Sixteen people attended our reunion on the Outer Banks of North Carolina October 19-23. Our gathering consisted of 11 classmates and 5 spouses: Fr. Dan Clayton, John and Loretta Dahmus, Frank Fulkerson, Norm and Linda Hageman, Mike Heydinger, Fr. Frank Kehres, Fr. Jim Koenigsfeld, Thad and Donna Kresho, Steve Lautermilch, Tom and Christine Meyer, Don and Betty Wampach. The spirit of friendship was vibrant. The presence of the Divine Spirit was astonishing.
 |
| Standing (L>R): Thad, Mike, Tom, Frank, Fr. Frank, Fr. Dan, Don. Seated (L>R): Donna, John, Steve, Norm, Fr. Jim, Betty. Absent: Loretta, Linda, Chris |
Hurricane Matthew
During the weekend of October 8-9 Hurricane Matthew roared along the North Carolina coast, causing considerable flooding on the Outer Banks and, subsequently, throughout Eastern North Carolina. During the following week Chris and I confirmed that the major highways from Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill and from Norfolk, VA, were open and that sites on the Outer Banks such as the Hampton Inn and Suites, Currituck Beach Lighthouse, and Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station were not damaged and were open for business as usual.
Frank, Fr. Jim, Don and Betty, and Chris and I arrived at the beach house that we had rented for the week on October 16. (Norm and Linda pulled in on October 18.) When we walked to the beach, we entered upon an immense swath of seashells washed up on the sand and were welcomed by the call of huge, surging waves whose whitecaps were endlessly crashing upon the shoreline. This was a powerful and impressive experience.
Fr. Dan, Fr. Frank, Mike, John and Loretta, and Thad and Donna arrived at the Hampton Inn and Suites on Wednesday, October 19, and settled into their rooms. They then came to the beach house in the late afternoon where we all enjoyed the flavor and hospitality of a southern BBQ dinner prepared by High Cotton Barbecue. (The beach house and the Hampton were located within a mile of each other south of Corolla, NC.)
Keepers' Quarters at Currituck Beach Lighthouse
On Thursday morning Meghan Agresto, site manager of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, led us on an informative tour of the grounds of the lighthouse. Her passion for the history of this particular location on the Outer Banks was ardent. In addition to climbing the 162-foot, red-brick beacon, she welcomed us into the keepers' home, a duplex normally not open to visitors, that housed 24 people in 1880. We had the opportunity to walk throughout this house and to sense the environmental and living conditions at this location in the nineteenth century.
Wild Horse Tour
Thursday afternoon offered another pleasurable surprise. Background is important to this. Several months before this reunion I had arranged with Wild Horse Adventure Tours for our group to be taken into the 7,000-acre Currituck National Wildlife Refuge to hopefully see the free-roaming horses that are descendants of the Spanish Colonial Mustangs. Earlier in this week Don, Chris, and I set out to meet and talk with this company. In the process of trying to locate its address, we stopped at Back Beach Wild Horse Tours where we learned that a significant section of the refuge was flooded and that we likely would not see any horses. I then called Wild Horse Adventure Tours to discover that it was uncertain about taking a tour group out. I canceled our contract and was refunded my money. In talking further with the owner of Back Beach Wild Horse Tours, he offered to take our group via 4x4 vehicle into the wildlife refuge at a substantially reduced price. We agreed to this plan. As a result, most of our group went out on the wild horse tour this Thursday afternoon. We did see some of the wild horses; were mesmerized by the sandy dunes, terrain, and beaches; laughed at another tour group whose vehicle was stuck in a dune; and enjoyed the local color of our driver.
Fr. John Allen
We had dinner on Thursday evening at Oceanfront Grill in Corolla, a warm and hospitable restaurant overlooking the ocean. It was a bit chilly with an early evening breeze, so we sat inside. We were waited on handsomely. We were placing our orders with the wait staff when, unexpectedly, Fr. John Allen, Vice President of Advancement and Director of Alumni Relations at the Josephinum, walked in and joined us for dinner. I was surprised, and impressed, that Fr. Allen had traveled from Columbus, OH, to join us at our reunion. Since he was sitting at our end of the table, Mike, Fr. Jim, John and Loretta, and Chris and I were able to talk with him at length during the course of dinner about our lives, our class, and seminary activities. Then, the surprise! Fr. Allen began to talk to all of us about the recent alumni reunion at the Josephinum and this year's recipients of The Jessing Alumnus of the Year Award. He stated that Msgr. Ralph Kuehner was the recipient of the 2016 Ordained Alumnus of the Year Award. Then, he began to comment about the selection process for the Lay Alumnus of the Year, "breaking protocol" and coming to our reunion. As he detailed activities that were sounding very familiar to me, I sat in disbelief as to what was about to happen. Fr. Allen announced that I was the recipient of the 2016 Lay Alumnus of the Year Award.
