The 1924 dedication marker inside Pottstown High School.
SANATOGA PA – Expect a small traffic jam Saturday afternoon and evening (Oct. 3, 2009) at Sunnybrook Ballroom, both inside and out, thanks to organizers’ apparent success in promoting a Pottstown High School (PHS) grand reunion of all classes that will run from 3-9 p.m. in the event center on 50 Sunnybrook Rd., Pottstown PA.
A continuing campaign by a group of volunteers to find the more than 12,000 living alumni of Pottstown High, and invite them to attend the dinner, dancing and display affair, has paid off. Volunteer Judy Bedell, PHS Class of 1957, reported Monday (Sept. 28, 2009) that about 450 people had already reserved seats then, and even more were expected to sign up during this week.
Local media outlets, she said in an e-mail, could be credited for “taking part and publicizing” the event. But some of those who already have tickets in hand also say Bedell and other organizers have been busy reaching out to fellow alums and encouraging their attendance.
It hasn’t been easy. For starters, the organizing committee lacked current addresses for many former PHS graduates. It knew who it needed to contact; it just didn’t know where to find them or how to reach them.
- PHS itself acknowledges the difficulty in trying to re-connect with the people who once walked its halls. High school administrators recently announced they had partnered with a company called Harris Connect “to produce a current alumni directory” of all PHS grads. The book is expected to include “recollections and stories of the 129-year history of Pottstown High School, along with photos from days gone by, up to and including 2008,” according to the announcement. The high school has asked alumni to expect to receive a phone call “for the purpose of verifying contact information.” Alums can also be proactive by calling in their verifications to a no-cost, toll-free phone: 866-515-0841.
Then, just as the reunion publicity ball got rolling, one of the volunteer group’s highest profile members – former Pottstown School District Superintendent Dr. Ray Feick – was unexpectedly pulled away to new duties. He was named interim superintendent of the Owen J. Roberts School District following its school board’s controversial firing of former Superintendent Dr. Myra Forrest.
If you’re a Pottstown grad and have an itch to see old friends, it might still possible to get last-minute tickets. They cost $35 per patron; call Jane Hamilton at 610-323-8200 in the Pottstown School District Administration Building, 230 Beech St., Pottstown PA, to check on availability.
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