South Jersey Wave

The South Jersey Wave was started in 2003 by Tim Worrell and his classmates of 1956.

It was started as a collegial gathering of classmates and wives for dinner and dancing at locations around South Jersey.

It was very successful and soon many other classes began to join in the gatherings. The Wave would meet twice a year, June and December and was open to all Girardians regardless of where they lived.  

The original meetings were held at night but changed to a mid day event to allow for better participation for those who might have longer drives. Once firmly established as a successful and popular event, Tim handed the Chairmanship to Ed Toff ’58 who took the Wave events to a new level.  

Under Ed’s leadership the Wave participation grew to even more locations and larger numbers of participants. Cherry Hill NJ was finally found to be the best and most central location for maximum attendance and was convenient for those who lived in Philadelphia. 

Ed Toff handed the leadership role to Tony Schiavo ’59 and it has remained a staple on the calendars of participants from Jersey and Philly. The number of attendees is as high as 70 Girardians and wives who enjoy a few hours of camaraderie and laughter.  The restaurants chosen have always been high quality establishments and for the past eight years a great location known as Toscana Italian Bistro has become the established location for the luncheons.

The keys to the successful gatherings are these;

• Good food (Appetizers, Main course, desert and wine all Inclusive)
• Accessible location
• Convenient time  Noon to 3:00  (June and December)
• Reasonable prices (Never more than $50.00)
• Minimal speeches
• Raffle fund raising for Girard Student events and Alumni Events.

The Wave has donated many thousands of dollars for elementary school trips; Secret Santa, Founder’s Day events such as wreaths and Golf outings and even supported other Chapters when needed.  All these and others are made possible by the generosity of the Wave members.

The Wave has continued to grow in attendance and now has class attendance from the  Decades of the 40’s  thru the 2000’s. Sadly the Wave has not met since December 2019 due to the Pandemic.  We have every confidence that we will meet once again when this cloud is lifted.

Tony Schiavo ‘59
Wave Chairman