Scene Around: Holy Cross Kids’ Reunion Rollick

Talk about making the reunion grade … They just can’t get enough of one another.

Did someone say reunion? Never mind those 45th and 50th Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) reunions coming up this Saturday. Once every five to 10 years is not nearly enough together time for some “kids” turned, ahem, seniors from Holy Cross School in Rumson. They do it once or twice a year or so.

Yes, a bunch of Rumson Holy Cross School Class of 1974 grads meet up annually or bi-annually to chow down, catch up, reminisce and just plain celebrate knowing one another since at least middle school. One such get-together happened recently, on the cusp of the RFH Class of ’78’s 45th for three of the guys. Where? No matter. It’s the why and the who of this crew that gives the scene meaning.

Know them? It’s likely you do. They’re still around the Rumson-Fair Haven area towns and wreaking a more mellow sort of Holy Cross kid havoc — if there is such a senior(ish) thing. After Holy Cross, these guys ended up graduating from different high schools, but the Holy Cross thread held strong, binding the bunch of them in their own community patchwork quilt.

The crew? Well, the dog didn’t go to Holy Cross. The rest of them? They are: John Lembeck, Doug DiStefano and Bill Rannertshauser, RFH grads; Charlie Rooney, Shore Regional grad; Joe Pheifer and Paul Ryan, RBC grads; and William McHeffey, RBR.

Cheers to keeping that grade school bond strong!

— Photo/courtesy of John Lembeck