Moon Class Of 1968 -- 70th Birthday Bash

Michael Pahel '68 posted a photo:

FYI, the Reunion Committee was in agreement on this, Sandy was simply the point person. All contact information that has been collected on our classmates has been shared only with committee members for future reference should I be unable to participate. Please pass this along to anyone from our class you may know for whom we don’t have contact information. Michael

For those of you not on Facebook where this was originally published or a member of the reunion committee.

(Posted 07/16/20) Dear Classmates:
After some discussion among members of our 50th Reunion Committee and our class sponsor, Señor Joseph D'Andrea, the committee announces it has donated $4,000 to the Moon Area Education Foundation.
In our letter to the foundation, we asked that the money be used for eight $500 scholarships, each to a graduating Moon Area High School senior who intends to enroll at Robert Morris University in Moon. We also asked that the annual scholarship be called "The Moon High School Class of 1968 Scholarship in Honor of Joseph D'Andrea."
Señor D'Andrea recommended that we put the funds left from our 2018 reunion "toward young people" in a way that would benefit the Moon Area School District community. These scholarships, to be awarded once a year for eight years, would meet that worthy goal.
We regret that the coronavirus pandemic had made the collective 70th birthday party we planned for Aug. 29 a dangerous option for our age group. Many of you might have seen graduation ceremonies, weddings and other gatherings canceled or postponed because of COVID-19.
Many thanks to members of our committee and Moon High School Class of 1968 for the generous donations that resulted in our $4,000 donation. Some of the money (well over $3,000) was left from the 2018 50th-year reunion; other donations came in quite recently so we could round up the scholarship fund to an even $4,000.
With this donation, the committee ends its official business. If a group of classmates wishes to gather in the future, I am sure some of us still around would be willing to give input.
If there is any further communication from the Moon Area Education Foundation, I will be sure to post it here.
Until we meet again, please stay safe,
Sandy Fischione Donovan, Reunion Committee Co-chair

(Posted 7/18/20) Dear Classmates:
Below is a letter from Moon Area Education Foundation board president Jennifer Daugherty, acknowledging our donation of $4,000 for the creation of the Moon Class of 1968 Scholarship in Honor of Joseph D'Andrea.
Thanks to many of you who generously donated, we were able to make this scholarship possible for one Moon Area High School senior for each of eight years who intends to enroll at Robert Morris University in Moon.
The leftover money from our 2018 50th-year reunion was intended for a small celebration this year, which the pandemic made unwise. I hope you will agree that putting it "toward young people," as Señor D'Andrea recommended, is a worthy use of the money.
-- Sandy Fischione Donovan

Michael Pahel '68 said:

Dear Classmates,
It is with the greatest regret that we must announce we are canceling the Aug. 29 70th Birthday Party reunion due to the coronavirus threat. While circumstances might change for the better by August, we are not sure how they might continue to affect our age group, which is the most vulnerable. At least one member of our committee with an additional vulnerability said it could be dangerous for other classmates with pre-existing additional conditions, and they might be reluctant to attend even if conditions ease up.
The majority of committee members have therefore voted to cancel the reunion and donate the remaining money from our 2018 gathering to some worthy use that our class sponsor, Joseph D’Andrea, recommends. We will let you know what that is later this year.
Members of our class can always organize another reunion in the future when the danger of COVID-19 has passed. But we are not sure when that will be, and so we will close the books on this one.
We hope you are staying safe, and that we may meet again in better times.

For the glory,
Moon Class of 1968 Reunion Committee

Mary Lou Doolan Altfather Glenn Marrichi
Janet Turzak Barlett Judy Howe Ross
Paul Betlyn Tony Rossi
Sue Driscoll Coleman Ann Stocking Runyon
Jamie Allison Diamond Denny Runyon
Sandy Fischione Donovan Ruth Miscuk Strasser
Kurt Gottschalk Michael Pahel Wayne
Nik Katich