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WARREN — On March 8, 1974, four Mott High School students went out on the town for a night of pinball and teenage antics.
When they got hungry, they stopped at the White Castle on Dequindre Road just south of 12 Mile Road to munch on sliders and down Coca-Colas.
“We gathered here on little stools looking out the window,” Piechura recalled of that initial ritual.
That night, the teenagers — Rick Piechura, Walt Bigorski, Thomas Huegien and Dave Lamberti — made a pact to meet at 6 p.m. every March 8 at the same White Castle for dinner and friendship.
All four kept their promise, and for 51 years the “March 8th Club” has met for a meal every year since 1974. And since that time, more club members have joined. No matter what is going on in their lives, the guys make time for their annual White Castle meetup.
The group last gathered March 8, 2025. Approximately 25 guys showed up at the fast-food restaurant for conservation, burgers and a celebratory cake. The marquee outside even read “Happy March 8th.”
“It started as a joke. Now it took on a life of its own,” Bigorski said. “It feels very comfortable. Just to be around them, it’s like an old pair of shoes.”
“We’re trying to make it a national holiday,” Piechura said.
In honor of their tradition, White Castle staff gave the “regular customers” their meals for the same price it cost them in 1974. For 98 cents each, they dined on three hamburger sliders, French fries and soft drinks.
Restaurant officials also created a commemorative cup dedicated to the bunch. Another tradition is the T-shirts Lamberti designs each year for the group. This year’s emblem paid homage to Area-51 in observance of the group’s 51st anniversary.
Sadly, one of the original members was missing: Huegien, who died several years ago.
“It’s been a while now,” Bigorski said. “We still talk about him.”
“Tom was a great guy,” Piechura said. “He had been with us since junior high. A really big music guy.”
Life was somewhat carefree five decades ago.
“We didn’t focus too much on the future,” Bigorski said. “It was more about hanging out and spending time with each other.”
“Richard Nixon was president, and the Vietnam War was still on,” said Mario Cardillo, 73, who connected with the group through his wife Mary, who attended Mott. “I kind of married into the family. My first year was in 1987.”
The restaurant also went through some changes over the years, including adding a drive-thru window.
Although March 8 is their big day, the guys keep in touch throughout the years with cellphone calls and emails. They’ve been to family weddings and “the life stuff that just connects you,” Bigorski said.
Some of the gang now live out of state. If they can’t make it in person for the reunion, the rule is they must call and check in. John Malaker, 67, who resides in Florida, did just that.
“I try to make it every other year,” said Malaker, who graduated from Mott in 1976. “We’ve known each other for 50 years. It’s a blast. It’s not like we’re friends; we’re family.”
Three years ago, Bob Baron, 67, attended his first March 8th Club gathering.
“I showed up seeing people I hadn’t seen since high school graduation,” the Warren resident said. “I’m glad to see the same people I graduated with.”
“In the fifth year I became a member,” Tommy Ross, 66, said. “This is fun.”
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Cardillo said.
While White Castle is the reason the March 8th Club began, dinner was not the only item on the menu. The group spent the whole day together. The fun began with breakfast at the Kerby’s Koney Island in Bloomfield Township. Then it was time for an indoor Frisbee activity Al Kettinger organized. After their White Castle meal, it was off to the Cadieux Cafe in Detroit for feather bowling and more camaraderie.
