Chriss Lloyd

Sally and I really enjoyed the reunion. Recognition of our classmates who have died, the presentation of the colors and recognition of those who served was especially meaningful.

It was fun to interact with classmates we had not seen for 25-50 years. In some ways it seemed like no time had passed.

Renewing friendships and creating new ones was a key result of this reunion. Even for those who were not there physically, they were there in spirit.

Sandy Doran (Daigneaux)

I had a wondreful time at the reunion. It was absolutely fabulous! I wish to express my immense thanks to the committee that put the reunion together. It was herculean task, I'm sure, that they suceeded in doing in such a  fantastic  way.         I'm so glad you found  me.  It was great reconnecting  with people I have not seen for 50 years. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful weekend!

Lari Boblit (Allen)

To all committee members you all did a great job. Sat.nite was very good ,nd the steak was out of the world Yummy

watching all the girls out there dancing looked like so much fun!! To watch them dance. I had not had my stroke, I would be out there alsoIf anyone hears the weather man.  Say he. Is In Panama City,Fl  When Katrinia was  coming here at

Last minute  she turned towards   New Orleans.

Thanks again for a great. Week - End

Bk Shanks (Decker)

I truly thank all of you who worked so hard to put the reunion together.  It was fabulous and took us back fto the best of times 50 years ago and re-united us as eternal children we will always be to each other.  May God bless everyone.  Mega-thanks!

B.K.

Heather Dworak (Martin)

Words just cannot express how grateful I am to the committee for their fantastic work in putting together a fabulous reunion.  You are the best ever!  All of the little extras- the old cars, the football players and cheerleaders, the tributes to the military veterans and their spouses, the moving remembrance for the deceased members of our class, the lovely piano and violin duet by our talented classmates, the news skit certainly made a wonderful evening.

Last, but not least, seeing and reconnecting with old friends was great.  So many memories of the good old days at Benson.  It was also nice to hear  what people were doing and the direction their lives have turned.  Like Stevie said...there was just not enough time to speak with everyone and that is my loss.  The class book will help fill in those gaps.

Thanks again, Reunion Committee.  Heather

Barbara Mitchell (Peterson)

I must comment as well. Over a week has passed since we all joined together on Friday night at the Mattress Factory and again Saturday at the beautiful Happy Hollow Club, and I can still feel the warmth of having spent time reconnecting with dear friends. The committee can't be thanked enough for the excellent work they each contributed to creating this memorable event for all of us. I only hope they were able to enjoy themselves as half as much as we were. I am sure this event took at least a year of brain storming, meetings, meetings and more meetings to make sure the week-end was memorable, and that it was. What a wonderful time.  Thank you all for your dedication and commitment. I am so glad I came. 

N Lucas Plumb

Dear Judy, Rob, Hap, Pam, Chuck, Nancy, Barbara & Mary Jane, We who attended the reunion are so incredibly fortunate to have experienced the wonderful opportunity for connection and continued memories that you all created!!! Judy, you were such an inspiring, organized captain of the ship. Barbara, your hundreds of hours on the reunion book produced a document that will keep people connected for many years to come...thank you for taking charge of it and also the intuitive, easy-to-navigate website (which Chuck researched and selected); it was great to share emails with so many people through the Message Center. Rob, your copious work on the dinner dance made it turn out so special--Happy Hollow was the perfect, classy place, plus the food, DJ, and dancing were awesome. Doug, I really appreciated your beautiful blessing; and Bill, your honoring of the vets was touching; Candy and Gregg, your comedy team was amazing...felt SO good to laugh SO hard.

