Ever wonder what it takes to plan a high school reunion that spans 45 years? The Besties do! They’ve been part of the 1980 Class Reps for several decades. In this episode, they share the laughter, challenges, and heartfelt moments of organizing Brooklyn Technical High School's Class of 80’s reunions. You'll get an insider's look at the dedication and camaraderie of our reunion committee. From merging diverse ideas to coordinating logistics for classmates coming from around the world, and, despite the COVID pandemic forcing the cancellation of the 40th, they’re gearing up to make next April's 45th celebration the most memorable one yet.
The Besties take you on a nostalgic ride through the rich diversity that defined their high school experience - with Americans, recent and first generation immigrants from Russia, Italy, Japan, China, The Caribbean, South America, Greece, and beyond. All coming of age together in gritty and growing 1980s downtown Brooklyn, NY; enjoying the unique freedom navigating New York City subways & buses without the hovering parental approach of today.
Though the demographics of the school is currently vastly different, their old school reunions exemplify the enduring spirit of inclusivity that continues to bring us all together, reunion after reunion.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Ever wonder what it takes to plan a high school reunion that spans 45 years? The Besties do! They’ve been part of the 1980 Class Reps for several decades. In this episode, they share the laughter, challenges, and heartfelt moments of organizing Brooklyn Technical High School's Class of 80’s reunions. You'll get an insider's look at the dedication and camaraderie of our reunion committee. From merging diverse ideas to coordinating logistics for classmates coming from around the world, and, despite the COVID pandemic forcing the cancellation of the 40th, they’re gearing up to make next April's 45th celebration the most memorable one yet.
The Besties take you on a nostalgic ride through the rich diversity that defined their high school experience - with Americans, recent and first generation immigrants from Russia, Italy, Japan, China, The Caribbean, South America, Greece, and beyond. All coming of age together in gritty and growing 1980s downtown Brooklyn, NY; enjoying the unique freedom navigating New York City subways & buses without the hovering parental approach of today.
Though the demographics of the school is currently vastly different, their old school reunions exemplify the enduring spirit of inclusivity that continues to bring us all together, reunion after reunion.
This episode and all previous episodes are available on YouTube. Please join our Besties Quad Squad as a Patreon subscriber at the $5 or $10 monthly level. You'll receive exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
hey aunt hey les how you doing why are you looking? Like that, I don't know. I feel like good, I'm excited about the topic today, as usual yeah, we just let y'all into our lives, it's just anyway.
Speaker 1:
That's why I look a little dark when here I don't have my camera light my light Ring light my ring light.
Speaker 2:
But it's okay, it's okay, you look amazing Well thank you, you always think so.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to another episode of Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn, brooklyn.
Speaker 2:
Listen, can we just jump in? Okay, let's just jump in okay, let's just jump in.
Speaker 1:
You know that we're old.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's relative it's relative, but listen, I don't shy away from that. No, I'm, I'm cool, I'm cool. It's a blessing. I'd rather be old than not here, all the things Right, right.
Speaker 1:
So the reason I mentioned that we're old is because we are actually planning our 45th high school reunion.
Speaker 2:
We are, we are. It's one of the. It's one of the another labor of loves that we take on. We've been a part of the reunion committee for several decades 40.
Speaker 1:
Well, we planned.
Speaker 2:
I think where do we start, Like at the 10th?
Speaker 1:
Well, we probably started at the five year. So I'm going to say this may be the ninth time we planned it, because we do it every, you know, like milestone every five years. So we've had five, 10, 15. Yes, and you know, oh, I can't wait to put up pictures of us over the years at our reunions.
Speaker 2:
Oh my gosh. You should see, we've been doing this for a while. We've been doing it a long time. It's deep and challenging to pull it all together, but we do a great job.
Speaker 1:
People say that we're like the best year in terms of we take it so seriously.
Speaker 2:
And it's not just Leslie and I, it's leslie, we have a whole crew. It's a whole crew. I'm gonna call the names because there are people. Okay, first of all, wait, wait, okay, okay, first of all, we graduated from brooklyn tech in 1980 brooklyn technical high school.
