The goal for their upcoming 35th class reunion in October is to get at least 250 people, or 25 percent of the graduating class, said committee head John Orlowsky. But they have to find them all first.

The Class of 1973 had an official list of 1,026 graduates. The current mailing list has about 800 names. About 200 reside somewhere outside the tri-state area, including Canada. One person, who had attended CHS as an exchange student from Chile, found out about the reunion through classmates.com.

At least 26 couples formed out of the graduating class, and are still married. Thirty-three people have been confirmed deceased.

The last class reunion, put together by a reunion company, was less than thrilling, Orlowsky said. So some members of the Class of 1973 decided they could do a better job on their own. Now the group is up to 15 people, who have been meeting every other month since February 2007.

Orlowsky said his expertise is in spreadsheets and databases. By sorting by married names and cross-referencing, he could find the names of married couples. Bruce Rissmiller, a postal employee from Pennsylvania, did more library research by going through obituaries for the names of alumni’s parents, he could find clues to their whereabouts. Their designated "foreign correspondent," an alumni living in New Mexico, is in charge of alumni living west of the Mississippi. Others might be found through work, school, a chance encounter while doing volunteer work, and lots of phone calls and mailings.

Sometimes it works – "I won’t know who someone is, then I’ll spend two hours on the phone with them, talking about Clifton," said Lori DeSilva, formerly Lori Struck. Sometimes it doesn’t work, and they get a note back - "It wasn’t me, but I hope you found who you were looking for."

The group found that while some things change, many more stay the same. "After 35 years, you talk to some people like you didn’t miss a beat," Orlowsky said. "I called somebody I hadn’t talked to in 35 years – hey Gary, you still play guitar?"

"I was the shyest person in high school," DeSilva said. "And now I own a Harley."

One notable alumni from the class of 1973 is Ivan Wilzig, known as a musician and for television appearances, including a spot on "Who Wants to be a Superhero?"

None of the organizers knew each other in high school, but remember the same local hangouts – Mario’s Pizza, or that Boston Market used to be Gino’s. "You’re brought back to a happier time," DeSilva said.

Thirty-five years is a good time for a reunion, Orlowsky said, because people have settled down again, and are starting to become aware of the time they have left. "The first 20 or 30 years (after high school) you spend building a career, moving around," Orlowsky said. "You’re at a point where you’re thinking it might be good to reconnect."

The CHS Class of 1973 reunion will be held Oct. 18, at the Bethwood at Lackawanna Ave in Totowa. For more information visit http://chs73alumni-cliftonnj.net or contact John Orlowsky at 973-773-8711.