1. It’s Bremen's way to recognize alums who have distinguished themselves through their accomplishments and service in all fields of endeavor.  
    
2. More importantly, it is another way for the Class of ’62 to support Bremen and its students by showing students how a Bremen education can serve as a launching pad for their life’s work. 
    

The highlight of the ceremonies is having the inductees meet with two student groups to share their life experiences and answer any questions the students may have. This year they met with a Junior AP English Class and Members of the Student Council. 

This was our best Hall of Fame ever! The lively dialogue with the students was augmented by words of wisdom from Diana Williams and Tom Dresser, former Hall of Fame inductees who attended as guests!  Also attending were Denny Day (and his wife Renee), Rich Kieffer, and Mary Lou (Daly) Pisone, members of the 2022 Reunion Planning Committee.

This year was special because we had two new inductees for the first time, and they were husband and wife - John and Sherry (Cheryl Snedden) Ferris. 

Also attending and presenting was Betty (Bruner) Slaughter, our 2021 Hall of Fame inductee, and her husband, Bill. They could not participate in last year’s event due to Covid restrictions.

Sadly, Capitan John Ferris (Class of ’62) passed away in December 2019 due to Parkinson's Disease, which he most likely contracted while serving his country as a Marine Corps Flight Officer. He and his family were exposed to Agent Orange in SE Asia and toxic water at Camp Lejeune in the U.S.

Tragically, Sherry Ferris (Class of ’63) contracted ALS and could not participate in our Hall of Fame ceremonies. Therefore, Denny and Rich accepted the awards on their behalf and presented their stories to the students. Mary Lou recorded the presentations for Sherry. We can think of nobody more deserving of this honor than John and Sherry, who are shining examples of courage and service.

Betty dedicated her career to education and philanthropy while at the same time balancing her life as an active-duty military wife and a mother of two. She taught college-level English and Literature across the U.S. as she followed her husband's career in the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel. The highlight of her teaching career was teaching English at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Betty is truly a role model for all women.

Since 2013, we have inducted ten of our Classmates into the Bremen Hall of Fame. Over the years, it's become a tradition after the morning Hall of Fame activities to have lunch at the Hog Wild BBQ, a few blocks North of Bremen on Pulaski. 

However, there’s more to the Hog Wild BBQ story than just tradition. 

First, they've been a great supporter of Bremen over the years and funded the "Waterfall" in the main lobby in front of which Sue (Vaughan) and Ken Nelson are standing (see the picture of Sue and Ken below). In other words, Hog Wild supports Bremen, and we support them!

Second, they offer some of the best damn BBQ in the Chicago area. 

Attending were:

   Betty (Bruner) and Bill Slaughter - Colorado Springs, CO

   Denny and Renee Day - Hobart, WI

   Diana Williams and Steve Spigel - Chicago, IL

   Sue (Vaughan) and Ken Nelson - Indianapolis, IN

   Tom Dresser - Colombia, MO

   Mary Lou (Daly) Pisone - Countryside, IL

   Darrell Jordan - Ocean Isle Beach, NC

   Rich Kieffer -Inverness, IL

As you can see, our geographically diverse group had a great time socializing and eating some fine food! 

However, we had to order some extra security for Denny since a Green Bay Packers Fan (and former Bears Fan) coming to Chicago during the football season carries some degree of risk! 

Another tradition we have had over the years is to attend the Homecoming Pep Rally and ride on the Bremen Bus in the Homecoming Parade. In prior years, the Hall of Fame plaques were presented to the Inductees at the Pep Rally.

This year, the Hall of Fame Inductees were announced over the PA system, followed by a march around the school halls behind the Bremen Band Drum Corps in front of all the teachers and students who lined the halls. The Hall of Fame plaques were presented at the student sessions.

We enjoyed the revised format – it was fun!

THE PEP RALLY

Each year the Pep Rally, which is held in the main (original) gym, outdoes itself! The performances by the cheerleaders and several modern dance groups were innovative and spectacular! The tumbling, human pyramids, and synchronized dancing routines were off-the-charts!

Support from the student body was enthusiastic and at a decibel level that was, at times, deafening! They are adding new performance groups to the Pep Rally to encourage more student participation, and it’s working!

