July 8, 2024 - This is a reminder to send in your money in as soon as possible for the dinner reservation on Wednesday evening, September 18th. $45.00 for one person -$90.00 for a couple. Thank you.......
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May 10, 2024
1959 Wa-Hi 65th Class Reunion
September 17, 18 and 19, 2024
It is very hard to believe it has been 65 years since we graduated from Walla Walla High
School! Because there is so much involved in the mailing process, this will be the only letter we
will be sending to let you know about our upcoming 65th Wa-Hi Class of 1959 Reunion. Hopefully
all of you who are interested in attending will let us know soon by making your reservation with
us and sending in payment for the dinner we have planned. It is a considerably more difficult
task finding classmates this time and telephone numbers, addresses and email addresses as a
large number of our friends and classmates have moved to other living facilities and also have
given up their landlines. We are hopeful we will hear from all of you soon. If you know of any
classmate who would like to attend but is unable to pay the fee, please let us know as we have
other classmates who would like to help in that way. We want everyone to be able to attend no
matter their financial situation. It will all be kept in confidence.
This year we have voted to invite classmates from other classes. Some of us attended the
reunion last year for the class of 1958 and found it very enjoyable. Feel free to pass this on to
other friends you know from the class before or after us. The cost will be the same for them.
Please have them get in touch with Ann, Bud or myself if they have any questions.
As in the past, we will meet informally on Tuesday, September 17th 2024 from 5:30 to 10:00 for
a no host gathering/get re-acquainted party at the Big House Pub & Restaurant, 11 S. Palouse
(Corner of E. Main/Boyer & Palouse) They have a large menu of both food and beverages. We
are hopeful the weather will permit us to be on the patio where it is easier to move around from
table to table to allow more visiting.
On Wednesday, September 18th at 11:00 there is a no host luncheon for both guys and gals at El
Sombrero Restaurant – North Second Street. This is another chance to get in more visiting and
also enjoy a good lunch.
Later Wednesday, September 18th we will meet at the Walla Walla Country Club at 5:00 for our
meet and greet social prior to a lovely buffet dinner. We will definitely have some gluten free
items on our menu, along with a complete meal followed by dessert. The price per person for
this is $45.00. This will be the only charge we are asking our classmates to pay.
Thursday, September 19th we have a picnic planned at the home of Gayle Sanders (Class of ’58)
and his wife Jeanne Ruecker, 3165 Wild Rose Lane. They have a beautiful yard with large shade
trees and lots of parking space. All food will be provided by the Class of ’59, so please come and
enjoy a very casual lunch and more visiting. We plan to begin around 11:00 a.m. and end around
3:00 p.m.
Directions: Drive south past Prospect Point School to Baker Langdon Road. Turn Right on
Langdon Road and go a short distance to Wild Rose Lane. Turn right and head back to where
you can see others have already parked.
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Planned Itinerary
Date: Tuesday, Sept.17, 2024
Time: 5:30 – 10:00 p.m.
Place: The Big House, formerly Mill Creek Brew Pub & Restaurant
11 S. Palouse Street - (Corner of E. Main/Boyer & Palouse)
Food and Drink: No-host – they have a large menu (available to view on line) of both food and
beverages.
Attire: Casual – there is an outdoor area we plan to use if the weather is favorable.
The restaurant is quite large inside, so seating should not be a problem.
This is a very informal & fun gathering.
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024 - Ladies & Gents
Time: 11:00 a.m. - ?
Place: El Sombrero Restaurant – North Second Street (4 W. Oak Street)
Food and Drink: No-host – Luncheon
Attire: Casual
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024
Time: 5:00 p.m. – No-host cocktails
6:15 p.m. – Buffet Dinner & Music
Place: Walla Walla Country Club, 1390 Country Club Road
Food: Complete buffet – Antipasto, Classic Caesar Salad, Rolls & Vegetable, Wild
Rice Pilaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Salmon and Steak, Ice Cream Sundae Bar
for Dessert
Drinks: There will be a no-host bar set up for cocktails, wine, or soft drinks for
purchase. If you choose to bring wine with you, there is a corkage fee per
bottle.
Entertainment: Roger Muller will provide background music for the evening.
Charge: $45.00 per person or $90.00 per couple
Attire: Business casual (khaki pants, nice jeans, golf acceptable shorts, collared
shirts)
Date: Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Place: Gayle Sanders & Jeanne Ruecker’s, 3165 Wild Rose Ln
Food and Drink: Hosted by the Class of ‘59 – Luncheon
Attire: Casual
There are many activities we could plan in addition to the events we have listed; however, if
anyone would like to volunteer to put a plan together for a tour of Walla Walla, tour of Walla
Walla High School, tour of the wineries, tour of Fort Walla Walla Museum, Whitman Mission, or
any other tour you might be interested in, we ask that you contact us soon and we can give you
names and numbers of a bus company or limousine service that specializes in that sort of thing.
We are happy to assist, but we ask that others come forward to help. With the internet so
available, it is much easier now than ever to be a helper from a distance, and it is very
appreciated by those of us who have been doing most of it here. New ideas are always welcome!