 |
| Fr. John Allen with Chris and Tom |
As I write now about this award, I am again touched and warmed by this recognition. As I said to my classmates at the Oceanfront Grill, I am thrilled to have received this award with them all present, that they all are very special to Chris and me and that I realize I am following in the footsteps of three previous recipients in our class of this award, i.e., Fr. Jim Koenigsfeld, Mike Heydinger, and Don Wampach.
Friday, October 21
The highlights of our activities on Friday featured a guided tour of the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station in Rodanthe, NC; a visit to the site of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, NC; Thad, Mike, and Fr. Jim enjoying the Frisco Beach and nearby woods on horseback; and completing art crafts at Studio 12 Art Gallery in Avon, NC. (Be sure to view Thad's video which he has posted in this blog.)
 | ||||
| At former site of Hatteras Lighthouse (L>R): Fr. Frank, Norm, Linda, Tom, Betty, Fr. Dan, John, Loretta, Don, Frank |
 |
| Crafty Crew at Studio 12 (L>R): Frank, John, Fr. Frank, Linda, Norm, Chris, Tom |
 |
| The Three Horsemen (L>R): Fr. Jim, Thad, Mike |
Steve Lautermilch
Steve attended our class reunion this year. I had been in contact with him over the past few years; and once we had decided to hold our 2016 class reunion on the Outer Banks, I had informed Steve of this in the hope that he would attend since he lived in Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks. When I then checked in with him approximately one month prior to the reunion, he informed me that he most likely would be traveling and sightseeing in the Western U.S. during this time.
Earlier this week I called Steve again, taking a chance that he might still be here on the Outer Banks. Surprisingly, he said that he was. I then began to explore with him how, when, and where he might be able to meet up with the rest of us during this week. (Steve has some aggravating allergies that preclude his gathering with a group of people indoors.) Steve and I arranged that he would meet up with the rest of us on Saturday morning for breakfast on the outdoor patio of Fishbones Sunset Grille and Raw Bar adjacent to the Currituck Sound in Duck, NC.
Saturday morning was a jubilant experience for us all. In spite of their patio service being closed due to the chilly breeze, the staff and management of Fishbones were most accommodating to us. They enabled us to assemble on the porch outside the front entrance of their restaurant for eating and socializing. They brought out a few small tables. They served our personal breakfast orders without a mishap. They supplied us an abundance of coffee, utensils, napkins, and condiments. At Norm's suggestion, we individually shared a little of our life story for Steve's benefit and he did the same. Naturally, we concluded our festive repast with a group picture (see above).
 |
| John and Steve reminiscing |
A couple of days later I received the following email from Steve: "What's stayed with me is how special each member of the group is -- I have again and again felt blessed by the chance to spend the morning with you. You've done a wonder in bringing everyone together, and I feel very lucky to have been part of the morning with you. I keep seeing where everyone was sitting, and going through the names and faces. But it's the presence of each of you that has really deepened and stays."
We all gathered at our beach house at 4:00 pm on Saturday for liturgy. Without question our liturgy was uplifting and inspirational. Fr. Frank presided, with Fr. Jim and Fr. Dan concelebrating. Don led us in a beautiful psalm response during the Liturgy of the Word. Fr. Frank facilitated our meaningful dialogue homily. Linda, Loretta, Donna, Betty, and Chris prepared our table for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We exchanged the Kiss of Peace universally. We solidified our faith-filled bond in sharing the Body and Blood of Christ. As we concluded, Thad related to us that during this liturgy he sang for the first time since the death of their daughter at childbirth some 12 years ago.
After liturgy we drove to the Aqua Restaurant and Spa in Duck where we were warmly welcomed by Shelly Rowles, the manager. We experienced a brilliant sunset over the sound and treasured our final, delicious meal together.
 |
| Sunset on Currituck Sound - October 22, 2016 |
Refer to following web address for additional reunion pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/n8rx6AYwtr2UcPB86
