past. Can you identify all the kids in the photo?  Unless you went to HT Grammar you would not know who two of the boys are. They didn't go on to HTHS. One boy in the photo did, but, for only two years.

Janet Trembley's 8th grade party

For those who no longer have our freshman yearbook this is how some of us looked that first year at HTHS. The gauntlet has now been thrown down to any of you in 9B and 9C if you want equal time.

Freshman 9A

How good could any of our Blue Brave B-Ball teams have been without these Lady Blue Braves to help raise the crowd and the team's spirits?

Freshman year

Sophomore year

Senior year Lady Blue Braves

And, if that wasn't enough, Janet hosted a mini-reunion of the Massachusetts contingent of HTHS at her home recently. Kathy Amon said it best: " Were we all kneeling or is Bill really that tall?"

Whatever the answer to that question they ALL look absolutely marvelous!

Bill Hogan, Maryann Hogan, Charlie Mattina, Janet Tremblay Pozen, Kathy Barry Amon and Diana Finer


Are you ready to rumble Jersey Girls?

Kathy, Diana and Janet

Thank you, Janet, for all these memories.

  Senior photo          

Photo credits: Janet Tremblay Pozen and Robert Gray  




Answer to Second Trinity Jersey Girls reunion: Pam Dorne Venckus