Forest Hills High School Alumni
Queens, New York (NY)
Alumni Stories
Danny Fuchs aka Orin Kennedy
Class of 1957
An Ordinary Couple is a romantic and uplifting documentary following two extraordinary men on an unexpected journey from their funeral to their wedding. Yes, in that order.
Unable to legally marry in 2006, Orin Kennedy and Bernardo Puccio celebrate their life together by inviting their closest friends to their "living funeral" where a 12-foot Kennedy-Puccio monument is unveiled. Refusing to let a simple marriage certificate stand in the way of publicly expressing their commitment, they have inscribed their monument with their achievement – that they walked this earth with a lifetime of love and commitment to each other.
This all-consuming and symbolic event forces Orin and Bernardo to examine their lives in such a way that all aspects of who they are - both then and now, are revealed. Orin and Bernardo discuss what it was like growing up gay in 1950s and 1960s America and how it presented an extra set of challenges. It was their common quest to find their own identities that brought them both to Los Angeles, and ultimately to each other. After meeting in 1976 they experienced five years of a very tumultuous, on-and-off again relationship.
Their story is not distinctive in that it involves two men. Rather it is extraordinary that the relationship has flourished for 33 years, that both men escaped the AIDS epidemic, and that they continue to make their relationship normal in the face of discrimination, opposition and misunderstanding.
Intertwining themes of love, marriage, and politics the film delivers humor, political commentary, the occasional touch of drama, and a deeply personal look at Kennedy and Puccio's dedication to one another.
As the status of gay rights in California pendulums drastically in 2008, the film follows Orin and Bernardo while they plan their wedding. Their relationship continues to change as they experience the ups-and-downs of wedding stress. Humor and drama combine as they discover that arranging a wedding is unlike any other event they have organized. On October 12, 2008 family and friends gather to celebrate the moment where at last, they have all the rights afforded other Americans.
Ultimately Orin and Bernardo must confront the upheaval caused by California's Proposition 8. Married for just 33 days, on November 4 they find themselves in a marriage no-mans land. With a long legal battle laid-out in California, their marital status will remain murky for some time. Their commitment to each another, however, remains steadfast and the Puccio-Kennedy monument stands as a dignified symbol of the struggle the gay community has endured for decades to achieve equal recognition.
Unable to legally marry in 2006, Orin Kennedy and Bernardo Puccio celebrate their life together by inviting their closest friends to their "living funeral" where a 12-foot Kennedy-Puccio monument is unveiled. Refusing to let a simple marriage certificate stand in the way of publicly expressing their commitment, they have inscribed their monument with their achievement – that they walked this earth with a lifetime of love and commitment to each other.
This all-consuming and symbolic event forces Orin and Bernardo to examine their lives in such a way that all aspects of who they are - both then and now, are revealed. Orin and Bernardo discuss what it was like growing up gay in 1950s and 1960s America and how it presented an extra set of challenges. It was their common quest to find their own identities that brought them both to Los Angeles, and ultimately to each other. After meeting in 1976 they experienced five years of a very tumultuous, on-and-off again relationship.
Their story is not distinctive in that it involves two men. Rather it is extraordinary that the relationship has flourished for 33 years, that both men escaped the AIDS epidemic, and that they continue to make their relationship normal in the face of discrimination, opposition and misunderstanding.
Intertwining themes of love, marriage, and politics the film delivers humor, political commentary, the occasional touch of drama, and a deeply personal look at Kennedy and Puccio's dedication to one another.
As the status of gay rights in California pendulums drastically in 2008, the film follows Orin and Bernardo while they plan their wedding. Their relationship continues to change as they experience the ups-and-downs of wedding stress. Humor and drama combine as they discover that arranging a wedding is unlike any other event they have organized. On October 12, 2008 family and friends gather to celebrate the moment where at last, they have all the rights afforded other Americans.
Ultimately Orin and Bernardo must confront the upheaval caused by California's Proposition 8. Married for just 33 days, on November 4 they find themselves in a marriage no-mans land. With a long legal battle laid-out in California, their marital status will remain murky for some time. Their commitment to each another, however, remains steadfast and the Puccio-Kennedy monument stands as a dignified symbol of the struggle the gay community has endured for decades to achieve equal recognition.
Recent Members
| Barbara Cohn | 1954 |
| Ceecee Fisco | 2016 |
| Dorothy Voytek | 1952 |
| Hongkyo Kim | 1979 |
| Mildred M B | 1974 |
| Rich Moreta | 1985 |
| Sandra Berk | 1957 |
| Steven Kliche | 1987 |
Military Alumni
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Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!