Keeping Up with Classmates

After high school I attended the College of St Elizabeth in Convent Station, NJ. My major was history and elementary education. I taught first grade in Kennilworth, NJ for 2 years and in Bloomfield (Carteret where I was educated) for 2 years.

In 1963 I married Daniel Diana. We moved to Hallandale, Fl and had our first child, a son, in 1965.  Dan had a residency in Radiology at University of Miami Jackson Memorial for 3 years. We loved Fl and decided to remain here. We had two more children and I was a stay at home Mom.

Once the children were in school all day I had a part time job with Broward Community College for 5 years leading current events with senior citizens. I started a speech club at my sons’ high school and enjoyed working with this age group for 4 years.

To fill my creative side I made decorative womens belts and entered art/craft shows for several years and also taught crafts to women in our church and sold the goods at our bazaar. My hobbies have been playing golf, duplicate bridge, cooking, book club, skiing, walking 3-4 miles daily and now head of the landscape committee in the condo I live in. We have 8 acres of land so this is fun and challenging.

I have been blessed with a good life and family. It is a blessing to reach this age, to have risen to all life’s challenges, and for me and my husband to still be in good health.

My memories and experiences at BHS are good. I was well prepared for the next phase of my life. Yes, Miss Donahue was inspirational in her way and I did get to Rome several times.

Cheers to all, Cynthia DiDonato Diana

One year in college. Four years in the U.S.A.F. stationed in Gaum and completing my enlistment at Dover A.F.B. Delaware.  After the Air Force I worked in retail towards a management position.  I was a manager for 10 years in three different locations.

Met and married my wife, Kathie, at my first store as manager at, Asbury Park, N.J. Over fifty years and we are still best friends and partners.

Highlights of my manager position, I was awarded manager of the year. While manager of the Cooperstown N.Y. store, the Baseball Hall of Fame location, I was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce.

After five years in Cooperstown, (Sept.1980), I retired so we could travel throughout the U.S. in our new Ford van which we converted to a mini motor home. In four months, we traveled from N.Y. to Washington State and then back across the country to Miami, Fl. in December 1980 where Kathie’s father lived. We have since visited all 50 states and driven to Alaska from Key Largo Fl. three times.

In Miami Kathie found employment as a NAPA store manager and I was hired as the store manager of all eleven duty free shops at MIA. After two years I was offered the position as liquor and tobacco buyer for the duty free shops in two airports and 102 cruise ships. Our company was the largest duty free operator in the U.S. My dealings were with the producers of wine and spirits and as such I traveled to Europe periodically to conduct business; Kathie changed jobs to become the store manager of the U of M medical bookstore…the largest of its kind in the U.S.

In 2001 we both retired, sold our house in Miami and moved to our house that we had designed and had built in Key Largo, Fl. in 1985.

We have traveled extensively visiting six of the seven continents and over 50 countries. There are many more countries, but we have visited the ones which have appealed the most to us. Our travels now are cruising with Viking Cruise lines.

To answer your question regarding my numerous trips to Alaska ,yes we did travel the Alcan each trip up however on one return trip to the lower 48 we booked passage on the Alaska Marine Highway. This is an amazing ferry boat system that has numerous vessels that dock at numerous ports . Did you know that Juno , the state capital, is accessible only by boat  or air? There are NO roads into Juno. The ferry we took back to Bellingham Wa. began in Juno or Valdes. I can’t remember which. I believe there is only one or two Ferrys that make this trip that can also take on motor vehicles. All the other ferries also take cars and trucks but are not equipped to sail on the open sea. It’s a great trip that travels you through narrow passages that cruise ships would not fit. The trip takes about two and a half days , has a very nice dining room and the cabins are very nice but not elaborate.  Google it:  Alaska Marine Highway. That’s all for now and thanks again for including me in the class of “56” reunion.

Regards to all.

David Mead