TOWN:Sons of Norway, Class of '87 hit milestones

Two major milestones were reached this past Saturday as the Edvard Grieg Lodge of the Sons of Norway marked its 50th anniversary and members of the Hoover High School Class of 1987 reunited to celebrate the 20 years that have passed since they flipped their tassels.

The Glendale Elks Lodge served as the venue for the Edvard Grieg Lodge of the Sons of Norway celebration. Organization members, dressed in traditional Norwegian garb, gathered to celebrate their golden anniversary and to honor two very special members for their long-term service.

Each year, the lodge awards their Our Treasures Award, which was established in the memory of one of the lodge's founding members, Peder Ingvald Ness. This year's Our Treasures Award was presented to Mel and Virginia Paulson for their 27 years of loyalty and devotion to the lodge. The Glendale couple, who recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary, was lauded for their work to strengthen the local chapter of the Sons of Norway.

Saturday's banquet, which included entertainment by Cara Clove, was a festive celebration that included attendance by Sons of Norway International Director Sherrill Swenson, District President Janie Kelly and her predecessor Roy Olson. Others on hand were the lodge's current president, LaVonne Kerfoot, past president Jo Ness, and past Our Treasures Award recipients Dorothy Bakken and Gertrude Ness, who celebrated her 101st birthday this year.

While the Sons of Norway celebrated 50 years, the Hoover High School Class of '87 reunited for its 20-year reunion at the Hilton Pasadena Hotel.

Among the special guests on hand were 17 teachers, including Bob Samaniego, Jean Bernhart, Jo Ann Greaves, Kristie Colegate, Margaret Coughlin and Susan Howe, who taught members of the class of '87 from kindergarten on through high school. Also in attendance was Kevin Welsh, the current principal of Hoover High. According to Melissa O'Gara, who chaired the reunion, members of the class asked to have specific teachers attend so they could express their gratitude to them.

"We invited teachers who were named as being influential in the lives of many of our classmates," said O'Gara.

"Four of us who served on the reunion committee are also teachers, so we know that teachers often do not hear about how influential they were in someone's life. Our hope is that this event will show the impact their actions have had on so many people."

While the evening was one of festive recollecting, the class also took time to honor the memory of their classmate, Carla Babayan, who was recently killed in Iraq while serving with the U.S. Army. Members of Carla's family attended to represent her.

During the evening's dinner, members of the Class of '87 and their guests were treated to a slide show that was followed by a skit that showed a comparison between the Hoover High of '87 and the Hoover of today.

The celebration continued on Sunday as former classmates met for a family picnic at Verdugo Park.

Among those who enjoyed the reunion were Eric and Kristine Loiacano, Whitney and Rick Benedict, and Stacey and Richard Nyberg. Assisting O'Gara in making the reunion a success were her committee members, who included Pamela Smith, Cynthia Harvey, Skip Jenkins, David Lee, Karla Bringas and Nancy Torres.