A 

10th, 20th or 50th high school 
reunion is a big deal. Some might 
think a 55th reunion wouldn’t be. 
They would be wrong! Especially when it 
comes to the Oak Park High School Class of 
1969.
More than 100 classmates gathered the 
first weekend of August to fan the flames of 
friendship that have lasted a lifetime. Oak 
Parkers traveled from New York, Los Angeles, 
Washington, D.C., Nashville, Albuquerque, 
Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Grand Rapids and 
elsewhere to meet up once again. Thanks to 
Ken Korotkin and his team of Ilene Shapiro 
Bershad, Anita and Alan Resnick, Nancy 
Davidson Handleman, Sue Lane Seidman 
and Sherryl Moss Anctil, the reunion was a 
resounding success.
The Saturday night party took place at 
Big Tommy’s Parthenon in Novi. Squeals of 
delight could be heard every few moments as 
people spied someone they knew and hadn’t 
seen for years. Guests enjoyed a delicious 
buffet dinner and two beautiful “OPHS 55 
REUNION” cakes.
Overheard conversations were not about 
today’s political race, but rather about 
Murray, the Good Humor ice cream man who 
made Oak Park summers fun, and winning 

football games with the then OPHS Redskins 
quarterbacked by Leon Weiss with help from 
David Wiener. 
Judge Gerald Rosen and celebrity 
psychic Char Margolis were there along 
with photographer Todd Weinstein and 
contractor-turned-artist Larry Ravitz. Former 
cheerleaders Suzi Miller Wiener and Paula 
Sherberg Weiser took to the stage with some 
cheerleader wannabes for a rousing version of 
the OPHS fight song, “Oak Park High School 
cheer for your might, with the colors of red 
and white!” 
The party continued Sunday with a picnic 
at the nostalgic location of Oak Park Park. 
Spoken GPS directions were given in relation 
to the Oak Park Park Hill, the site of fun 
childhood memories of sledding down the 
snowy hill.
New faces showed up with friends who 
couldn’t come Saturday night. Danny Cutler 
and his wife, Chris, drove down from Ann 
Arbor. Larry Kantor, Elaine and Mark 
Blumenfeld and about 60 others kept the party 
going. 
A few more wrinkles, some extra pounds 
and maybe a little less hair, but one thing that 
hasn’t changed in 55 years — the love our 
original high class still has for one another. 

Double Nickel Oak Park 
High School Reunion

NANCY MAGNUS IRWIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Larry Ravitz of Takoma Park, 
Maryland and Lia Farber of 
Raleigh, North Carolina

Sherryl Moss Anctil of Tucson, Arizona; Ilene Shapiro 
Bershad of West Bloomfield; Anita Sonne Resnick 
and Joni Collen Fischer, both of Farmington Hills; and 
Deborah Goldenberg Haberman of Berkley

Nancy Magnus Irwin of La Jolla, Calif.; David Johnson Sr. of Southfield; 
Char Margolis of Palm Desert, Calif., and Southfield; Hermione Pickens 
of Detroit; Suzi Miller Wiener of Oak Park; David Anderson and Trent 
Harbin, both of Detroit; and Bev Blitz Tepper of West Bloomfield

Catherine Rollin 
Krinsky and 
Irwin Krinsky of 
Bloomfield Hills

SEPTEMBER 5 • 2024 | 31
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