I also would not have wanted to miss out on the Saturday morning tour of BHS, led by the very dynamic principal, Anita Harkins-Baldwin. It is my hope that our class will try to band together to support the school in some significant way. And finally, I appreciated the acknowledgment of those in our class who have passed on...we have lost so many bright beings and beautiful souls who deserve to be recognized and remembered. So I agree with Doug too...maybe we should try to get together for a 55th reunion! Even if it has to be a more simple one-day event, I'm sure it would be very sweet to get back together again...there is something deeply archetypal about reunions...and I'll be glad to help in any way I can. Again, many thanks to all who made our time together so meaningful, Lucas (Nancy)

Betsy Reams (Barbary)

Hello all,

Wasn't our 50th reunion wonderful! How could time have passed by so quickly? Thank you so much to everyone involved in planning the amazing event. There were many lovely and creative details. So much pre-planning and organization went into our weekend.The most important thing was connecting again! We must gather together sooner, perhaps in five years as was previously mentioned, even it is for only one day and casual. We have the great reunion booklet to help! Until next time, everyone take care!

Betsy

Barbara Pratt (Alf)

Carrie Carrick (McLaughlin)

What a wonderful weekend of renewing friends and memories!  Thank you to the whole committee for the work that made everything come together.  It was fabulous.  

Judy Anderson (Shinkle)

What a wonderful weekend!  I wish I would have made it to the photo booth ....all those pictures are hilarious with all the props.  As reunion chairman, I didn't have to do a heck of a lot after my job searching for you was over.  I still wish we could have found the missing 30.  Dick Karre helped me a lot in finding people through real estate records.  We had such a dedicated, hardworking committee, it made my job easy.  Our smartest move was to ask for donations to bring down the cost of the weekend for everyone.  I controlled the checkbook.  Over 130 of our generous classmates donated money to nearly cut the cost in half for everyone.  This enabled us to have our event at the fabulous Happy Hollow Club.  Thanks to Vicki Packard Hallett and her husband for sponsoring us there.  With the monies leftover, we will be making a donation to Benson High in the name of the Class of 1963....more to follow on that.  It wouldn't be right if I didn't give credit to our fantastic committee.  They didn't want to be recognized, but I want to thank them for all they did.  And, if you didn't make it to the reunion, this is what you missed.

Over a year ago, Rob Brown made the first phone call to me when Benson told him I was your class representative (still don't know how that happened!)  He had a vision of a "shock and awe" reunion.   After 20 years with no reunion, we needed something special.   And he made all the visual effects happen, planning the entertainment, the staging of everything, working with the BHS students to be there with their uniforms, convincing the BHS football coach to let us use their new football helmets as centerpieces for Friday night,  working tirelessly with the DJ, planning a fantastic ROTC flag bearing salute, great professional signs, working with the owners of the 1963 cars which lined the driveway of Happy Hollow Club, including the final lit up sign "BHS FOREVER" to give our classmates a final whammo as they left Happy Hollow Club, and much, much more.  Rob remembered the violin talent of Pat Shaughnessy Stott and asked her to play a solo and then encouraged me to accompany her.  It was such a pleasure performing with her.  He also got Gregg Loso and Candy May West to write and report the news during our four years at BHS....what happened at school and in the world.  This was a terrific way to remember our years at Benson.  Rob is a dynamo and we couldn't have had this great reunion without his vision.

Barb Pratt Alf jumped in and took over assembling our great reunion book on her computer, and after Chuck Aitkenhead found this great website, she took over managing it and communicating with all of you to send pictures and bios, etc.  Every time a job came up, she volunteered to do it.  She put all the pictures on the website and also made all the nametags.  She was our budget chairman and told us how much we could spend and oversaw the contracts we had to sign.   She did miles of foot work meeting with people and working with Larry Maupin's printing company whose generosity made the book happen.  Nancy "Lucas" Plumb designed the colorful cover with pictures of Omaha's progress over the years. 

Mary Jane Swanson Smith took over the decorations committee and did a great job with those "LED lit up" centerpieces that included little pom poms filled with candy for everyone to take home, ordering flowers and setting up the balloon displays.  Her committee help was Nancy Allberry Sorensen, Fran Recek Zimmerman, and Cindy Jacobson. 

Our famous Omaha caterer, Hap Abraham, worked with the Old Mattress Factory and Happy Hollow to plan the great food at both.  He also made a great toast to our class before the night started. 

