40th Reunion-2005

               Jim Pierce's 40th Reunion Report (August 5-7, 2005)

Dear Classmates and Families,

I’m still basking in the afterglow of our most fabulous reunion… EVER…  Everything seemed to go perfectly and everyone had a great time.  By my count there were 131 classmates and 199 total with spouses and families.  Even the turnout exceeded our expectations. My thanks to EVERYONE who made the reunion a grand, successful event.  Thanks to EACH OF YOU for taking the time, energy and effort to attend… for opening your hearts and sharing your smiles and stories.  Personally I enjoyed every smile, hug and hand shake… even those delivered from across the crowded room J.

The buzz of a hundred sparkling conversations drowned out the background music from the 60’s.  Often I noticed a classmate gazing wistfully around the room, caught up by the aura of the jabbering throng. Things have changed… a little.   Surely there are more retired and semi-retired classmates… who seem to be even busier than when they were working.

Some classmates looked almost the same, but for some it took a while to adjust to the “new look”.  Hearing voices and sharing past experiences helped my brain make those long dormant connections.  Personalities seemed largely the same as forty years ago… more mellow and probably even more smiles now.  It seems everyone wants to reconnect, mostly by email now!  There was sooooo much positive energy in the air.  I’m already looking forward to the next reunion in August of 2010.  Mark your calendars now.

When people needed to give their hoarse voices a break, the main side attraction was the preliminary copy of the “Electronic Yearbook”.  Old yearbooks were available, but the pictures were already on Barb’s name tags.  A vinyl LP record (do you remember those? ) from our senior year, “The Spartans Speak” has been converted to CD.  The sounds are like a time machine, taking you back to our last year at CHS.  There were photos and bricks from our old school as it was being torn down DURING the reunion.  A couple class projects were proposed, (1) to help transfer the Horner Museum (see flier) and (2) to make a special contribution to the New CHS building.

There were over 30 classmates who dedicated time and energy to organizing the reunion and helping with the committees.  Some of the Diligent could not even attend the reunion that they helped create.  There were planning committees, event committees, preparing forms, compiling and sending mailings and now emailings, keeping track of finances and RSVP’s, calling Unconfirmed classmates, contacting LOST classmates, and other time consuming activities that made this and future reunions the successes that they are… and will be.

Please take a moment and absorb a collective pat on the back from ALL of the class.  Without your efforts, we would not have THE best class reunions at CHS.  I figure there were over 5000 emails and phone calls made to make this reunion a Happening.

Several classmates deserve special recognition for making the reunion such a whopping success.  Judy Hennings Butler was the hub of the reunion communications.  THANK-YOU, JUDY!!!  Barb Magnusson Maguire sheparded the HUGE Friday gathering and made the name tags with photos and printing for mature eyes.  Dot Holst Charbonneau directed the elegant Picnic at Willamette Park, complete with flowers on the tables.  Lynette Kelley Olsson and Sharon Ehrichs Edwards managed a huge committee and made the multitude of decisions for the Saturday Evening Extravaganza at the Country Club.  Al Hutchinson organized the school tour and was the MC at the Country Club.  Kate McDonald, Judy Butler and Lavonne Miller are putting together a fantastic “electronic yearbook” full of stories and photos… Just like yours, hint, hint…

Classmates have been very generous with their donations, both money (over $2,300 to date!) and “in kind” donations.  Thank you, Jim Seitsinger, for your very generous donation! We have enough funds to carry us over to the next reunion, but donations will be gladly received at any time.  Just make checks payable to “CHS Class of ‘65” and mail them to Judy Butler.

What can you do to prepare for the next reunion?

Naturally, I have a few ideas!

Please send or email your stories and photos for the ELECTRONIC YEARBOOK.  You may even want to expand your original story, since we have found it hard to summarize forty years in only 250 words .  Kate wants to wrap this “Edition” up sooooon, so get your story and picture to her or to Judy by the end of September.  Actually, we will love to get your stories and pictures ANYTIME and they will appear in the next Edition.  We plan to post the Electronic Yearbook on the Class Website, when we get one set up.  If you want a CD or paper copy, please let us know.

Reunion Feedback…  Your ideas to make the reunion just a little bit better .

Thanks to Barb we now have a CD with photographs of each senior from the 1965 yearbook!  If your picture was not in the yearbook, please send a ’65 era photo to Barb for the next reunion! 

Would you like to purchase a CD copy of The Spartans Speak”?

Please let me know.  The cost is about $5.00…

Please help keep the contact list current:

We have a committee to search for LOST classmates… any help, ideas and leads will be appreciated.   These are classmates for whom we have no address and usually no phone number.  Some of these classmates were at the reunion, so they really are not LOST, my computer just does not know where they are.

We also appreciate feedback from or for the UNCONFIRMED.  This means we have information we think is current, but my computer has not received recent (24 months) confirmation, so he gets worried J.

Please remember my poor computer and keep him INFORMED periodically, even if you don’t move or change any of your contact coordinates.  He likes reassurances.

Reunion Photos…  I am collecting digital photos taken during the reunion from EVERYONE.  Please email me or send me a CD with all the photos you care to share.  I will eliminate duplicates and embarrassing shots and get them onto a CD.  I think they will all fit on a single CD.  Submitters will automatically get a “Reunion photo collection CD”.  One day they could even appear on the Class website.

Do you have ideas about the proposed class projects (Horner Museum and New CHS Building)?  What should the class do?  How do we do it?

Thanks for making this reunion such a fabulous event… whether you HELPED, attended, sent your story, or just plan to come to the reunion in August of 2010.

Jim Pierce