It’s been more than 50 years since the Farmingdale High School class of 1964 roamed the halls of their beloved high school, but that doesn’t mean that the memories have faded. The class—the first to graduate from Farmingdale High—came together on Saturday, October 18 at the Marriott in Islandia to celebrate all of the good times past and make new memories as a class.
“We had clicks when we were in high school but now it’s great to know that all types of people can come together,” said Joan Hutt, organizer of the event, emotionally as she scanned the event that she spearheaded. Hutt was a class officer and cheerleader in high school and loves organizing the event—she does it for her college class as well—even though it is a labor of love.
A challenging feat, but not impossible with the power of the Internet, Hutt was able to get more than 160 members of the class to attend including 24 former students that never came to any of the previous five reunions. The group is scattered all over the U.S. and some people came from as far as Washington State and California, and Hutt really let everyone get as involved as they wanted to be. One classmate created a crossword puzzle for the event while another drew cartoons about some of the memories they all had from high school.
Everyone from the class has taken life by storm. Graduates include distinguished doctors, former military specialists, teachers, business professionals and some have even made it big in the entertainment industry. However, no matter what they do for a living now and who their friends have become, those who came from far and wide were so excited to be amongst those who trigger the wonderful feeling of being home.
Barbara Meagher Hoerner couldn’t contain how excited she was to be at the reunion. “I am just so happy to be here,” she said. “So many people are coming for the first time tonight and even though it’s been such a long time since we’ve all seen each other, it feels just like yesterday. Dalers always come home.”
Marion King Stark echoed her sentiments. “Farmingdale was a great place to grow up,” she said. “I think of it lovingly and very often. Even though it has changed a lot since we were kids, it still has that hometown feel.”
“This is going to be a great night,” exclaimed Beverly Discount Bennis. “It’s so wonderful… like coming home. It’s so great to see how successful everyone in the class has become and it brings back such wonderful memories.”
And while Hutt notes that planning these events is never easy, the result is worth it. “Look at this room,” she said while her eyes began to well with happy tears. “This makes it all worth it. It is so beautiful, I could cry.”
