Search is on for missing classmates
Anybody seen Cliff Cool, Joe Peco, George Sites, Gary Smith or Sue Wogulis Morrison? The St. Charles High School graduating class of 1957 is looking for them.
It's 50th reunion time, and organizers are hoping to get as much of the old (as in "former") gang together as possible for the big bash, set for Sept. 27-30.
Valerie Koop Evans, who's been planning the shindig for months, said the aforementioned five people are the only classmates she hasn't been able to track down. And as of today, there's only one month left to do so.
As for the reunion, the four-day event starts Sept. 27 with an informal get-together at Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St.
The next day, attendees can do some shopping and lunching before hopping on the Fox River Queen for an evening boat ride.
Tours of the high school (now known as East) and Thompson Middle School are planned for Sept. 29, followed by a banquet at Pheasant Run. Everything wraps up on Sunday with brunch.
Sounds like a good time, so if you know how to get in touch with Cool, Peco, Sites, Smith or Morrison, call Evans at (480) 633-0286.
MS patient blog: If you read the recent story about the St. Charles man receiving umbilical cord blood stem cells for treatment of multiple sclerosis and wondered how he's doing, you can now check in with him online.
The family of Dave Ozzello, 51, is maintaining a blog at www.stemcellschina.com/blogs/Davemidway while he undergoes the rare treatment in Hangzhou, China.
The blog is an interesting read, especially if you're curious about this procedure, which isn't yet available here in the states. It is updated almost daily, and there also are photos of Ozzello being prepped for the treatment.
Help HELP: It's now your yearly chance to aid a worthy St. Charles area nonprofit that finds good homes for homeless and endangered pets.
Homes for Endangered and Lost Pets (HELP) is seeking contributions for its fifth annual Dinner and Auction Gala, set for Oct. 19 at Pheasant Run. This event constitutes the biggest source of funding for the organization, which rescues an estimated 600 animals a year.
You can get involved by making a tax-deductible donation in the form of money or business products and services. Auction donations should be worth at least $25.
To arrange a donation, call (630) 466-7244. There's also more information online at www.helpinganimals.org.
Rally was a rare view: Kudos to the St. Charles school district for allowing the press to attend its annual back-to-school rally this week.
The event -- attended by all 1,900 or so district employees -- hasn't previously been open to the media and, therefore, probably went on relatively unnoticed by the rest of the community.
Granted, there weren't any major revelations during the rally. But our ability to cover it did offer a rare view of how administrators, school board members and the union president help get school staff in the right frame of mind before class resumes.
This is the kind of openness District 303 has needed for quite some time.