Oh boy, Sunday April 30, 2006 ─ a day I have been looking forward to for the last couple of months.  It has taken me about 3 years to get to this event and I finally made it.

It started in the a.m. with the bus ride from my house in Lakewood , N.J. to the Port Authority Bus terminal; from there to the 14th street station on the 8th Avenue subway.  St. Bernard's here I come.

I went directly to the school hall and signed in at the desk.  The woman at the desk asked my name and, when I said Cathy Tupper, she laughed and asked if I was Cathy Scott from 16th Street .  I said yes and just then it clicked that I knew her also. I asked if she was Betty Rose Taggart and she said yes and we hugged and laughed for a few minutes.  Right then, someone was behind me and said hi and I recognized him as Gerard Gorman from 16th Street .  That was the beginning of my perfect day in the old neighborhood.

When I entered the hall, the first 2 people that I saw was Frank and Peggy Lynch.  I then met the Hogan brothers, Jimmy, Billy and Tommy, whom I haven't seen in at least 45 years.  They looked great.  I mingled some more and met a few school mates from St. Francis Xavier whom I graduated with: Charlie Aranda, Elaine Sullivan and George Long.  We took pictures together and they came out great.  We talked about the nuns in school and some of the kids and just laughed and had a ball.

Continuing on, I met one of my brother George's friends, Kenny Hart, as well as  Lorraine Forman, whom I knew from 17th Street .  We all used to go to the CYO (free lunch) together.  My mother used to work there in the summer serving lunch. During the school year mom worked in St. Francis Xavier's lunchroom.

Everyone looked great that day, the band was perfect, the food was delicious, and what more can you ask for in a reunion!  I had one of the best times with the great people from Chelsea ; you can't beat all these wonderful people.