2026 Gathering + Our 55^th (Wow!) Reunion…

2026 Gathering 

Another annual gathering of classmates from NEHI 1973 is in the history books.  

On Friday, April 25, a handful of NEHI ’73 ladies who were ready to disco the night away ended up at a nearby James Taylor tribute concert, instead.  Somehow, it seemed a much better fit, and the music was outstanding!  

Ferg’s was the venue for Saturday the 26th and, while merriment raged downstairs, the relatively small crowd of folks from the Class of ’73 enjoyed good food, drinks, and the luxury of having a private room of our own to catch up on all the news.  

Reunions always have their surprise attendees, those who have not attended recently or ever, and this year’s stars were Ricci Gorgus, Doug Tuthill, and Lance Rodgers, as well as Terry Lowe and his spouse, Holly Haslup (Class of ’72).  A fine time was had by all!  

Sunday’s breakfast at The Hangar was pleasant, too, with good conversation all around.  The slight change of date for this year’s gathering seemed like a smart choice, with all activities unencumbered by baseball game crowds or triathlon bicyclists.  

55^th Reunion!

Attendance at our annual reunion gatherings has been trending downward since our 50th Anniversary.  What was a good idea at the start - to keep us in touch - now seems to have gone stale.  Although those who attend always have a very enjoyable time, folks who make the effort to come - dealing with travel, traffic and parking challenges - really like to see a more generous number of classmates in the room.  

The adage is true: the more, the merrier!  To that end, there will NOT be an organized reunion Gathering in 2027 and, instead, we are planning an exciting 55^th Reunion in April, 2028.

Please save the date (or, at least, the month!), and grace everyone with your presence at a to-be-determined venue in St. Petersburg.  If you live out-of-town, consider making a little vacation of it - to see the changes in St. Pete, to go to the beach, to explore the hubbub of the Orlando area, to hike on the Florida Trail, or perhaps to visit family members that are still in the area.  The possibilities are endless!  

We need your help: Many from our class stay connected with each other in-person and virtually, often and every now and then. Bravo!  But, we all have NEHI friends we haven’t seen in years, many since graduation. Fortunately, thanks to social media, it’s easier than ever to find old friends and reconnect. In coming months, we ask you to search for and find some of your old friends, reconnect with them, let them know about our 55^th Reunion, and encourage them to register on our Class Website and visit our Class Facebook Page so we can provide them with updates on the reunion as the date approaches. We want our 55^th to be the biggest and best ever!

Remember: Once a Viking, always a Viking!  Hope to see you in the near future!

Join the fun at Ferg’s on Saturday April 18 even if you can’t be there!

For classmates and friends who can’t attend our annual Gathering in St. Pete, Betsy (Ritter) Zieber has set up a Zoom link so you can join the fun and talk to folks who are at Ferg’s live and in person...Thanks, Betsy!

Here’s the Zoom invite:

Topic: NEHI ‘73 Reunion
Time: Apr 18, 2026 06:30 - 8:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
 

Join Zoom Meeting Link:
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/84794032318?pwd=FssKGR21Ze0Gph7hpA0fkrF5S9Ok4Y.1

Meeting ID: 847 9403 2318
Passcode: u3GV1Q

HAPPY GATHERING!

2026 Class Gathering - April 17 – 19

Let’s catch up! The weekend of April 17 offers us a wonderful opportunity to catch up with our NEHI classmates and friends. Now’s the time to make your plans to attend. Here’s what’s happening:

• Friday April 17 - Good Night John Boy…7pm - ???
• Saturday, April 18 - Ferg’s…6-9pm…Main Event!
• Sunday April 19 - The Hanger…9am…Breakfast with friends before heading home

This is our annual Gathering to catch up with old friends. Spread the word to our classmates and friends from other NEHI classes and other schools. The Gathering is for all of us who grew up together in St. Pete!

Please register by clicking on the "2026 NEHI Class of '73 Gathering" link on the sidebar to the left (right above "MEMBER FUNCTIONS") so we can make necessary plans.