Speaker 1:
I started to play in brooklyn, but that's like obvious.
Speaker 2:
Brooklyn Technical High School, bths is one of the top schools in, I'm going to say, the world, definitely in the country, and it's a great school. Every class here is wonderful, but 1980?.
Speaker 1:
Tech 80?.
Speaker 2:
Tech 80 is just next level. Yeah, next level, next level. That's where Ange and I met in 1977, in 1977, as sophomores. That's where we met Kim Coles. That's where we met all of really our inner circle friends. Most of them are from tech, and so I'm going to call out the people who we work with on the committee. It's Kay Benjamin, sherelle Domville, shelly Holder, arlene Britt we call her Cookie. I'm missing.
Speaker 2:
Charles O'Brady and a few others who have helped in, in and out, but those are the core people on the committee and we delegate responsibilities and we delegate responsibilities Really. It's this top-notch reunion that we do. It's separate from what the school does. The school always has a reunion, but it's separate from what the school and do the school events as well.
Speaker 2:
But we also have this other event, and so this came up as a topic, because we are now in the throes of planning the one for April, exactly, and Leslie is the one that said listen, because we've had a group chat since five years ago.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:
Five years ago, when we were planning the 40th reunion and we'll talk about what happened with that one but we kept a group.
Speaker 1:
It was in 2020.
Speaker 2:
It was in 2020. But we kept the group chat going and so Leslie mentioned we call ourselves BTHS lovelies because we are and we check in and we've had Zoom calls just to kind of catch up and so on. And, leslie, it must have been, I don't know, three weeks ago.
Speaker 1:
You were like hey hey, we have less than a year Less than a year. Come on April. Our tech homecoming is every April, so I'm like we're up, we're up, batter up. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes so everyone was like less than a year, oh my God, Because it's such a huge deal and we put so much time into it. But it's a labor of love.
Speaker 2:
It really is. It really is Like. I mean, we do formal sit down, there is a program, we acknowledge people because people come from all over the world. They do. Last year we had people come in from Greece.
Speaker 1:
I want to say Japan. I think Japan I was going to say Japan also. We had someone fly in say Japan, I think Japan I was going to say Japan also. We had someone fly in from Japan.
Speaker 2:
I mean it's and we had to. We had to get a bigger space.
Speaker 1:
When we saw how many people yeah.
Speaker 2:
People kept and people were disappointed because we'd sold out. So we got a bigger room and had a venue. It's a big deal.
Speaker 1:
It's a really big deal room and venue.
Speaker 2:
It's a big deal. It's like last, in 2020, we had over 220 paid tickets, yeah, and these are not these are not inexpensive tickets. These are full gala price, gala price and um, so, anyway, that's that's what we're in the throes of now and we've had been. We had our first kind of preliminary sign who's going to do what type of thing and we decided that we're going to go big again because in 2020, we were all geared up, we got tickets sold. We were all geared up, we got tickets sold.
Speaker 2:
We got deposits made for all of these, you know, for the venue, for photographers, for a DJ, tablecloth set, all the things, balloon arrangements, yeah, photo booth and the other thing that's amazing about our class we reach out to members of our class. Many of us are friends on Facebook and we are part of a Facebook group, but we reached out to people and just asked you know, we want to add these kind of value add stuff to the reunion. We're looking for people to sponsor and within minutes, we got sponsors Like people were just. It was really amazing. Anyway, all right.
Speaker 1:
I'm saying a lot, you go jump in, yeah. So five years ago we put all the planning in. I'll say the event was scheduled for March 25th and the world knows what happened on March 20th, right, yeah?
Speaker 2:
Do you remember?
Speaker 1:
So the pandemic shut us down within a week of our reunion. We had to scramble to return as much money as we could, and you know, but we're not looking back.
Speaker 2:
We're not looking back, except we do want to acknowledge, because A few of the of our classmates and the DJ they got COVID and died. So this was as it was for the world, but in relation to this event it was just additionally tragic.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah, and the tech family in general. You know we've lost. We lost quite a few people to COVID at that time.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, we did, and so so, anyway.
