My first Publication Alumni Magazine21-online | Page 17

ISSUE 21, JUNE 2019
from the English Language High School in Lovech.
She used to tell stories about the school director Ms.
Carhartt. During summers, we used to hang out with
friends at the beach by the Iskar River and that’s how
our relationship started off. She almost made it to our
golden wedding – she died in 2001.
In 1972, my cousin and her Armenian husband
emigrated from Bulgaria to the US via Paris. The
parents of her husband actually paved the way 2-3 years
before, though they took an escape route through the
Middle East. (pointing at a photo on the wall) This
photo here shows my cousin in 2009, she had just given
me this cowboy hat. I was so moved when she flew here
from the US 2 years ago again especially for my 90th
anniversary celebration.
We kept getting together for other anniversaries. At
the one in 1994, celebrating 50 years since graduation,
the turnout was smaller and it has been growing
smaller ever since. In 2003 we celebrated 65 years since
enrolling at the College, and in 2004 – 60 years since
graduation. We were so happy to be able to hold these
last two reunions at the already reopened College. I
recall turning to my classmates on our get together in
2003, describing us as “a not very happy generation,”
and the years past – as “not the lightest” for us. We had
no tongue-in-cheek competitions because who would
have found competing who had the most pain or the
most diverse diseases amusing!
Did you keep in touch with College classmates Now it’s just a handful of us living graduates of the
after you graduated?
Class of 1944. I am the one keeping track of who’s still
around, who’s in Sofia, etc. And I keep you informed.
Our first class reunion was held on 22 November 1969, Dimo Boychev spends most of the year with relatives in
25 years after our graduation. We felt some change of Bankya and I have the hardest time persuading Kolyo to
attitude towards us American College alumni in the come with me to the College alumni events. But why not
period 1955-1960 and thus more at ease to get together. meet at the College this upcoming Christmas! I would
34 of the 73 of us based in Sofia showed up. Many must come even if I’m the only one among the old alumni.
have still been afraid. And 34 had already moved to
Israel where they had started their new lives.
I became a driving force in organizing those reunions
over the years. For that first one in 1969, my classmates We sing the College anthem together. There are spots
Vicho Mehandjiev, who was our former class secretary, where we both don’t quite recall the words. It ends in
laughter.
and Tanka Chakalova helped a lot.
At the ACS Alumni Christmas Reception in 2014 with fellow alumnus Georgi Atanasov ’45
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