Wow...I've been away from this much longer than anticipated. In that time period, I've been house hunting, job searching, mortgage-learning, and oh you, know all the other mom/wife/friend stuff. So...a little busy...but I'll try to manage my time a little better.
Class News: 2 babies and a big move among three of our classmates.
Keep the bio info and contact info coming......
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Find #8
Find #8 is probably the furthest from Blairsville, PA. Jay Reed is teaching English in China. The Chinese govt. restricts access to certain websites...so we can say whatever we want about Jay-bird. He will never know.
After adventures out west (including a horse incident that ended his out back adventures), Jay went way east. To South Korea actually. There he met, his lovely wife, Honey. Pictured here at their wedding in Idaho.
Jae is gonna be a poppa this spring. You can keep up-to-date with him on Facebook.
He also put an interesting bio on www.classreport.org/usa/pa/blairsville/bhs. Check it out. And add one of your own!!!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Find #7
Another Blairsville classmate picture found online.....Doug Pickerd.
Last year, Doug (and teammates) won 3rd place for mixed triples inb the Pittsburgh region according to Bullshooter.com.
Congrats to Doug and his fellow shooters.
Doug was very active in the planning of the tenth year reunion. We hope he will be in touch for our 20th!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Remember Graduation?
Blairsville Senior High School Class of 1989 Graduation
Big Thanks to Jill Endress who pulled this photo from her archives. She has more coming...so stay tuned.
Class Motto: by William Arthur Ward
"If you can imagine, You can achieve it. If you can dream it, You can become it."
Class Flower: Red Rose
Big Thanks to Jill Endress who pulled this photo from her archives. She has more coming...so stay tuned.
Blairsville Senior High 1989 graduating class:
Class Motto: by William Arthur Ward
"If you can imagine, You can achieve it. If you can dream it, You can become it."
Class Colors: Red and Black
Class Flower: Red RoseClass Song: "Never Say Goodbye" by Bon Jovi 
(for which my former roommate Courtney will always be jealous)
And just in case you forgot what Bon Jovi looked like back then.........
And just in case you forgot what Bon Jovi looked like back then.........
Ahhh....big '80's hair....
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Find #6
Terri!!!
She was in Virginia/DC area the last I heard from her and about to get married. Since then she has moved off to Texas. Her two lovely daughters have grown into sweet little girls. And she is headed back to DC!
She is loving life as a stay-at-home mom with her wonderful hubby Abe. And apparently takes a ton of pictures of her girls! As she should because they are Too Cute! (And I dare say the younger one seems to have a bit of Terri's bubbly personality coming through.)
She has her own space on myspace.facetothesun.com. (Where I stole this pic) And she has added a great slide show to our classreports.org page.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Find #9
Kind of a find. I found where Jim Rack used to be.
The same place where Elesha is now. Frostburg State.
Apparently they liked him so well...they wanted to clone him.
The tall one in the back is the real Jim........but where are you now? (SEE UPDATE BELOW)
In case you were wondering, Jim Racchini was named Athlete of the week in Nov. 17, 1988 for Blairsville football by the Indiana Gazette.
Mr. Jim Racchini, is now a professor at IUP in the Department of Health and Physical Education.
I wonder if he will bring his Frostburg dance moves with him to Indiana...if I get a request, I'll post that pic too.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Find #5
Jill Forsha Endress
Jill Forsha Endress has been active on classmates so I can't totally claim her as a "find". Active can't begin to describe Jill's life these days. She is a successful real estate agent for Howard Hanna earning a Top Producer last year. (http://jillendress.howardhanna.com/) With Wyotech still maing real estate in Blairsville a hot commodity, I'm sure Jill's easy and honest style is helping a lot of buyers and sellers.