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Golf can be organized for Wednesday morning at the Country Club. Please contact Bud Kinzer
or Dick Gray (509-520-1513) to make golf arrangements.
Walla Walla has numerous motels available, but they have a tendency to become filled early due
to the colleges and wineries and many other events in our area. We would suggest making your
reservations early to avoid any disappointment of being unable to stay where you desire.
Best Western Plus Walla Walla Suites Inn ....... (509) 525-4700
LaQuinta Inn .............................................................. (509) 394-8815
Hampton Inn............................................................... (509) 525-1398
Holiday Inn Express ................................................ (509) 525-6200
The Marcus Whitman .............................................. (509) 525-2200
Comfort Inn & Suites ............................................. (888) 775-4252
Marriott Courtyard ................................................. (888) 780-7925
We would also like to remind you our website is still up and available. We have tried to keep
things updated on it but it’s difficult when we aren’t always aware of news or other information
that should be entered. You are all still welcome to go in and update anything on your profile or
add pictures, comments, guest book, etc. The website is: http://bluedevils59.com/. Go into
the Classmates section and search for your name and picture. Click on Edit and a box will come
up asking for username and password. If you have forgotten, just click on the box provided and
another box comes up asking for your email address. Fill that in and send it. The company who
owns the website will then email you your information. If you are still unable to access it, give
me a call and I will attempt to help you. (Pat Herring Lucarelli, 509-520-7310)
We are trying to make this gathering a fun and easy time to get together and just catch up with
good friends. We are sad to say that many more of our good friends and classmates have
passed away, and it reminds us how important it is to enjoy one another while we are able.
We have already had some notes from classmates saying they will not be able to attend because
they have various “issues”. Believe me, you are not alone – remember, we are all the same age
and most of us have various “issues” as well – from hearing loss, mobility, health, medical, etc……
Growing up in Walla Walla was pretty special to most of us, and our friendships continue to be
very important. We have offers from people who will assist if needed, so please don’t hesitate
to call one of us to ask questions.
We have tried to keep our costs as low as possible. We ask that you pay in advance for the
Wednesday night event so we have a firm number for reservations. We have to guarantee our
numbers to the Country Club by September 3, 2024.
Again, the cost is $45.00 per person or $90.00 per couple.
Send your money to:
Wa-Hi Class of ’59
752 Blalock Drive
Walla Walla, WA 99362
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We will talk more at the Wednesday night party about whether or not we want to keep the
website up for another five years.
Please contact us if you have any questions or suggestions. We are always happy to hear from
you and would love other ideas and suggestions on how to make this a fun reunion. Our mailings
are costly and a lot of work, so please watch our website, (www.bluedevils59.com) and we will
try and keep changes posted there.
Contacts: Pat (Herring) Lucarelli
(509) 520-7310
jplucarelli@charter.net
Ann Ray
(509) 522-2187
Bud Kinzer
(509) 301-0060
bbkinzer620@gmail.com
PLEASE SEND YOUR RESERVATIONS
& MONEY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
We have recently added this to our website because of the interest some classmates have shown to see more and learn more about the Walla Walla Public Schools.
To learn more about the history of Walla Walla Public Schools, please click on the following link:
http://historyofwwps140.blogspot.com/
Arrow over to the right and you will find the search bar. Enter a school name or something you might like to view. Enjoy........there is a lot of very interesting content on this website!
Planned Itinerary
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019 5:30 – 10:00
Place: The Big House Pub & Restaurant, 11 S. Palouse
(Corner of E. Main/Boyer & Palouse)
Food and Drink: No host – they have a large menu of both food and beverages.
Attire: Casual – there is an outdoor area we plan to use if the weather is
cooperative. The restaurant is quite large in size inside, so seating
should not be a problem.
This is a very informal & fun gathering.
Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 – Casual – Ladies, No-host luncheon
Place: El Sombrero Restaurant – North Second Street
Time: 11:30 AM - ?
Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 – Golf outing being arranged by Bud
Kinzer and Dick Gray– Please contact Bud at 509-301-0600 or Dick at 509-525-0337 for times, etc.
Place: Walla Walla Country Club, 1390 Country Club Road
Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 – 4:30PM – 5:45PM
Place: Dick & Mary Ann Gray’s Home – 1225 Lancer Drive - informal gathering
prior to the evening event.
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019 6:00 PM – No host cocktails
7:00 PM – BBQ Dinner & Music
Place: Walla Walla Country Club, 1390 Country Club Road
Food & Drink: Buffet BBQ Dinner & drinks (no host bar)
There will be a bar set up for cocktails, wine, or soft drinks for
purchase. If you choose to bring wine with you, there is a $13.00
corking fee per bottle.
Music by the Gems (Jim Reid from our Wa-Hi Class of ‘59 is a member
of this group!)
Charge: $45.00 per person or $90.00 per couple
Attire: Business casual (Khaki pants, nice jeans, golf acceptable collared shirts)
We are planning to have a group picture taken at 6:55 PM (just before dinner begins), so please be there in plenty of time so you are not missed in the photo. You can sign up at the door, and there will be a small charge (cash, please) for a print of this photo to be mailed to you.
Come join the fun!