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Patricia Hodge (Hanes)

Taina Lahdekorpi (Seaman)

Re: 1989 .... Nancy, aloha from the middle of the Pacific! 🌺 Yes, I'm not a post-er on social media, not even Facebook. Have posted on this just a handful of times. Mainly to express how impressed I am with everyone's memories! Names, places, events, photos, etc. roll off their keyboards like a waterfall. Fun to read. Even you remembered so many, including my locker partner, Karen, who I saw at the first or maybe second reunion, and who has since passed away. Again, CRS setting in.... and you even mentioned me! Thank you for that! What's so special about these reunions is that when seeing people you knew years ago, it's like no time has passed. With this reunion, it's really big. 50 years of life for all of us that has brought us numerous challenges and changes, along with happiness and sorrow. You have to join us! You are part of a very special time at Lane that launched us into where we are today. Please come and celebrate getting this far in life and to being able to even do so. Hope to see you in September! 🙏❤️

Michelle Milkovic (Weiner)

Here are our prom pictures from the 1977 yearbook.

Frank G Styzek

Thanks for the photos Michelle!! So glad we were one of the final classes to have our graduation ceremony in Lane Stadium. It was truly memorable. 

Norman Vorne

In 1976, the Lane Tech Chess Team was the school’s only state champion team.
(Photo courtesy of Marc Harris).

Lane Tech State Champion Chess Team, 1976
Top Row (L–R): Teacher Sponsor – Hubert Freestrom; Ken Moore; Frank Tamura; Keith Wetterquist; Frederick Rhine
Bottom Row (L–R): Lance Ogasawara; Marc Harris; Team Captain – Norman Vorne; Mark Plusa
3 of our Team Members were class of 1976, 4 were class of 1977

Frank G Styzek

Happy Father's Day to all the LT Class of 1976 Dads! Hard to believe but a lot of us are grandpas too!! Enjoy the day!!

Norman Vorne

Thanks for asking Greg, I was able to edit the photo above and add the names.

Michelle Milkovic (Weiner)

Hey everybody! 

They're playing our year tomorrow morning!

Tune in or stream WXRT from 9 till noon.

BTW... the host, Johnny Mars, is Lane Tech Class of 1975.

Charles Grant

Thanks for the WXRT 1976 flashback Info! On my calendar!

Michelle Milkovic (Weiner)

Sad news. We lost our beautiful Homecoming Queen this month. Toyia O'Quinn was so lovely and I had hoped to be able to see her at the reunion.

Too many and too young.

https://www.garfieldwatersfuneralhome.com/obituaries/toyia-o-quinn

Kris Sacksteder

Could someone name all 5 ladies in the queens court, please?

Grace Tanaka (Danziger)

Re #2016

Oh no. I didn't know Toyia personally, but remember being very pleased she was chosen as Homecoming Queen. So sad she has passed this young, sad for all the fellow alumni we've lost too soon. Just the other day looking through Georgette's slideshow, I was noting to my Marc that I wished I had attended our LTHS football games and homecoming. Back then, being so involved in track, I didn't pay much attention to other sports.

Deborah "Debbie" Tono

Oh noooo - I was  thinking of Toyia when I heard that John Ware passed as we (along with Michael Burket & Marietta Wiley) went to elementary & middle school together. Was hoping to reconnect this September with them.

Please take care everone - stay hydrated due to the heat, stay inside for those unable to tolerate the smoke from the wildfires nationwide (can't even see the Rocky Mountains these days), stay alert when you're out & about ... walking or driving ... hope to see many peeps at the 50th  

Can't believe it's been that long since we tossed our caps & went on our way to adulthood. 🙏

Michelle Milkovic (Weiner)

Kris, I think they were all Class of '77 except Toyia.

From left to right: Ada Torres, Pauline Fediuk, Blonde gal I dunno, Estella Alonso. Estella went on to become a leader in the field of pediatric kidney transplants at Lurie Childrens.

