OK, OK, here's my bio, as mundane as it might be. Some of our classmates have led very intriguing lives!

The summer of '72 right after graduation I spent 6 weeks in Europe with the Foreign Study League studying German. Mr. Budahazi was to travel with us but with his untimely passing Regina Kuliawat, a very young & new German teacher at the school went in his stead. We would study German in the mornings & the rest of the days were spent sightseeing. We spent a week each in Paris, Berlin, London, and the Swiss and Austrian alps. I decided then and there that in my past life I lived like Heidi in a wooden hut on a mountain top in Switzerland. Number one on my bucket list is to get back there!

The hardest part of my trip was being away for 6 whole weeks from my then boyfriend Dave Tucci. We started dating in 1971 - he's a 1970 grad. We've been together for 41 years now. We finally married in 1980 (he says he wanted to get to know me first). In 1982 our daughter Tara was born and daughter Olivia came along in 1984. It was wonderful to have them both go through the Mt. Lebo school system at Howe and the Junior/Senior High School. Tara graduated in the class of 2000 and went to Kenyon College in the middle of a cornfield in Ohio. Olivia followed her sister to Kenyon in 2002. Tara went on to get her Masters at the Heinz School of Public Policy at CMU and until this past month she worked in D.C. in the field of education policy. She just came back home to Pittsburgh to work with the Pgh. Public Schools. Daughter Olivia spent a semester at American University in D.C. where she traveled to Brazil for part of the semester & also met her husband. Liv got a Master's in Education at Pitt & teaches 8th grade science & history at South Fayette. She and her husband, an environmental attorney, live right here in Mt. Lebanon. No grandkids yet, although I do have a few grand puppies.

I went to a small school in Harrisburg after graduation & got an associate degree as a medical assistant. I worked in doctors' offices for about 25 years, and (my apologies to any doctors out there!) eventually made a break from some of the doctors' attitudes and poor pay. In 1996 I landed a job at Highmark Blue Shield here in town. I've been there ever since and am finally counting down the years to retirement. I've always worked in the senior market - starting as a member service rep for the Medicare products and working my way up to supervisor. I have been in my current position for 6 years, with the PALS (People Able to Lend Support) program at Highmark. I recruit and train seniors to be volunteers helping our members to stay in their own homes by assisting them with things like transportation to doctor appointments, grocery shopping, friendly visits, etc. I love working with seniors & like to say my job is in the warm, fuzzy side of insurance.

My husband worked for years with the Pgh. Free Clinic & the Pgh. AIDS Task Force. A heart condition forced him to retire several years ago. We were lucky enough to buy a home 3 doors away from where I grew up. My father, who will be 96 in November, lives on his own in my childhood home. He still mows his grass & loves to use his chainsaw to cut firewood, among other tasks he should not be doing any longer. I'm able to check in on him daily & make sure he's not getting himself into too much trouble!

Thank you to all of you who have worked so hard to bring us all together. I feel I had a small circle of friends in high school and have forgotten so many of the specifics of those days. I love reading everyone's memories of our school days and particularly appreciate the comments that although we may come together as strangers with a common bond, we'll hopefully leave as friends. See you all soon!