Speaker 2:
So I wanted to say that, in looking back, and I also wanted to say that it was really the epitome of, of a fun elegant evening which included time for us to, because we, we just like to, we just like to have fun together, so just just like, like we like we hadn't aged a year, so we had. We laid out several things, like cocktail hour, because we wanted to make sure there was time for us to smooth before the DJ started killing it. And so I'm looking back also because I want to make sure that we make it as good, if not better, than what we were planning.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, we got to go in with the same energy and we got to make up for the time that we didn't get together. Yeah, and love up on the people that are here still, because every year, we do hear a passing of some of our classmates. Yeah, you know, we're at the age now where we're experiencing some loss, so, um, it's important that we enjoy each other while we can be together.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, and you know I've never been to a college reunion.
Speaker 1:
Wow, I don't know why?
Speaker 2:
I don't know.
Speaker 1:
I don't either actually I haven't either.
Speaker 2:
But high school I would never miss a reunion. Why would I miss a reunion? Yeah, I won't get up to pick it up because I'll trip over my cord, but I have a shadow box with invitations over the years, with my high school diploma, with my rapidographs and stuff because I did architecture. So I have it right over there in a shadow box in my new place. So we'll show it.
Speaker 1:
We can leave it on our webpage or certainly for our Patreon subscribers.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I'll take a picture of it because, I would have cried if it didn't um, if it didn't make it so, um, so, yeah, so that's what we're we're going to be doing over the next few months um the, the place we had booked um. What's the name of the place? Again on prospect terrace, no I don't know come on. You don't remember it's a grand prospect, grand prospect, grand prospect. Come on, we're old, I listen. No, it was because it's a, it's a historical it was a historic.
Speaker 1:
It was yeah, it's now a condo building yeah, since then that.
Speaker 2:
So all of these changes um grand prospect hall that was the name of it, that was familiar, huh yeah that's what we say, christopher columbus. So we have to find another venue.
Speaker 1:
We have to really start really all over again, but thankfully we do have our contacts. We've been in touch over the years anyway. I mean, look at you and I yeah, I know, look at us. We've seen you four times a day for 47 years.
Speaker 2:
We have some friends who own restaurants in Brooklyn, so and we do endeavor to to use black owned businesses as much as as as we can. We, our class was very diverse, we had a very diverse class, and I don't know if you would agree with this, les, but the what I want to say is that I noticed that the people who are involved with the planning of tech reunions not only ours, because a part of what we do as class reps is we get together with the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Association- and act as a liaison between them and our class and act as a liaison between them, and our class Exactly, and all of the classes.
Speaker 2:
So we have meetings with, with the Alumni Association, also with other classes, and you know we share ideas on what we're going to do for reunions and things like that. And one thing I noticed is that the people who are most actively involved in planning reunions look like us. It's just. It's just, it's just an observation Kay talked about this too that this is something that we noticed and this, this is, I'm just stating, a fact. There might be something to that there might be. There might be something to that there might be.
Speaker 1:
There might be something to that. I'm wondering if the desire for nostalgia Maybe might be just like culturally significant to us. Don't know.
Speaker 2:
I only mention it at this juncture because we do get people of every color and creed yeah, absolutely, union. Oh, yeah, that's for sure. And I lost the point, the bigger point that I was going to make, but our gatherings are absolutely inclusive, you know. Yeah, always, because our class was so diverse.
Speaker 2:
Absolutely Always, and it includes people who have very different opinions, very different political leanings. Yeah, because, as you know, we're friends on Facebook, so we we see what what people, what people's perspectives are. But we put all of that aside for, you know, the sake of the camaraderie that we have as a graduating class. Did you just do that? I saw something.
Speaker 1:
Not intentionally, but I think when the thumb went up Don't move, don't move.
Speaker 2:
So, even though and well, I'm trying to remember the bigger point I was trying to make, but I can't remember, so I'll have to come back, oh.
Speaker 1:
Leslie, sorry it's a little noise, but um, so yeah.
Speaker 2:
So we're really excited about that, and we this is not going to be the only time that we talk about Brooklyn Tech no, it's not. It really isn't, and we've talked about, we've had some of our classmates on the program because not only do we love them, but we're really impressed. We're really in awe of the accomplishments of people in our class.
