45th Reunion Recap

July, 2019

Dear 1974 Classmates ~ 

Frazzled and dazzled, are the words that describe my feelings when I arrived on campus for Reunion 2. The months of planning and hand-holding with key classmates and the Alumnae team were about to unfold. 

It was easy to get caught up in the minutiae of mistakes: ran out of cream, broken toilet on floor three, earphones found in 352A, over-packed agenda on Saturday, not enough seats for performance and yes, all of that is detailed in my notes for the 50th.  

But the journey to reunion was about reconnecting and remembering. We all had a chance to reflect upon personal and group experiences while students at MHC. I remembered loving bio labs, cookies from Chanticleer, S. Rocky meals, lathering on baby oil and lying on the roof of Prospect with my dormmates. I recalled hating the smell of roasting lamb on Sunday mornings when I was hung-over and regretting that perhaps if I had had a mentor then I would have been a doctor and not a house painter. Yes, a jumble of emotions and much to sort out on the ride home and in the weeks that have followed. Sound familiar?

Forty-fifth reunion attendees seemed more relaxed because many are retired or can see the path to the end of work life. The weekend was packed with activities: back to classes, parade, loud cheering at the alumnae meeting, lively panel discussion, photos, cocktail parties and gatherings for LGBTQ and women of color, dining and toasting, V8s and Phenomenal Woman. There were quiet moments when we were able to sit off to the side or walk uptown for lemonade and converse with a roommate about life experiences, family issues and classmates.

This would have been my mother’s 70th reunion. My Mom and I have not provided a financial legacy to MHC (sorry Jane Z.) and I did not inherit my mother’s intelligence (Phi Beta Kappa, Sarah Williston award winner, major in mathematics/minor in physics), but she instilled the value of hard work and good humor and I like both. I was called the Reunion Chair but it was a cadre of volunteers that made this reunion successful. My thanks over and over. Your personalized thank you note is en route. It is the spirited nature of this Class of ’74 that made 2019 a great celebration!

Whether you came to reunion or not, please follow and get involved in what our current class president Melissa Thornton offers to us over the next five years. The 50th is a culmination of the days spent through the next five years.

As one classmate remarked after reunion: “Having fun is exhausting.” And as another classmate Lane showed in expression during the panel discussion: 

Come to Reunion 50 in 2024 – it’s a full FOUR days of razzle, dazzle. 

Fondly,
Gail

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1 Response to 45th Reunion Recap

  1. Pingback: Class Presidents’ Letter, November 2019 | MHC Class of 1974

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