Doug Slaughter's beautiful words and prayer started off Saturday night. 

Additional help was provided by Pam Adams Vaughn, Chuck Aitkenhead, Sheryl Claussen Williams, Bill Rumsey and Ted Thompson.  Please forgive me if I left anyone out.

So that's how you plan a fantastic reunion.  My sincere thanks go to everyone who made this reunion happen. There has been interest in having another one in 5 years.  We will see.  It might be something simpler.  For anybody interested in doing it, it does take over a year in planning.  But, everybody must stay in contact with each other so we don't lose you again! 

Marty Butters (Massey)

Barb and all the other committee members .Again Thank You ,Thank You ,Thank You  for such a superb job for our  re-union .And now all the pictures .Even a photo booth ? I didn't even know there was a photo booth but you guys covered every detail and that was why it was so very special .Not long enough to connect with all our classmates -t hat is why this website is so great ! In comments from Nancy Plumb,Betsy Reams ,to me all were talking about a 55th re-union .You guys got us all motivated but we could never touch what you guys did .Let's just not wait another 20 years .Thanks again to all of you

Robert Powers

I would also like to add my sincerest gratitude to all those involved in helping us all relive our Bunnie years. It was my first reunion but most definitely not my last. Special thanks to my former neighbor and classmate Bill Bachman for his tribute to all the Bunnie Vets. For most it was the best of times abruptly changing to the worst of times. From TPing your ex for jilting you, to having a bad-breathed drill instructor screaming ing your face demanding 25 more just for smiling. Thanks again, Bill. Everyone involved did a fantastic job making our reunion the best of times!

Wilma Snell (Kelly)

Good Morning 1963 Bunnie,

Wilma Snell Kelly here.  I wish I could have been there.  sounds like so much fun.  We were in Omaha just a week before and a second trip was not possible because of our business.  I hope this forum continues.  It is so great to share our memories. 

A shout out to Dan Buzbee, I will never forget as I remember him at Jackeson Elementory shool and his 3rd grad bee sting.  Elaine Townsdin and I are back inb touch.  There are several Bunnies that I have kept in touch with from other classes. 

I have read the messages from all of you and greatly enjoy them all. 

Great job Chuck!!  Thank you.

Bill West

I see that some of my BHS classmates are Dickens fans.  (first lines of Tale of Two Cities)  We all know from our BHS senior English classes that the next line is "it was the worst of times."  Bob Powers got it.

In that regard, we had some classmates who couldn't come.  I understand that Frank Empkey is in the hospital and in a really bad way.  I should have visited him while we were in Omaha, but you know because I'm retired, I'm real busy and schedules have to be kept.

Craig Soucie made a herculean effort to visit with all of you.  He didn't think at first that he could make it, given a recent fall, but he willed himself to both events.  Heroic stuff.

There has been some disscussion of a 55th or 60th or 65th.  I don't know about the rest of you, but as for me that window of opportunity to peer into your interesting lives once again is probably closing.  By then, I might not be able to find the place.

It was good.  Thank you all once again.

Bill West

Steve Mion (Longsdorf)

What a great mission Benson's principal and staff are carrying out!  Schools are such an integral part of their communities.  And Anita seems to be the spark, along with her dedicated staff, that is lighting the way for so many kids who want to be contributing citizens.  I look forward to more information about supporting the school that gave me such a strong foundation for learning.  Thanks!

Janis Brown (Henderson)

Love seeing the two new photos of Bunnies meeting up as a result of the Reunion Committee's very, very had work, even though they were not able to be at the reunion.   This has been wonderful for even those of us not able to attend-- connections restored, potential mini-reunions in our heads, thanks to the whole committee.

Shareen Trouba (Howlett)

A year has passed already but the memory of our reunion is still present in our minds. I feel surrounded by the love of the classmates of 1963 who will forever cherish our years together. Last week, I attended the 95th reunion of Peony Park which is in Wahoo, NE. The current CEO  was an employee and he salvaged many of the outside memorable furniture and gates. A band played our 60's and 70's music for the folks that danced on the old cement dance floor. www.peonyparkofomaha.com is the website for a reunion in the future.

