Class of 1974 President Diane Fiero Claffey’s Letter

January, 2015

Dear Classmates:

What a great reunion we had. Your new class officers are already working hard to continue the momentum. They are: President – Diane Fiero Claffey, Vice President – Mary Feeney, Secretary – Doris O’Keefe, Treasurer – Nancy Marks Arcieri, Reunion Chair – Gail LaBroad LaRocca, Scribe Lynn Massman Mordan, Nominating Committee – LaVida Dowdell and Denise McLeod Thomas (with more appointments closer to our next reunion), Web Mistress Laurie Averill and of course, Head Class Agents Jane Zimmy and Debby Hall.

Several of us were able to gather at MHC the weekend of September 19, 2014 for the volunteer training conference. It was great to connect not only with fellow classmates again but also with members of other classes, including 2016. We came away with thoughts about where we would like to see our class go over the next five years – and would like to hear from you with your thoughts and suggestions.

The theme for the past five years was Staying Connected. We’d like to continue that – but add another facet – Getting Connected. Although we have record attendance at every reunion, there are still quite a few of our classmates who do not attend or attend infrequently – and you are missed! For those of you who do attend, you can help by reaching out to classmates and encouraging them to provide or update their information on the Alumnae association website (http://alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/), join our class Facebook group (Mount Holyoke Class of 1974), attend a mini reunion, get together informally to catch up, go to Vespers in New York City (December 2016, 2018) or Boston (December 2015, 2017) and in Abbey Chapel on campus every year, and your local alumnae club events. If you have their contact information, give them a call or send them an email – let them know that you have been thinking about them.

To help us to stay or get connected, we plan to continue the new mini-reunion tradition. Several people expressed an interest in arranging a mini reunion in their area – so we will be following up on that and will keep you posted. We are also looking into hosting an event on campus with a possible theme of covering issues that we are all facing as we and our parents age.

If you are interested in helping plan activities, have ideas for events, or any other suggestions please contact any of your class officers. We’d love to hear from you. Contact information is on the Alumnae Association site under Contacts, and is also on our class web page: https://new.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/1974/

Stay tuned for more information in the New Year, and best wishes for a great 2015!

Diane