Notice Jill's last name is Endress? Yes, she married her high school boyfriend George Endress. but of course... not right away. And I think there is probably a movie's worth of drama in the re-kindling of their relationship. But instead of hitting Hollywood, three adorable boys are keeping them busy. This family pic was taken at the Chesapeake Bay last weekend. Dakota Jeorge (stepson 12), Brendan Christopher (9), Ryan Thomas (4)
Jill says, "We are doing great. We had an awesome time at http://www.cherrystoneva.com/ campground. If you ever camp, this is the place to be. "
Keep up to date on Jill's activities on her site: www.myspace.com/redcatkids
Monday, September 3, 2007
Common Names
Not Tom Campbell
I have found a lot of people online who are not the people that attended our high school. There are several Tom Campbells. My favorite picture is Not our Tom Campbell but a marine wildlife photographer.
Politicians like to put their photos on their site making it relatively easy to
find their mugs. The other not Tom Campbell as a
Washington State politician. While closer in age...still no cigar.
No Jeff Harris
But the closest that look alike isJeff Harris. Pictured here is a Missouri State Senator. Pull out your old yearbook...this guy looks like Jeff Harris. The age is close (this one is 38.) But I checked with his office...the very kind assistant assured me that this Jeff Harris went to school in Missouri.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Where do you want to Meet?
If you have an opinion on where you would like to have our reunion....speak up now!
We would love to hear from you. So far, we are thinking September? Is that good? Too close to the start of school? You have opinions? Let it rip!
Right now, places being considered are Pie Cucina and Chestnut Ridge.
http://www.piecucina.com/
http://www.chestnutridgeresort.com/
We would love to hear from you. So far, we are thinking September? Is that good? Too close to the start of school? You have opinions? Let it rip!
Right now, places being considered are Pie Cucina and Chestnut Ridge.
http://www.piecucina.com/
http://www.chestnutridgeresort.com/
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Only Fair
OK..I realized that if I'm finding pics of classmates and posting them here...I should show my face....
So here I am. I live in Brooklyn with my son and husband. We get back to Blairsville pretty often...so yea, might be me in the Blairsvile Wal-mart. Stop me...say hi!
Find #4
Remember the red-haired exchange student? Disa is doing well in her native Norway. She was back stateside in '93 visiting her host family the Hurlbutts. She sends her best!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Find #3
Dr. Marlena Herman
Department of Mathematics
Rowan University
Glassboro, New Jersey
Phone: 856-256-4500 x 3539
email: Herman@rowan.edu
Graduated from The Ohio State University
Research Interest: Mathematics Education
Always smart and sweet, it looks like one of our (was it 3) valedictorians is now a professor!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Find #2
One of our Class Writers held true to her aim. ELESHA RUMINSKI is now an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Division of Performing Arts at Frostburg University in Maryland. (Btw, they are also the bobcats!)
She earned the following degrees: B.A., University of Pittsburgh; M.A., Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Ph.D., Duquesne University.
Rumor has it that she has started the ball rolling on the whole 20th yeear reunion. Hope to hear from her!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
First Find!
OK, no photo yet...but found my first class of '89ers through the lovely randomness of a google search.
Coleen Bruner! A very interesting article was written up in the Indiana Gazette the day after I searched. Between the age, the love of lipstick and the general attitude, I would say this is definitely our Coleen.
Link to article:
http://indianagazette.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9443&Itemid=52
Copy of article:
Towing cars is woman's ideal job
Written by Sam Kusic, Gazette Staff Writer
Saturday, 18 August 2007
Go ahead, ignore that reserved parking sign. After all, you’ll be in and out in five minutes. Surely no one will notice, right?
Perhaps.
You may get away with it this time. Maybe the next, too. Thrice, even. But know this: Coleen Bruner, roaming in her tow truck, is looking for you. She will find you. And you will pay — it’s $105 to bail a car out of car jail.
No amount of crying and pleading and excuse-making will get you out of it, either.
Ask Jennifer Smith.
She and her family were at District Justice Guy Haberl’s office the other week to see her sister get married. Parking is scant around the office, but there’s a tempting private lot across the street.
Smith said she should have known better, but her children were with her, ages 2, 4 and 6. They’re all dressed up. She’s in heels. Who wants to walk a few blocks?