The 1975 Homecoming court included our lovely Patti O'Day and Taina was the Homecoming Queen that year.

Milan Norum

Does anyone know what time the school tour starts on the morning of 9-19?

Michelle Milkovic (Weiner)

Hey Milan, 

We are planning for 10AM but will confirm when Lane Tech facilities and security are back at school. 

Nancy L Alexander

Rest inb Peace and Love, Toyia, Lane's first Black Queen!

Kris Sacksteder

I guess I am DDB, even though I prefer DMB. What did Jill Everett do that I should be aware of.

Gregory Calvimontes

Michelle Milkovic (Weiner)

There are several Laneites from other (mostly adjacent) classes who are a part of our Bicentennial community because they enjoy long-standing friendships with folks from '76 and they feel that this is a great place to stay connected.

One has already asked to be removed when a classmate became a nuisance. Let's not lose another, but rather keep the conversation here respectful, and positive.

Michelle Milkovic (Weiner)

One of the things that WILL NOT be on the school tour will be the stadium so you might want a sneak peek.

You may or may not know that the stadium was condemned in 2007. That's when graduation ceremonies moved to UIC permanently.

It was renovated the next year for the 100th anniversary of the school and later upgraded in a leasing agreement between the Park District, CPS and DePaul University. This summer the track is being replaced.

In 2022, the field was named for 1912 graduate Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard. Fritz was a 3-sport elite athlete at Lane, went on to be the first Black athlete to play in the Rose Bowl for Brown University, one of the first Black athletes to sign a pro football contract and the first quarterback, coach and to lead his team to a national championship. He played against Jim Thorpe and George Halas. He is in the Lane Tech, Brown University, College Football and NFL Halls of Fame.

The Alumni Association designed and installed four bronze plaques at the north end of the stadium highlighting Pollard's achievements in sports, business and social justice. CPS installed a new scoreboard and last year we were finally able to change the exterior signage.

Lane is still able to use the stadium for gym classes and it's still our home field but it is in constant use in the fall with football games scheduled at 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30 on Fridays and Saturdays!

You can learn more about Fritz and see pictures of the dedication celebration here: FRITZ POLLARD - Lane Tech Alumni Association

Robert Cole

That's pretty amazing! I never knew the entire history of Fritz Plooard and the stadium. I always thought Johnny Weismueller was our one big claim to sports fame!

Michelle Milkovic (Weiner)

Johnny Weissmuller was one of several famous Lane drop outs, Bob. He attended Lane very briefly around 1919-1920 before he became a lifeguard(beachbum) and was discovered by a swimming coach at North Ave or Foster Beach depending on the source the story varies.

Phil Cavaretta also left Lane after his junior year to work to support his family. This is a pretty accurate account of his transition from Lane to professional baseball. Phil Cavarretta – Society for American Baseball Research

Closer to our era, Carl Giammarese had to decide in 1964 if he would return to Lane for his senior year or sign a record deal with his band, the Buckinghams. He chose the latter. 

So maybe we didn't need that diploma after all. Wink, wink.

Phil Cavarretta – Society for American Baseball Research

Robert Cole

Let's not forget our most recent claim to (in)fame... Rod Blagojevich!

Michelle Milkovic (Weiner)

Bob, I was at a party last night and again, the subject of Blago came up. Weird. Legend has it that Rod didn’t make Lane's basketball team so he transferred to Kelvyn Park where he could start, (big fish-little pond).  

But if you really want to talk about the Lane Tech Hall of Shame, one grad really stands out.

84 years ago, Herbert Hans Haupt '37 was executed along with five of his fellow conspirators for spying for the Nazi's during WWII. He was part of "Operation Pastorius" intending to sabotage various U. S. facilities that were critical to the war effort. In a rarely mentioned yet significant part of our history, events took place rapidly with the spies landing on U.S. soil on June 17th, their arrest on July 27th, the trial on August 1st, verdict on August 3rd, and execution on August 8th. Definitely Google-worthy.

O