Donations appreciated: The Gathering is free to attend, but please consider bringing a $5, $10, or $20 bill you can leave at the door at Ferg’s to cover the cost of appetizers and refreshments that will be there for us all to enjoy.

See you there!

BREAKING NEWS!!

A year or so after the devastating back-to-back hurricanes of late 2024 that left their mark on Pinellas County, the roof is now back on Tropicana Field.  The Rays will play baseball again at The Trop this spring, and it seems that a home game is scheduled on the day of our “last Saturday in April” reunion.  Ferg’s and all of its parking will be bursting at the seams! A decision has been made: 

THE DATE OF THE 2026 REUNION GATHERING HAS BEEN CHANGED TO SAT., APRIL 18…just one week earlier. 

Place and time will remain the same: upstairs at Ferg’s from 6 - 9 PM. It is requested that you please come prepared to drop a $5 or $10 bill in a donation jar at the sign in table at the door, to help cover the appetizers that will once again be on hand. A Zoom link will once again be arranged for those far flung classmates that would like to say, “Hi!”, to happen from 7 -8 PM EST; watch our social spaces for the link.  There has been interest in meeting on Friday evening at the downtown St. Pete disco venue, Good-night, JohnBoy, (by at least 7 PM, if you want to avoid the lines!), and also for breakfast/brunch again at The Hangar, near Albert Whitted Airport, on Sunday morning at 9:00 AM or so.  It is hoped that you and many more (Spread the word, please! SPHS friends and other NEHI classes are welcome.) will come together for this casual and easy reunion gathering!

2025 Class of '73 Gathering: Fun Time!
On Sat., April 26, 2025, about 30 or classmates from Northeast High’s class of ’73, along with spouses, partners, and friends from that important time, gathered upstairs at Ferg’s Sports Bar in the Edge District in St. Pete for an evening of merry making, reminiscing, and laughter...Pictures will be posted next week!

Classmates came from as far away as Tennessee, Michigan, and California and, thanks to a Zoom link provided by Betsy Ritter, Joe Fury connected in from Colorado, and Carmen Newell connected from...perhaps her concert venue in Sarasota?!? Kudos to Joe and Carmen for mastering the technology to successfully connect! Hopefully, more of us will be able to participate by Zoom in the future, if you cannot attend in person.

Besides securing our venue, Sandy Sullivan made sure that there were plenty of snacks on hand, and Cheryl Raymond arranged for a delicious and beautiful birthday cake for the class, complete with a perfect NEHI Viking head.

Many thanks to all who dropped cash into the donation box throughout the evening to help defray the costs of the get-together!

A group photo was taken to commemorate the evening, captured in the "2025 Class Gathering Pictures" tab of this website, together with others. Zoom in and try to identify your friends from long ago and today! Hopefully, all the photos convey the truly good time that was had and that RIGHT NOW you will set aside the last weekend in April next year (April 24 - 26, 2026) to enjoy a thriving St. Petersburg, and the company of folks who shared unique time with you at Northeast High back in the 70s.

A mere half dozen braved the gauntlet to get around the numerous racing bicyclists at the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in downtown St. Pete for the Sunday morning breakfast at The Hangar Restaurant on April 27. The intimate group allowed for interesting conversation, but it was agreed that the overlap with the triathlon may necessitate a change of venue next time, if breakfast continues to happen.

On the evening of “Reunion Monday”, a small but dedicated group of live music fans (and NEHI Vikings) staked out a table at CJ’s Backstage in St. Pete to listen to and cheer on NEHI alum, Rodney Rojas, star saxophonist with The TomKats jazz orchestra. A supreme musical treat!

All Class of ’73 classmates are encouraged to register on the Class Web site, at www.northeast73.com, and tell friends to do the same. Check in on the Web site every now-and-then for news about classmates and about future reunion gatherings.

Let’s try to increase attendance next year! The more the merrier!

(Many "Thanks" to Renee' Athey Vargas for contributing this summary and keeping the Reunion Planning Committee on track. Thanks, Renee'!