Schoolmate Profiles

Holger Paetau

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: RETIRED
Comment: lOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE FOR THE 40TH.

Mike Panter

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: law
Comment: Holly and I chose the roller coaster; now, 2 kids, 2 grandkids, kitesurfing, Rotary, Big Brother mentor, retired judge and private arbitrator/mediator, hearing officer for Chic.Police Board. Ain't that a kick in the head! Love hearing classmates' stories.

Michael Parrilli

Marital status: Married
Children: 1
Occupation: Retired

Edward Pearlman

Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: Musician & Writer
Comment: Since 1970?  Hmmm.  Starting with now:  We have a boy, 21, a senior at Columbia in NYC majoring in English but playing lots of music which you can hear at his site (click here).  He and I made a CD called On the Edge which has Scottish fiddle mixed with jazz.  You can find it online (click here), or download it or tracks from it (click here).





Our daughter is almost 18, good dancer and fiddler and a freshman at Barnard, across the street from her brother!  Our little guy is 11, loves sports, fishing, dancing & music.





OK so far.  My wife is a dancer and dance teacher and a lawyer who is working in the foreclosure mediation program.





We have a family band called Highland Soles (click here for website).  You might have heard some of our music at the reunion pub get-together Friday night, or seen our show that Sunday at the 19th Century Club.





I published a novel at the end of October, called Franck's Wild Ride.  You can read much of the first chapter on Amazon.com (click here to go to that page) if you like.  You can also buy it online from the publisher (click here) or get it on my website (click here) where you can ask to have it signed with a glowing note to yourself.





Before all that happened, we started our family band in 2003, after I sold my business, which I had for 10 years, distributing all the recordings from Scotland and Atlantic Canada and selected titles from Ireland and Brittany and Wales, to stores across the USA.





Before that, I ran the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club for 18 years, including running some major Celtic events in Boston and making some recordings.





During that time I got married.





Before that I lived mostly in Boston but a year and a half in San Francisco and most of a year in Paris, France.  Before that I went to Yale and got a BA in Literature but also played lots of music.





If you want more details, let's talk!

Pam Phillips Weston (Glasser )

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Occupation: Retired
Comment: BS,MA, Northwestern U. Then married, divorced after 18 years. Remarried 6 yrs ago, great guy (see pic).. I have four wonderful adult sons, and (yikes) inherited eight stepchildren + 5 grandkids. I am retired from the fitness industry: a group exercise place, kids' fitness business, spinning center, and personal training company that I started + built up over 30 years on Chicago's North Shore. My time now is spent with family, friends, travel, volunteer work and fundraising. My favorite work is with a Hispanic population where I set up exercise and nutrition programs. Very rewarding. Can't wait to see everyone and reminisce!

Marjorie Pitz

Then Then
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Landscape architect
Comment: I went to the U of MN, and have stayed in Minnesota since.  I've practiced landscape architecture since '74, but have slowly morphed into a public artist as well. Now I spend 50% time sculpting, and 50% time as a landscape architect, which is a fun balance.





We live on the Mississippi River bluff, in a neighborhood full of artistic people, strong women, and good friends. Our kids are in college, and all is well.  I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends!

Alex Plechash

Then Then
Now Now
Children: 2
Occupation: Wall Street
Comment: My "then" photo is actually my senior year picture at the Naval Academy since I do not have a digital image of my high school photo (probably a good thing.  Ha!)  Boy, what a ride it's been ... literally.  After graduating from Annapolis, I had the great privilege of being a Marine Corps fighter pilot and a TOPGUN graduate flying a number of jets starting with the F-4 Phantom and culminating in the F/A-18 Hornet.  I was on my way to fulfilling my dream of being an astronaut when a family crisis forced me to leave active duty and go into the Reserves.  I finished out my Marine Corps career in 1993 after Operation Desert Storm.  Over the course of my military career, I did some pretty interesting things; some of which I am happy to talk about and some of which I can't because it is still classified.  Let's just say it all started with a visit to a Virgina-based "farm."  After having lived in 12 different states since college, being officially deployed overseas a number of times as well as some unofficial visits to some pretty interesting places, I decided to step off the agency train and settle into an investment banking job in Minneapolis in order to be near my daughters who were both living there.  I've been living in Wayzata, on the shores of Lake Minnetonka for over 21 years and I love it.  I am very connected to my community and my church in lots of ways including being Chapter President of the Naval Academy Alumni Association; Chairman of the Board of a national 501(c)3 non-profit; various executive levels in politics (all the way to the national level) and last but not least, by being a firefighter on our local volunteer fire department.  Gotta keep the adrenaline rush going somehow, I guess.

John Polich

Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired/ commercial photographer
Comment: I had the opportunity to attend one of the greatest high schools in the country. While attending I met a classmate, Adam Slotkowski who asked me if I'd be interested in joining the Camera Club with him. From that day forward I knew what I wanted to do with my life. After graduating from Oak Park, in 1970 I attended Triton junior college for two years and went on to attend Winona school photography and received my bachelors degree. After graduating, I begin working for a food photographer in downtown Chicago. After five years, I took a new job working for Kraft Foods. My specialty was photographing food for advertising, such as packaging, national ads, billboards, cookbooks, etc. I have had the opportunity to also meet and photograph many incredible celebrities, and travel around the country photographing for our internal publications. A small step up from working on the yearbook and newspaper staff at Oak Park.


I met my wife Susan in 1977 and we married in 1979 and just celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary. We have two boys and one granddaughter and waiting for more. Enjoy my free time biking, trapshooting, fishing, traveling, hiking, still photographing for fun, and spending as much time with my family as I can.





 

Elizabeth (Betsy) Porter (Curl)

Marital status: Widowed
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired / Book Publisher
Comment: My high school pals were intellectual and philosopher types, doctor’s kids and some of us became MDs.  Gone now but forever in my heart… Jerry Lang, Cliff Chyatte.  A funny (crazy) memory is Margaret Mercer, Phil Cushway, Scott Sorgenfreid and myself getting caught by Scott’s stepmom smoking pot at Scott’s house (the first time for Margaret and me) after spending the afternoon at the beach.  I need to write that story!!  In 2009, my husband David Weiss (who passed in 2020) and I created a book publishing business called River Sanctuary Publishing.  Focus is on spiritual books, but we’ve published many genres.  Check us out at riversanctuarypublishing.com.  I was known as Betsy Curl while in high school, and now go by my (author) name Annie Elizabeth Porter.  I lived a vibrant life, making my way to Santa Cruz, California by a circuitous route.  Along the way I raised two stepsons who are dear to my heart.  I retired in 2007 from Stanford University School of Medicine after a career of 19 years running the Office of Medical Education (training in undergraduate medical education).   I am first and foremost a student and teacher of the Ascension.  Know that ALL IS WELL, always.  I am so blessed to have had such a wonderful life.  Blessings to you and yours…

Richard Ramey

Marital status: Single
Occupation: Retired