Speaker 1:
And I think it's from the foundation that was set at Tech. Yeah, you know what a special place, and I believe it still is a special place. I always say I wouldn't be able to get in there today. Yeah, you know, anybody that would want me as a member, I wouldn't want to be in that club.
Speaker 2:
And the demographics of the school has changed significantly. I don't want to state any statistics, but I will find them because one of the guests that we've had on our show her name is Pam Skinner. She formed a program called the Black and Brown of the Big Three, because Brooklyn Tech is one of three specialized high schools in New York City Brooklyn Technical High School, bronx High School of Science and Stuyvesant High School and she did a lot of research on what was happening in those three schools and why the demographics had changed so significantly.
Speaker 2:
You know what I mean, and it was something that used to still does really bother me and I think maybe you too, les yeah. But we talked to Pam about it and what she said is the factor that most influenced the change in demographics is because I don't know if I told you this Les because I'm not sure if you saw the comment, is the fact that we moved.
Speaker 2:
We moved out of these areas. It's not the only factor, but she said it was. One of the biggest factors is that we left and when you look at the people in our facebook group, many of those people are no longer in brooklyn, so their families are no longer in brooklyn. Um, some are.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah, I think that's that's part of it likely, but I can't imagine that that's the total picture. What you're not what you're referring to is. It almost reminds me of a brain drain.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, you know Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And there are other reasons, because the I'm sorry for the noise. Sure, it's fine, we can't hear Leslie's visiting. Yeah, I'm not on a mic. You're not on the mic. My mic check. It's also because of how the testing and how the prep preparations that we used to have Right right At the junior high level, those things have changed quite a bit. I think it's a part of a discussion, a bigger discussion, that we will bring to the podcast. Maybe we'll have Pam back and talk about these details a little bit more. It's another reason why our class here is so special, because it is a group that come from not only people used to take bus and train to come to tech like they would.
Speaker 1:
They would travel for up to two hours.
Speaker 2:
I think Kay was saying that her commute each way. Listen, why did our parents? What was the difference that made our parents allow us to get on subways, on buses and without the hovering?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, because they knew that something was special about Brooklyn Tech. For sure, yeah, but I think it was a different time.
Speaker 2:
Because we would. We would ride the subway.
Speaker 1:
In the seventies in New York city and we were what I remember. Mom didn't allow me to go on a train, but I took two buses and then, I think my sophomore year, I was allowed to go on the train, or I snuck on the train one or two.
Speaker 2:
That was. That was more like my brother. My brother went to Tech also. He's two years older than me but his class here he's got his like his core people or his core. But there we have a more universal yeah, more universal connection and closeness to our group Hundreds of people, exactly, but I can't imagine, I don't think people let their kids I don't know if it's a safety thing, because there was a lot of there was a lot going on in New.
Speaker 2:
York City in the 70s A lot of drugs and gangs and things like that in the city at that time. But even my very what's the word? Protective, protective, mother allowed it.
Speaker 1:
She allowed you to hang out with me. That's special.
Speaker 2:
You're special. You found this little place in our heart. I did you just kind of, you know, you just squirreled it and got got right up in there. So anyway, let me ask you this?
Speaker 1:
What Did you start any of the tasks that you were assigned?
Speaker 2:
Crickets, crickets. Here's what I did. I did. I did start and found out that I didn't have the email addresses that I needed, but I believe I still have the list from from five years ago that I can look, but I did attempt to.
Speaker 1:
Okay. Well, we don't meet for another two weeks, so we both have time. I'll have it done.
Speaker 2:
I'm the communications person, so I've already been assigned a task. So, anyway, you've got a few tasks actually.
Speaker 1:
I think that's it. So this is the. What else do I have to?
Speaker 2:
do? Oh, yes, I remember. Did you send out the notes?
Speaker 1:
I absolutely. You should have gotten them. Read your email.
Speaker 2:
Okay, read your email no, no, your email.
Speaker 1:
Now we're 12 again, so this has been a bths inspired episode of no-transcript.