1966
Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER!
Since that warm and bright Sunday, May 22, 1966 when The Reverend Mr. Thomas Oler pronounced the benediction for our Baccalaureate, the Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER! has met the world head-on, determined to repay our debt to the Pierceton School and the community that supported us. Here’s what our classmate Cheryl Rager DiPietro wrote in the Pierceton Echoes that year:
This last year of our high school education was a busy one, filled with fun, sports, club activities, and a lot of work. We spent much of our time trying to earn enough money to go on our long-awaited trip to Washington. DC. Remember the card sales, Jon Hoppus’ careful management of the concession’s room, our after-game dances, our terrific “football jerseys” that Doug Gregory sold so many of with his wonderful sales pitch, and those cake raffles we held during the half-time of the basketball games? Yes, we did a lot this year, and we were represented in nearly every organization, sport, and club activity.
Although we are leaving PHS, we will always remember the crowded halls, the long lunch line, the noon games, the fun, the students, the teachers, and, most of all, the knowledge we gained there. The class of ’66 is on its way, and we know that Pierceton High School has prepared us well.
Cheryl couldn’t have known how exactly right she would be about us! Since the Pierceton School Alumni Association was re-organized in 2014, we have joined them on their mission to promote the legacy and heritage of the Pierceton Schools. Members of the Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER! have contributed over $12,500 to PSAA projects and special funds for the benefit of our classmates, our community, and the PSAA organization.
Continuing that generosity, in late 2018 members of our superlative class pledged $270 to the Teacher Appreciation Project to support the faculty and staff of the Pierceton Elementary School as part of the PSAA Back-to-School Project. By May 9, 2021, we had received $435 of the $270 we had pledged. In June 2021 we pledged $200 to the Whitko Scholarship Fund, and we gave them $250. That’s Right!! We receive MORE from our glorious classmates than we pledge…because, well, that’s who we are! Really, could our incredible class be any more marvelous?!? NO, WE COULD NOT!! (Well, of course…we could if we wanted to.)
In addition to our financial contributions, we donated over 120 volunteer hours to that Alumni Back-to-School Project for the 2018 – 2019 school year, and just over 70 hours in 2019 – 2020, because the school year was cut short. About half of all volunteers for the Project come from the incredible Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER!
Those are just some of the things you do when you are part of the
Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER!
And, we meet every month for a class luncheon.
Every month, members of the Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER! meet where we want, eat what we want, talk about what we want, and behave the way we want. Of course, where we meet, what we eat, what we talk about, and how we behave are all perfectly appropriate, as is becoming of the outstanding individuals we, by definition, are.
Join us April 9 at noon as we grace the Boathouse Restaurant in Winona Lake with our incredible presence.
Class Lunch History
March
How cool was it that Wings, Etc. in Columbia City was privileged to host 15 of some of the world’s most marvelous people at our March 13 luncheon? Answer: WAAAY COOL! Anyway, the Class of 1966
, Best PHS Class EVER! took up table after table in the center of the restaurant while one very good server got everyone’s order right…and was able to experience the wonder of our special presence.
February
The fortunate servers and owners of Salvatori’s Authentic Italian Eatery in Warsaw were the beneficiaries of a lunch time visit by 18 of the remarkable Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER! on February 14. ???? You read that right! The most lovable people in the world eating at an Italian bistro on Valentine’s Day…Oh My!!
January
Thirteen wonderful specimens of human excellence visited Maria’s Family Restaurant in Warsaw on January 10. The Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER! chose this location because the class loudmouth wasn’t able to attend. Hmmm.
December
Fifteen of 
our remarkable class members met on December 13, 2023, at the Second Fiddle antique shop in Pierceton. Tammy prepared a special menu for us and the coffee drinkersamong us enjoyed lots of brew from Blue Lion Coffee Roasters. We took advantage of the opportunity to purchase a number of antique items and Rob andTammy got to experience the Overall Wonderfulness of the Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER!
November
After changing the oil and having their cars inspected for the long road trip, ten members of the Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER! converged on the Paradise Buffet in Auburn on November 8. After lunch they visited Doug & Becky Gregory’s home at the Bridgewater Golf Course. No one played golf, but everyone had a blast.
October
On October 10, the Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER! blessed Papa Vino’s Italian Kitchen in Warsaw with our astonishing presence. Fifteen of the most incredible people the world has ever known congregated at Papa Vino’s to shar
e amazing stories of their grandkids, offer vegetables from their gardens, and enjoy one another’s company for a short time. Our remarkable charisma attracted multiple visits by the establishment’s managers as we cajoled one another with memories of the past and claims for the future. In other words, it was just another typical luncheon for the Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER!
The Class of 1966, Best PHS Class EVER! has met for luncheons almost every month since we organized ourselves in 2015. And, quite frankly, there is simply not enough space on this website to document all the great times we’ve had together. Plus, if anyone tried to shove all of our brilliance and overall wonderfulness into this format, it would break the Internet! So, it is out of respect for Planet Earth that we limit news of our monthly luncheons to just a few of our most recent gatherings.
