A cocktail party will be held on Friday evening for all alumni of the Sixties Decade. This will be a chance for members of the Sixties era to get to know one another and put faces to the names we are all beginning to recognize. Bring your yearbooks if you can.

The Class of 1969 will get together on Saturday for an Argentinean barbecue. This will be an opportunity for the Class of 1969 to get to know one another again and for spouses, and kids to share in the memories. Madrid was indeed our Pórtico al Cielo!

Perhaps other classes will plan their own reunions for Saturday. Share your thoughts and ideas in the Reunion Guest Book at the Unofficial ASM Web Pages: http://www.gutech.com/asm/asmreugb.htm.

Browse to see what others have said about this and other reunions: http://mars.guestworld.tripod.lycos.com/wgb/wgbview.dbm?owner=asmreunions .

Sunday is open. Perhaps all classes will get together again with families for an outing to the beach, park or something. Suggestions are welcome and encouraged.

It has been a very long time since most ASMers from the Sixties Decade have been together. Most people that have been found were in contact with very few people before we started connecting last summer. The number of Sixties ASMers found has now passed fifty. There are still many siblings unaccounted for and new leads turn up every week. How many will be found before August?

Each of you are very important to our ASM Community. Please stay in touch and keep your eyes open for other ASMers (from any decade).

From James (Jamie) Kevlin ('69):

You're doing quite a job reestablishing all these connections! Very interesting to see what's happened over 30 years. Here's a tidbit that may be of use: Some classmates may remember John Cabrera, who was at the Doctor Fleming site with the Class of '69 but then didn't move out to Aravaca. He was British; his father was a cinematographer in the movie biz. John went back to college in England, then went into banking and was with the Bank of Bahrain. MJ and I met him in NY in 1990 when he was in the States for a business trip, and he came out to visit us here in Pottsville.

When the Gulf War happened, the bank closed for a period and John ended up back in England. We just received a call from him the other day. His wife, Phillipa, is celebrating her 40th in late February and he has arranged a trip to the U.S. -- her first -- as a surprise. He will be visiting us the weekend of Feb. 26-28. If any of the gang remember John, send me a message and I'll pass it along to him at the time.

From Peg Danos Castelli ('67) for husband Frank ('66):

Frank graduated from The College of Wooster (Ohio) in Fine Arts in 1970. He then attended the Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL) where he graduated with a B.Arch. in 1974. He has been working for Holabird and Root (Founded 1880), a Chicago architectural and engineering firm since 1974. He became a partner in 1990.

We have been married for over 27 years (since July, 1971), have 2 daughters, Jen (22) and Christina (20) who are both college students.

By the way, this won't be true too much longer; Jen graduates in May! I

hope she'll find a teaching position for fall. She is currently student teaching. Christina is a junior, so one more year after this one! I haven't any idea what she'll do after she graduates.

Peg and Frank can be contacted at pfjc419@idt.net . Peg is the Class Agent for 1967.

From Bruce Brown for wife Mimi (Johnson) Brown ('66):

Here is some info for Mimi Johnson who was in the class of '66. Your form doesn' t tell the whole story... She is the mother of two girls Katie (12), and Natalie (11). Two years ago she went back to school to get her Masters in Psychology from Antioch Univ. here in LA. She is doing quite well and getting in a lot of training hours in the local public schools seeing "clients" aged 6 to 13. Mimi is also married to me - Bruce Brown, I'm a general contractor and our company works primarily on custom residential projects.

From Jill (Echols) McMahon ('66):

Now you know why I would be a lousy class agent. I have so many "In Box" and to-do files that I'm hoping a burglar will take them. I love getting all the messages and seeing what everyone has/is doing. I don't know if you remember but in '69 I worked with Charmian Mock as her secretary. I also taught art for the middle school. I bring this up because, during my tenure at ASM as an employee, I made some sort of impression on an ASM student who at the time was in the 6th grade. It turns out that about ten years later Catherine Croft (I guess she'd be the year '75) and I were both District Sales Managers' for Mexicana Airlines. She was DSM in Quebec and I in Sacramento. All the Sales Managers used to meet yearly in Mexico for our Sales Convention. She and I became fast friends and when we started comparing notes, i.e. well, where did you go to school and how did you learn Spanish - you know, the usual small chatter - it became a Rioja moment. Small world - I tell you. Anyway both of us were the victims of downsizing within the company. I have my own business in the travel industry and Cathy works for a large incentive company in Canada.

My mother (Nancy Echols), my family and I will be going to Madrid this June for Tica's son, Mikel's graduation from ASM. This will be, I think, something special since I was first, then Tica and now her son. We should get a certificate or something!

From Rosalia Gonzalez ('65):

Maria Conchita Gonzalez is my sister and we are just thrilled with all the information you are gathering. Keep it up.

From Arne Mortensen ('65):

I spent most of last year living in Chennai (formerly Madras), India on assignment for Qualcomm. I'm back in San Diego now, and I bask in the many wonders of the US ... you did know that Home Depot is a wonder, right? :-)

On the way back to San Diego, I spent a few days in Madrid ... had it not been for a one day trip to Madrid in 94, I would have been totally blown away. Thirty three years makes a dramatic difference ... some one tore up the trolley tracks ... I went past the site of the school in those days and, I could not recognize the area nor the building.