They’re inside all of 45 minutes. Afterward, they’re standing in the parking lot, saying their good-byes. At that particular moment, all should have been right with the world.
Then comes Bruner. She sees Smith’s van and pulls up. They see the tow truck and run over.
“I’m getting towed,” Smith yells.
Her mother, Pam Mitchell, thinks she’s joking.
She isn’t.
The bride states their case with Bruner. Smith is yelling at her sister to knock it off. Then she’s asking Bruner where she’s taking the van.
The kids are crying. “How are we going to get home?” they ask.
In the end, they walked off, resigned to their fate.
Bruner drove off, van in tow.
IT’S A tough stance, sure, but in the towing business, you have to be tough. And a little crazy, too. The hours are long. The work is dirty, demanding. Towing someone’s vehicle can bring out a person’s worst.
So to be a woman in this line of work, you have to be crazy. Bruner, 36, freely admits she is.
She’s one of the six-person crew at Buggey’s Towing & Auto Repair, along Philadelphia Street in Indiana.
They run all over the county and into others, all day and every day, towing cars. Their specialty, though, is towing illegally parked vehicles. Says so on the business cards.
Bruner has been at it for about five years. They call her Tow Girl; it’s on her work shirts.
She’s winched wrecked cars out of ponds, up ravines and around boulders. She’s dragged boat trailers hitched to pick-ups out of lakes. She’s changed countless flat tires, jumped dead batteries and opened locked doors.
Her personal best is four seconds.
“This is the best job I’ve ever had in my life,” she said.
SHE SAID SHE loves it because each day brings new challenges to be met, because there is a tremendous sense of pride to be had in overcoming those challenges, especially since women aren’t supposed know squat about cars. She’s reminded of that often during service calls, she said.
She loves it because it’s her opportunity to do some good in the world, knowing that there’s no more a sickening feeling than to be stranded with a broken-down ride.
And she loves it becomes it’s the ultimate power trip, tooling around in a big Chevy 3500 HD — that’s heavy duty — truck with a V-8, fitted with a hydraulic hoist and winches.
But she especially loves the job because of the thrill of repossessing and towing illegally parked vehicles.
“How many people are allowed to go out in the middle of the night and take somebody’s vehicle?” she said. “It seems wrong, but it’s fun.”
She said she feels no guilt, either.
“They did something wrong. That’s the price they pay,” she said. “If you pity them, you’d never be able to do the job,” she said.
Most don’t see it quite that way.
She’s been called four-letter names, various combinations of four-letter names, and a few with five letters.
“I’ve been called everything but a white girl.”
Her lug nuts have been loosened. Her tires have been slashed.
One time, some fat guy bumped her with his gut and knocked her down. Another time, a mother, daughter and a cousin grabbed a metal bar off her truck and chased her down the street.
She’s also been shot at with pellet guns and paintball guns. A drunk once pulled a real gun on her and asked if she would be going to heaven or hell.
People, she said, often ask if she’s ever worried about what harm may come.
She said she isn’t.
“I don’t worry because whenever I’m going to go, I’m going to go. It’s not up to me. It’s up to God.”
She said she just hopes that when that time comes, it’s while she’s towing.
“If I’m towing, I’ll be happy.”
ASIDE FROM the name-calling and physical threats, there’s this woman-specific occupational hazard: “I get a lot of weirdoes trying to pick me up.”
And then there are some who try to put her down.
“Oh my God, it’s a girl,” they’ll whisper when she hops out of her cab.
Those sorts of comments used to bother her, and to some degree, they still do. But nowadays, instead of trying to defend herself, she lets her actions speak for her.
Once, she was called to a rolled-over vehicle on Route 22. She said two state police troopers laughed when she showed up. But after she righted the vehicle, they shook her hand.
“They couldn’t believe what a great job I did,” she said.
Another time, some lady in a luxury car locked her keys in the car and called AAA for help. They dispatched a driver who tried, only to set the alarm off. Then they sent another driver. He showed up, looked at the car, and didn’t even bother. Then they sent Bruner. She had the door opened in seconds.
That she’s capable of such things is due to her father.
