Chicago Reunion 2000

A mini-reunion was held in Chicago the weekend of July 14th, 15th and 16th. The people who attended were from the classes of 1981 and 1982, but attended AFCENT between 1974 and 1979. Kathy Allen Kline made arrangements for all of us to meet at P.F. Chang's Chinese restaurant on Friday night. Donna Arnold Haynes brought old snapshots and Marilyn Gentile Schwartz brought her '77/'78 yearbook. We had so much fun laughing and reminiscing and making comments like "ohmygod, did we really look like this?".

The next day a group of us walked to the Navy Pier, where we were met by Dean and Paula Payton and Michael Banco (who brought his wife, Hope and their 2-year old son Bridger, too). Kathi Sullivan Andrade drove for 36(?) hours straight (with her kids, brave lady) was also supposed to meet us at the Pier, but we didn't connect until later that night at dinner. The weather was great, with several of us getting slightly sunburned (in Chicago, no less). We then broke up to spend the afternoon doing our own thing, which included sightseeing along "the Loop", shopping on Michigan Avenue and attending several of Chicago's wonderful museums. We met later for dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant. Tim Kneipp brought a few yearbooks and some booklets from other reunions he had attended over the years, and we had fun checking those out.

Michael Banco talked Lauren Heerbrandt Johnston into running a 5K race with him on Sunday morning. According to Kathy Allen Kline, who went to cheer them on, they both did pretty well. Afterwards, several of us met at a Harley Davidson shop, ate lunch at the Pizzeria Due, then left for home. We had so much fun that we are already planning another reunion in Las Vegas in the spring!

Here is a picture from 1978 of (left to right): Tim Kneipp, Mac Brown, and Chris Reahm. They are sitting against the wall of the AFCENT gym. These guys are from the class of '82.

The only (known) group picture from the Chicago reunion. Top, l to r: Tim Kneipp, Clyde Tyner (didn't attend AFCENT). Bottom, l to r: Marilyn (Gentile) Schwartz, Nancy (Mercado) Barber, Donna (Arnold) Haynes, Lynn (Welch) Altman, Kathy (Allen) Kline, Lauren (Heerbrandt) Johnston.

Another one from the July Chicago reunion. This is Paula & Dean Payton - they are brother & sister, and attended AFCENT in the 70's. (he's class of '81, she's class of '82).

Here is one of the pictures from the AFCENT Chicago mini-reunion held in July. The people in the picture are (l to r): Lynn (Welch) Altman, Donna (Arnold) Haynes, and Tim Kneipp. We were all at AFCENT in the late 70's.