Barbara Pratt (Alf)

Betsy Reams Barbary                                                                                                         

I can’t believe it’s been 60 years since we all graduated from Benson! I’ve had lots of changes over those years. My most recent change occurred in 2014. I moved by myself to California. Both my children live in the state. I live in a Victorian on a little island called Alameda located in the San Francisco Bay. My daughter and family live in Oakland and my son and family live in the LA Porter Ranch area. I have enjoyed being a grandmother to four grandchildren and retirement has been lovely. I can take a ferry into San Francisco or BART to various places. I can walk up the street to see a movie, shop, eat in a variety of locations and walk along the shore of the bay. The weather is not too cold or too hot. I will miss seeing you all! I wish you happiness and health in the coming years. I hope we will continue to get together. Know I’m thinking of you and our many happy memories. You could always come out here for a visit!

Shareen Trouba (Howlett)

I wish to thank  the 60th reunion committees for hosting another fun weekend. I felt like I was in a treasure hunt searching for the venues (thank goodness for the maps and directions, lol).  

A special thanks to Hap Abraham for the Delectable dinner and appetizers, the open bar and the venue, the perfect setting for gathering our classmates together. We all definitely have aged pretty well pysically but our minds? One thing we will always remember is Good Ole Benson High and our teachers who succeeded in preparing us for our futures.

I heard Barb say this is our final reunion. Let's hope not!

Bill Bachman

I'd also like to add Jane and my sincere thanks to the planning committee for all their hard work and attention to the many details of making the reunion such a success. The relaxed format meant that more quality time could be spent catching up with bunnies who we had not seen for many, many years---some since graduation. It was a treat and made the long plane flights clearly worth it for us. A special thanks to Hap for underwriting the bars at both events!

Bill Bachman

N Lucas Plumb

Thanks to the reunion committee! Barb thanks creating the wonderful historic video and all the other things you organized! Hap, your food was fabulous...so yummy! Thanks to Larry for publishing the contact book. And to Rob and Bob for all the time they put in on things. Thanks to Doug for your invocation, very inspiring! And thanks to everybody who made it to this year's reunion! It was great seeing everybody and reconnecting. Maybe we shouldn't wait 10 years for the next one, maybe??

Laurel Mohler (Dunn)

Thanks to the committee for planning a wonderful Bunny reunion!  Hap Abraham's venues and catering werre outstanding,the  video at the Landing was fun, the music was good, but best of all was talking to old classmates we had not seen for years.  The directory should help us keep in touch even with those who did not attend!  The tour of the school led by a very energetic principal was outstanding and really worthwhile in helping us understand the current school population.  It was also interesting to see the many changes in Omaha itself--hard to recognize some parts of town!  Laurel Mohler Dunn

Barbara Pratt (Alf)

The Reunion was a great time but it didn't just happen.

 I want to thank everyone on the committee for the work that they did, from addressisng and mailing out brochures, phoning classmates, taking registrations and directory information, receiving and depositing money, planning venues and menus and decorations, arranging the speaker and the BHS tour, reaching out to classmates about coming to the reunion and last but not least, making financial contributions. 

Thank you Judy Anderson Shinkle, Mary Jane Swanson Smith, Hap Abraham, Rob Brown and Bob Cochran.  You all made my job (of simply playing on my computer and communicating back and forth with classmates I hadn't seen in years) easy and fun.  I also thank Lucas Plumb and Larry Maupin for their contributions to the publication of the Directory.  It was truly a group effort.

And I thank all of you who donated to the cause, including those who could not even come, and all of you who attended to make this Reunion a success.

Steve Mion (Longsdorf)

Planning for this reunion was spot on!  Plenty of great food, comfortable venues, lots of fun conversations and reconnecting.  You planners got it all right!  Thank you!!