He believed that women shouldn’t work, that they should be taken care of by men. But Bruner said she was too rebellious for that, and when he realized it, he began showing her how to be independent.
And she’s just that, certainly no milquetoast.
She swears. She smokes. She’ll give you the business if need be.
But that’s not to say she has not abandoned her feminine side.
She loves her long, red hair, which she sometimes puts in pigtails. She loves her makeup, too, especially her lipstick.
“I hate being without it,” she said. “I like to be pretty.”
She usually wears a color called plum crazy. It’s fitting, she said, because purple is her favorite color.
And she likes a good bargain, too.
One of the best she ever found was a small, $1.97 sign she has hanging on a back wall at Buggey’s garage. It’s next to the only thank-you card the garage ever received from someone whose car was towed for being parked illegally — the sender was grateful his car wasn’t banged up in the process.
The sign says there are four things a woman should know: How to look like a girl. How to act like a lady. How to think like a man. And how to work like a dog.
“That,” she said, “sums me up right there.”
© 2007 Indiana Printing & Publishing
Coleen Bruner! A very interesting article was written up in the Indiana Gazette the day after I searched. Between the age, the love of lipstick and the general attitude, I would say this is definitely our Coleen.
Link to article:
http://indianagazette.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9443&Itemid=52
Copy of article:
Towing cars is woman's ideal job
Written by Sam Kusic, Gazette Staff Writer
Saturday, 18 August 2007
Go ahead, ignore that reserved parking sign. After all, you’ll be in and out in five minutes. Surely no one will notice, right?
Perhaps.
You may get away with it this time. Maybe the next, too. Thrice, even. But know this: Coleen Bruner, roaming in her tow truck, is looking for you. She will find you. And you will pay — it’s $105 to bail a car out of car jail.
No amount of crying and pleading and excuse-making will get you out of it, either.
Ask Jennifer Smith.
She and her family were at District Justice Guy Haberl’s office the other week to see her sister get married. Parking is scant around the office, but there’s a tempting private lot across the street.
Smith said she should have known better, but her children were with her, ages 2, 4 and 6. They’re all dressed up. She’s in heels. Who wants to walk a few blocks?
They’re inside all of 45 minutes. Afterward, they’re standing in the parking lot, saying their good-byes. At that particular moment, all should have been right with the world.
Then comes Bruner. She sees Smith’s van and pulls up. They see the tow truck and run over.
“I’m getting towed,” Smith yells.
Her mother, Pam Mitchell, thinks she’s joking.
She isn’t.
The bride states their case with Bruner. Smith is yelling at her sister to knock it off. Then she’s asking Bruner where she’s taking the van.
The kids are crying. “How are we going to get home?” they ask.
In the end, they walked off, resigned to their fate.
Bruner drove off, van in tow.
IT’S A tough stance, sure, but in the towing business, you have to be tough. And a little crazy, too. The hours are long. The work is dirty, demanding. Towing someone’s vehicle can bring out a person’s worst.
So to be a woman in this line of work, you have to be crazy. Bruner, 36, freely admits she is.
She’s one of the six-person crew at Buggey’s Towing & Auto Repair, along Philadelphia Street in Indiana.
They run all over the county and into others, all day and every day, towing cars. Their specialty, though, is towing illegally parked vehicles. Says so on the business cards.
Bruner has been at it for about five years. They call her Tow Girl; it’s on her work shirts.
She’s winched wrecked cars out of ponds, up ravines and around boulders. She’s dragged boat trailers hitched to pick-ups out of lakes. She’s changed countless flat tires, jumped dead batteries and opened locked doors.
Her personal best is four seconds.
“This is the best job I’ve ever had in my life,” she said.
SHE SAID SHE loves it because each day brings new challenges to be met, because there is a tremendous sense of pride to be had in overcoming those challenges, especially since women aren’t supposed know squat about cars. She’s reminded of that often during service calls, she said.
She loves it because it’s her opportunity to do some good in the world, knowing that there’s no more a sickening feeling than to be stranded with a broken-down ride.