What impressed us the most was their spirit and the respect the students showed for the staff, teachers, school, each other, and us visitors. Given Bremen's ethnic diversity, the administration deserves immense credit for instilling pride, mutual respect, and a “can-do” attitude in the entire student body.

Equally impressive was the condition of Bremen’s physical plant. It was pristine! We felt the school looks better now than it did 60 years ago! More on this in Episode 5 – The School Tour.

THE PARADE

The Parade makes its way through the local streets of Midlothian with fire trucks, police cars, local luminaries riding in convertibles, and the Bremen Bus, followed by the Bremen Band.  Hall of Fame Inductees and guests ride in the parade on the Bremen Bus with an ample supply of candy to toss out to the local children who look forward to the parade as they do to Halloween!

As you will see from the pictures, we had fun, and perhaps at times, some of us were not always acting "age appropriate"! :-)

NEXT!

At this point, it’s about 4:30 PM. We’ve been going nonstop since 8:00 AM this morning, and it’s time for a quick refresh at the hotel before we attend the pre-game Hall of Fame introductions and dinner at Bartolini’s, where we had our 50^th Reunion gala celebration in 2012. We’ll cover all of this in Episode 4 & 5 - The Post Parade Dinner at Bartolini's and the Varsity Game!

PRE-GAME ACTIVITIES

Each year, Bremen sets up an Alumni Tent in one of the end zones with seating, refreshments, and various Bremen fan gear for purchase. This year the tent was in the North endzone.  Entry to the game for alums is gratis!

As the team practiced their extra-point and field-goal kicks, the alums had to keep a wide eye open for errant footballs as they sailed over the tent. As you will see in the pictures, we were up close to the field, which was excellent!

In past years, the new Hall of Fame Inductees were introduced to the Bremen students and fans during the pregame or half-time ceremonies. This year it was pregame and extraordinary! The Inductees were presented on the 50-yard-line and asked to do the official coin toss at mid-field!

Given that we had three new inductees (Betty, John, and Sherry), and Sherry could not attend to accept on her and John's behalf, the coin toss honor fell to Betty! Bremen's Team Captain made the call, and Betty tossed the coin – and Bremen won the toss! Therefore, we’re giving Betty partial credit for Bremen’s massive win over Hillcrest – 54 to 20! 

See pictures of Betty's coin toss. Betty, John, and Sherry each received one of these commemorative coins.

THE GAME

Wow – it was an offensive blowout for Bremen – 54 to 20! 

Bremen is 6 & 1 overall and 4 & 1 in the South Suburban Conference, second only to Lemont, who is 4 & 0 in the Conference. However, as you will see from the individual stats below, Bremen has some of the top performers in the South Suburban Conference on both offense and defense.

You can be assured that the Homecoming Dance on Saturday night was a very happy event for the team, the students, and the staff!

Dinner at Bella Mia was excellent and a perfect way to wrap up our 60^th Reunion. They provided us with a semi-private area in their “Library.” They were also very accommodating since we booked for 24, but seven could not attend. 

However, the 17 who attended had a great time!  In fact, we were enjoying ourselves so much that we took very few pictures! NOTE: If any of you have photos from Bella Mia, please send them, and I’ll add them to the ones we have.

Dr. Jessica Rucinski (Bremen’s Principal) and Jennifer Greenway (Executive Assistant to Dr. Kibelkis, Bremen’s former Principal) stopped by for a drink. Matt Meany and Dr. Kibelkis were invited, but they had conflicts! Jessica and Matt also had to return to school to supervise the Homecoming Dance!

Over the years, Jessica, Matt, Jennifer, Dr. Kibelkis, and the entire Bremen staff have enthusiastically supported our programs and reunion activities. We were honored to have some of them attend our event and greatly appreciate their support.

WHAT NEXT?

This will be our last formal reunion event. However, we will continue to have informal get-togethers each year at Homecoming and plan to continue our Hall of Fame Program.

Additionally, we will have our annual Class of ’62 Scholarship Awards on Senior Honors Night in May. Once again, a big thank you to all who contributed to the scholarship program that made it possible for the Class of ’62 to award four scholarships totaling $2,750 each year for the next nine years.  

This is in addition to the $13,750 we have already awarded in the past six years. Yes, in six years, the Class of ’62 raised almost $40,000 to help the best and brightest Bremen student achieve their educational goals! 

We may be old, but we still have Bremen pride!