The academic year has started. Fifty years ago we began our senior year at Mount Holyoke, during what many would describe as turbulent times. What has transpired during the past 50 years for each of us personally and on the issues that we care about and what is in store for us going forward? We hope that you will come to our 50th reunion weekend from Thursday, May 16 to Sunday, May 19, connect with classmates, reflect on these and other questions, and walk away inspired.
Plans for reunion weekend are well underway. Our Reunion Committee (see attached) has been working hard to bring our Connect Reflect Inspire theme to life. You have received a number of class communications recently; this letter will hopefully help connect the dots on the activities underway and the various requests for your participation. Now is a critical time to lend us your voice and your ideas.
Connecting with the Class of 2019 and with our classmates at Cafe ’69s A number of us have developed relationships over the past couple years with MHC students who are now starting their senior year. We will meet all the members of the graduating class on Thursday afternoon at Reunion during The Welcome New Alumnae Ceremony and reception.
Many of us have been connecting with each other at informal Cafe ’69 gatherings all over the country. We are seeing old friends and meeting new classmates, and we truly appreciate the efforts of Linda Giannasi O’Connell and all the classmates who have hosted these gatherings to date. If you haven’t been able to participate in a Cafe ’69, don’t worry. Reunion weekend will offer more opportunities to simply “hang out” and connect with each other 50 years later!
The Reunion Program Traditional reunion activities will of course be available: Back-to-Class sessions, a commencement concert, department at homes, the Laurel Chain Parade and the picnic on Skinner Green. Special events for the 50th reunion class also include the ceremony and reception with the Class of 2019; a breakfast and reception with our newly appointed President Sonya Stephens; director’s tours of the Art Museum; and a Friday night dinner hosted by the Alumnae Association and the Office of Advancement.
What will truly make this weekend special, however, is the time that we spend together with classmates and as a class. On July 26, Joan Libby Hawk and Julie Dutton Peterson, our program chairs, sent you a letter with a link to a survey that will help us develop interesting and interactive class programs that reflect our experiences and interests looking back and looking forward. A number of you have responded. Thank you! For those who haven’t, we would still like to hear from you. Please click hereto access their letter, which includes the link to the survey. If you prefer to go directly to the survey, click here. We would appreciate a response as soon as possible but no later than November 1.
Social Activities and Celebrations Rest up because Kim Fleer Rainey and Aina Kayanan Harkey are planning receptions, dinners and after-dinner social activities in never-before-seen venues on campus. More to come on all of this! At the dinner Saturday night we want to tell stories and celebrate ourselves and our classmates. On July 6 Rosanne Matson Welshimer, Linda Whitlock and Joyce Lacquidera Gleason sent you a request for nominations for 12 types of “awards.” We know that you or classmates that you know deserve at least one of these awards: Fanciful Fun, Artistic Achiever, Profound Professional, Reflector/Connector/Inspirer, Academic Achiever, Awesome Author, Wonderful Woman, Media Maven, Prominent Public Servant, Successful Survivor, Tireless Traveler, Mary Lyon Loyalist and whatever other recognition you can imagine. Please help us have some fun, tell our stories and learn about each other. Click here to access their letter. As noted, nominations can be sent on the form attached to their letter or by email or telephone. Please submit your nominations to them by December 1.
Reunion Book and Memories After reviewing 50th reunion books from previous classes, Judy Oliver has designed a best-selling Class of 1969 reunion book that will help us connect with each other during Reunion and going forward. Click here to access a letter from Judy asking us to send her a current picture and an “essay” about ourselves. She also wants us to complete a class survey that will provide interesting and fun facts about our lives during the past 50 years and thoughts for the future. To access the survey, click here. If you have photos from our time at MHC and at any reunions since then, she would love to have them too. We sincerely hope that you will respond to her requests by December 1. The book will have a section that honors our deceased classmates and Maxine Ferry Proskurowski is planning a memorial service for reunion weekend.
Making it easy for you! You can find ALL reunion information and communications in one place, our class website, MHC1969.online. Thanks to Trudy Levy, our web chief. You will note that all of the letters and links for requests noted above are on this website. The website is secure and can only be accessed by our classmates. Simply type MHC1969.online in your web browser and you will be taken to the Home Page. We would encourage you to subscribe (on the right-hand side of the Home Page) so that you will be notified whenever new messages and content are added to the site.
Finally… We have been trying to respect your busy lives and not ask too much of you. The Reunion Committee is truly doing the heavy lifting for all of us. The requests for your participation in our reunion weekend planning described above are ALL the requests that we will be sending you…unless of course you want to volunteer to do help during the weekend. Marcia Lepri Coleman, Julie Van Camp and their team of fundraisers are doing a terrific job of encouraging everyone’s participation in our class gift and we hope that each of you will also support their enthusiastic efforts on behalf of the class.
The next letters you receive from us will include more details about reunion weekend and registration. Most of all we hope that you will come. If any of you need special accommodations for health or financial reasons, please let us know.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions. This is YOUR reunion.