And she loves it becomes it’s the ultimate power trip, tooling around in a big Chevy 3500 HD — that’s heavy duty — truck with a V-8, fitted with a hydraulic hoist and winches.
But she especially loves the job because of the thrill of repossessing and towing illegally parked vehicles.
“How many people are allowed to go out in the middle of the night and take somebody’s vehicle?” she said. “It seems wrong, but it’s fun.”
She said she feels no guilt, either.
“They did something wrong. That’s the price they pay,” she said. “If you pity them, you’d never be able to do the job,” she said.
Most don’t see it quite that way.
She’s been called four-letter names, various combinations of four-letter names, and a few with five letters.
“I’ve been called everything but a white girl.”
Her lug nuts have been loosened. Her tires have been slashed.
One time, some fat guy bumped her with his gut and knocked her down. Another time, a mother, daughter and a cousin grabbed a metal bar off her truck and chased her down the street.
She’s also been shot at with pellet guns and paintball guns. A drunk once pulled a real gun on her and asked if she would be going to heaven or hell.
People, she said, often ask if she’s ever worried about what harm may come.
She said she isn’t.
“I don’t worry because whenever I’m going to go, I’m going to go. It’s not up to me. It’s up to God.”
She said she just hopes that when that time comes, it’s while she’s towing.
“If I’m towing, I’ll be happy.”
ASIDE FROM the name-calling and physical threats, there’s this woman-specific occupational hazard: “I get a lot of weirdoes trying to pick me up.”
And then there are some who try to put her down.
“Oh my God, it’s a girl,” they’ll whisper when she hops out of her cab.
Those sorts of comments used to bother her, and to some degree, they still do. But nowadays, instead of trying to defend herself, she lets her actions speak for her.
Once, she was called to a rolled-over vehicle on Route 22. She said two state police troopers laughed when she showed up. But after she righted the vehicle, they shook her hand.
“They couldn’t believe what a great job I did,” she said.
Another time, some lady in a luxury car locked her keys in the car and called AAA for help. They dispatched a driver who tried, only to set the alarm off. Then they sent another driver. He showed up, looked at the car, and didn’t even bother. Then they sent Bruner. She had the door opened in seconds.
That she’s capable of such things is due to her father.
He believed that women shouldn’t work, that they should be taken care of by men. But Bruner said she was too rebellious for that, and when he realized it, he began showing her how to be independent.
And she’s just that, certainly no milquetoast.
She swears. She smokes. She’ll give you the business if need be.
But that’s not to say she has not abandoned her feminine side.
She loves her long, red hair, which she sometimes puts in pigtails. She loves her makeup, too, especially her lipstick.
“I hate being without it,” she said. “I like to be pretty.”
She usually wears a color called plum crazy. It’s fitting, she said, because purple is her favorite color.
And she likes a good bargain, too.
One of the best she ever found was a small, $1.97 sign she has hanging on a back wall at Buggey’s garage. It’s next to the only thank-you card the garage ever received from someone whose car was towed for being parked illegally — the sender was grateful his car wasn’t banged up in the process.
The sign says there are four things a woman should know: How to look like a girl. How to act like a lady. How to think like a man. And how to work like a dog.
“That,” she said, “sums me up right there.”
© 2007 Indiana Printing & Publishing
Friday, August 17, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
What am I doing?
With a 20 year reunion looming on the horizon, I am wondering where are my former classmates? I have found a couple here and there through classmates and google. But I am hoping to use this blog as to collect all the whereabouts of the Class of '89 (and others!). If you want to add , edit, or remove your info, drop me a line at blairsvillealum@gmail.com.
Let me know where you are...what you are doing...do you want a 20 year reunion...and what do you want it to be like? 
Who am I? Pam (Chapla) Amri. Not a practiced blogger or reader of blogs. If you have a suggestion, bring it on. If you want to help, I'll take that too. I have heard that some people are working towards a 20th already. Let's make this a tool to make the reunion planning easier.
Hope to hear from you....if not I'll just have to make stuff up.
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