Winter 2015 Class of ’85 Newsletter

Hello MHC Class of 1985:

Our 30th reunion on May 22-24, 2015, is now only a few months away. This is my last letter urging you to attend. Now it’s time to register!

Go to alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/reunion for registration and up-to-date reunion information. There you will be able to register online, send a classmate an e-card, check out the photos from previous reunions, see video from last reunion, and much more.

Here are just some of the great things your reunion committee has planned for this weekend of sisterhood, revitalization, ’80s flashbacks and much more.

Friday

  • Check in at our class dorm, Mead! That will be HQ for most of the activities we have planned.
  • Go Back to Class. This program has become one of the most popular programs of the weekend, and this year’s class assortment is the best yet!  You can even opt to stay on campus Thursday night if you want to catch the early classes on Friday.
  • Attend the Alumnae and Faculty reception from 5-6 pm in the Kendade Atrium. Enjoy free appetizers and drinks before heading back to Mead for our class social/light dinner (think pizza or Mexican) and icebreaker.

Saturday

  • We’ll start the morning with the parade. Remember your white outfit. Our Class Costume Chair Marge Anderson is working on parade “headwear” that is sure to help us land a big pic in the Quarterly. For those of you in the dorm on Friday night you can grab a glue gun and finish off your costume. If you’re arriving Saturday morning, we’ll have your costume waiting!
  • Lunch will be at an assigned campus dining center, and then we’ll pose for our class photo on the steps of Skinner.
  • Attend a class confab….we’ll have informal chats in the afternoon on topics of interest to the women of 1985:

Jenn Yorzyk Triger is leading a wellness workshop called Fit, Fabulous & Foxy @50. 

I’ve heard from some of the authors in our class who would like to participate in a Meet the Authors session…if one of you can lead the chat please let me know. Just send a note to mhc85.30threunion@gmail.com.

  • We’ll hold our class meeting from 5 to 6 pm. Then, it will be time to tease your hair and pull on your ’80s outfit for the big event …the Saturday Night Dinner and Dance Party.

Our social, dinner and dance party is being held at All Saints Episcopal Church, on Rte. 116, right across from the post office. We’ll have a BBQ to kick off the summer as part of Memorial Day weekend, followed by a DJ spinning your favorite ’80s tunes (and great dance music from other decades, too). Just remember to dress for the era. (I’m serious….We’re dressing in our favorite ’80s fashion with our favorite ’80s hair…so pack accordingly.)

If that’s not your thing, the college is hosting an after-dinner party at the Arts Museum from 8 to 10pm when you can explore the museum, enjoy some desserts and hear from the museum director.

Other Reunion Business

Scholarships: Our class has a limited number of scholarships available to help with the cost of the reunion. The scholarships of up to $400 are for registration and class charges. Travel is excluded. The funds will be administered through the Alumnae Association and the process is strictly confidential. If you would like a scholarship please contact Luisa Tavares at ltavares@mtholyoke.edu or 413-538-2201.

Class Giving: Class giving for the last four years has been solid, and participation last year was 28% (119 out of 430 classmates) – not bad, but we can do  better. Annual Fund contributions support financial aid, provide crucial support for operations and have a significant impact on the College’s ability to raise money from other sources, such as foundations. Make your gift today:  mtholyoke.edu/giving

Class officer slate: Thanks to our Nominating Committee — Christina Schlagenhauf, Amy Sharpe Bazuzi and Jane Ely Balaguero — for pulling together the class officer slate. (View the candidates here.) We will accept additional nominations from the floor at our class meeting on Saturday evening of reunion, when we will also vote.

I’ll close this letter with this message from our Class President, Carol Josefek:

Five years ago when I agreed to a second term as your President,  it was because I really wanted to get as many of our classmates as possible reconnected to our class.  Along with your officers, I think we have made great strides.  Many opportunities to reconnect have been happening.   However, your biggest opportunity is reunion.  We’ve heard that cost is an issue for some so we have made anonymous cost defrayal available. Please come to reunion. You’ll have the opportunity to make new friendships, renew acquaintances and tap into this vast support system that I personally have found incredibly rewarding. 

We are planning a variety of activities to ensure there is something for everyone, but the most important part of Reunion is YOU. Contact a friend and make plans today! 

Please join us to make new memories May 22-24, 2015.

Warm regards,

Debbie Wexler, Reunion Chair

30th Reunion Planning Committee & Class Officers
Marge Anderson
Emily Dietrich
Mary Jane Dupuis Keough
Abi Leaf
Cynthia Reed McReynolds
Kim Miller
Nancy Occhipinti Noe
Jenn Yorzyk Triger

Carol Van Belle Josefek  – President
Karen Katz Temkin – Co-Vice President
Fatima Ezzat Penrose – Co-Vice President
Steva Stowell-Hardcastle – Treasurer
Michele DeRosa O’Connell – Secretary/Scribe
Julie Reiff – Website Coordinator
Anne-Marie McGonnigal – Co-Head Class Agent
Jeremy Cutler Vassallo – Co-Head Class Agent

About Julie Sponagle Reiff

A history major with a concentration in French, I spent my junior year in Strasbourg. I lived in Safford, Buckland (3rd floor, go Tri-Bucks), and 1837. Since graduation I have spent most of the last 30 years at a boarding school, editing the school's quarterly alumni magazine and handling most of the school's other communications. I am now working full-time on a novel.
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