BTW, I would be interested in any information about faculty at ASM from that era.

From Omer Pirinccioglu ('64)::

I graduated from ASM in 1964. During my senior year I was the Student Council President, Editor in Chief of the yearbook, played in the soccer and basketball varsity team, so I was very active at my beloved High school. After Madrid, I went to Istanbul, got my BA in Economics and started to work in a major Holding Co. for 9 years.

I moved to the States in 1980. I lived in New Jersey till 1988 and ran my own businesses, mainly import and export and a few retail stores. Presently I am living in a quaint little town on the Delaware River called New Hope. It's between New York and Philadelphia. I am the President of a Company called Capacity Inc. We have about 94 ladies clothing stores in Outlet Centers scattered in 25 states. As you can imagine, I keep myself pretty busy.

I am married. Sebnem, my wife, is the VP of the Company in charge of Merchandising and Operations. Older son, Aydin (28), works for Digital in Istanbul, younger son, Ali (24), works for Vanguard, a mutual Fund Co. outside Philly, daughter Zeynep, (16) is a Junior in high school.

From Sergio (Dennis) Cerdá ('64):

[Sergio wrote about his first reunion experience, the Monrovia, California Mini-Reunion on Tuesday, January 26^th, 1999 - two days after he located the Unofficial Web Pages of the American School of Madrid!]

The reunion was something "inesperado". I really had no idea who would be there but all that really mattered was knowing that whoever was there would not be a stranger, even if I had never met them before. I knew I would be well received and that I would "connect". I feel my expectations were met.

It was wonderful reliving the memories and hearing about people whose names I had not spoken, or heard, in many years. The bond was there. Michelle Fearey's efforts at finding ASM alumni is unrelenting and to her credit she has retrieved year books for every year since 1962 through 1970. It was wonderful to be able to look at the yearbook pictures and share the 'feeling' of ASM; a combination of people, place, food, drink and depth of relationships. There is truly no other experience that I have had since, that can compare to this feeling which has stayed with me for over thirty five years. I know I am not alone in that experience when I consider the comments from the other "reunionees". One of the mothers at the reunion spoke of sharing the feeling of her experience of ASM with her children if she possibly can.

The ASM experience added a special quality to my life and I am happy that through this new found connection I will be able to maintain that quality by sharing it with others who understand what I am talking about. I believe ASMers were blessed with a special insight into life, an insight which has caused many alumni to become social workers, psychologists etc.

As the reunion drew to an end these words came to mind, "I am happy to have found other travelers along the road . . . (because) now I don't feel so all alone."

God love and keep all of you as always,

Sergio (Dennis) Cerda

Class of '64, ASM

Sergio can be reached at: flyenhi@earthlink.net

From Mrs. Anna Marie Gonzalez Fernández (ASM Teacher - retired - http://www.gutech.com/asm/pfernan.htm ):

This is a quick and nearly belated Happy New Year message to all ASM alums. I wanted to thank all of you who have sent messages to me over the past several months. My first year off teaching in 39 !!! years coincided with the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Human Rights. The goals and values contained in that document were some of the ones that I hope many of you learned over the years at ASM.

A few people have asked what I do with my time now and my answer is that there is so much to do that now I wonder how I ever had time to prepare all those classes, grade all those essays and research papers and tests and still have time for house, home and family. I even managed to squeeze in a visit to Miguel in Washington and then he went with me to Cheyenne and Denver for a family reunion.

Miguel was in from Seattle and then went to Paris for the New Year. Pablo spent about eight weeks in Iran but came in time to go with us to Gijón and Mara Belén enjoyed having her brothers around at the same time for the first in several years.

One of the activities that I work on is helping out the municipal government here in Majadahonda. Elections are coming up this spring and there is a lot to prepare and many issues to face like how best to use the soccer stadium and how to assimilate the increasing immigrant population.

My once favorite soccer team has been lowered to second division and may be heading for third. Poor Sporting of Gijón!!!

I enjoyed receiving the news that many of you had a great meeting in Miami and have planned more of them. This month Mrs. Curbera who has also retired is spending this month visiting Mrs. Haer as well as her daughter and grandchild in Florida.

Greetings to you all, Anna Marie Gonzales Fernández

Mrs. Fernandez can be contacted at: marab@idecnet.com

Class Ring Survey:

Did you lose your class ring? For whatever the reason, many people have misplaced or lost their American School of Madrid Class rings. At the last reunion, three out of five of us were interested in purchasing a new ring if that was an option. I am investigating the possibility of getting replacement rings made (through the representative for Jostens in Madrid who handles ASM). If you are interested in purchasing a replacement ring, please send an email to MFeareyASM@aol.com. I will let you know the details as soon as I find out.

Who have we found from the Sixties?

This newsletter is distributed by Michelle (Fearey LaGue) Mock (ASM '69) on the first of each month. If you wish to receive a copy of future newsletters via e-mail, please send a message to MFeareyASM@aol.com . Past newsletters can be found on line at <http://www.gutech.com/asm/>. Please check out the Official ASM web site at < http://www.amerschmad.org > and the "Unofficial" ASM web site at < http://www.gutech.com/asm/ >. Please register and fill out the questionnaires at both sites (even if you were only at ASM a short time and did not graduate in Madrid).