Huntington’s Class of 1989 Enjoys 20th Reunion
Huntington High School’s Class of 1989 recently held its 20th reunion as members descended upon their hometown from as far away as Texas and California. It was a fun time and members of the group decided not to wait a full 10 years for the next get-together, preferring instead to hold one marking their 25th graduation anniversary.
The 1989 alums mingled at both formal and informal gatherings over a summer weekend. “Thanks to the internet, the turnout was amazing,” said Dr. Tanya Gesek, who helped plan the reunion for her classmates.
Over 120 members of the Class of 1989 turned out for the reunion’s Saturday evening “main event” at Black and Blue Chophouse on Wall Street in Huntington village. “We gnashed on appetizers and celebrated each other for hours,” Dr. Gesek said. The party spilled out into the streets where folks went on to grab pizza at Little Vincent’s and refreshments at Finnegan’s Tap Room.
One day earlier on Friday night, a small group of reunion-goers headed over to Huntington High School and participated in the time-honored tradition of painting “The Rock.” On Sunday, families came together at Crab Meadow Beach and DiRaimo’s Pizzeria for more mingling and fun.
“It was such a surreal walk down memory lane and a good time was had by all,” Dr. Gesek said. The experience was so enjoyable that class members have tentatively decided not to wait for a 30th reunion in 2019. Instead they intend to gather again as a group in 2014.
Huntington’s Class of 1989 graduated on Sunday, June 25 at 1:30 p.m. on the football field. James L. Salvatore was serving as principal at the time and Richard B. Stock was the superintendent of schools. The class was led by valedictorian Christopher Jensen and salutatorian Candice Prior. The 1989 grads included three American Field Service foreign exchange students from Belgium, Japan and the United Kingdom.
So many of the 1989 alums have gone on to obtain advanced graduate degrees and have settled into important positions in dozens of different career fields. Dr. Gesek is typical of the group. After earning an undergraduate degree she obtained an MA at the University of Connecticut and a Ph.D. at Texas A.M. University. Today she is a psychologist and lives in Syracuse with her husband and child.
The 1989 grads are nearing 40 years old, but for one summer weekend they went back in time, returning to their teenage years at Huntington High School.
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