Dear Mount Holyoke College Class of 1974,
This was a truly spectacular 50th reunion event, beautifully designed and orchestrated by our Reunion Chair, Gail LaRocca and her dozens of committee members attending to every detail to make this a visually and emotionally engaging long weekend.
And it was a pinnacle, a once-in-a-lifetime weekend, a culmination of five years of literally one hundred plus classmates working together to bring about records of all sorts:
I. Our Class of ’74 won FIVE awards at reunion, four of which are included in the linked photo gallery:
Record contributions to the Mount Holyoke Fund from a record number of participants. Thanks to Jane Zimmy, Debby Hall, Leslie Bowen and LaVida Dowdell, as well as Pam Broadley, plus almost 50 Class agents, communicating regularly with our classmates and inspiring them to be generous with their alma mater. This resulted in the Sphinx Award for highest participation in giving this year and the Pegasus Award for the most dollars raised this year and The Lion Award for the highest total giving during the 5 years leading up to reunion.
The President’s Cup for the highest number of attendees (196…32 more classmates than the last record!) and the Reunion Cup for the highest percent of attendees were a result of the momentum of class members to get and stay connected during the most challenging five year period since our graduation, enhanced by several initiatives made by classmates:
- Denise McLeod Thomas’ invitation/challenge to reach out and make a new friend…or renew an ‘old’ friendship, made at our 45th reunion
- Our monthly Zoomtails, pioneered by Jane Zimmy, Bonnie Panson and Maria Mandler and led by Jane and Maria for the first two years during the pandemic and then seamlessly picked up and led by Gail LaRocca and Nan Ward for the past two years. And the zoom minis that classmates initiated all over the country/globe during and after the pandemic
- Our regular updates on the Class of 1974 Facebook page and website, thanks to our Social Media Coordinator, Laurie Averill, and regular photos of Zoomtails and other events gathered by our Secretary, Doris O’Keefe and other classmates
- Our two major in-person mini-reunions and several mini-mini-reunions, designed and executed by classmates once the pandemic limitations lifted. Special thanks to Denise McLeod Thomas and Cynthia Polk-Allen for designing and co-hosting the Wilmington, NC mini-reunion last December and for all those who helped with my Maine mini-reunion last June
- Our communications with and support of our Connections Class which brought us to MHC via zoom and then in person, to celebrate milestones in the college careers of the Class of 2024, now new graduates (!) Many thanks to Laurie Averill for being my Co-Chair on this committee.
- The Memorial committee, led by Marylloyd Claytor, who, in addition to her Scribe duties, worked long and hard with her committee to research the important uniqueness of each of our lost classmates…and to honor them in a moving rose ceremony of remembrance at the beginning of the Class Meeting. Please see the slide show video available on our Facebook page.
- The Time Capsule committee, chaired by Beth Connor Gibson, who, in addition to her Nominating Committee duties, worked with the committee to gather 50 iconic items from our time at MHC to remind us of the nature of our education and experience there…and to share with others at reunion, including the Class of 2024.
II. And five of our classmates were recognized as class leaders by the Alumnae Association:
Loyalty Award: Gail LaBroad LaRocca and Denise McLeod Thomas
Achievement Award: Pamela Maffei McCarthy
Elizabeth Topham Kennan Award: Sharon Nelson-Barber and Nancy Napier
Please read the award certificates on our Class of 74 website to know all about how these classmates shine! (And a list of past award recipients was included in our Time Capsule, and will be updated every 10 years when we re-open it)
III. Other class highlights:
Welcome New Alums/Scarfing Event: This was our first time sharing a reunion with our Connections Class and many members of both classes were visibly moved when the 1974s gave the 2024s their blue scarves Thursday afternoon. And lots of connections were made at the outdoors reception afterwards, including the two sets of V8s. Our class Board gifted the Connections Class with $100 to open their graduate checking account, and this remarkable class inspired a dozen 1974 classmates to join together to financially gift their treasury $1200 to plump up that account…to make sure they get a good start on making strong connections…like ours. And we gave them an empty time capsule box for their future time capsule committee. See photos where the 2024s sent hearts to the 1974s.
The Thursday night author event with Katharine Beutner in conversation with writer and MHC Associate Professor Andrea Lawlor and the Chuck or Cherish workshop Friday morning were both well-attended and appreciated.
Friday’s Belly Dancing workshop, given by LaVida Dowdell and Cynthia Polk-Allen was a wonderful chance to learn a bit about Egyptian belly-dancing, costumes and amazing moves, to get the synovial fluids flowing and to prepare for the historic Laurel Parade the next day…and that’s not even mentioning how gob-smacked the 2024s were who stood outside during the workshop and watched their 50-year-older Connections Class counterparts shimmying around the room!
The Friday afternoon State of the College presentation by Danielle R. Holley, Art Museum Class Reception, class dinner in Willits-Hallowell and evening President’s Reception honoring those classmates in the Mary Lyon Society and Cornerstone giving categories were all well attended and much enjoyed, and the Super Jeopardy event, designed by Margaret and Debbie Saunders was an engaging, competitive, humorous test of trivia memories related to the 1970s and MHC. Susan Moch led the pack, but underbid for Final Jeopardy and Nan Ward took the candy prize and auctioned it off for a donation to the Alum fund.
Saturday Alum Laurel Parade: this was the only time in MHC history that a class has belly danced to honor our new college President, Danielle R. Holley, and other leaders during our parade…and the only MHC President who had already studied belly dancing herself! See link to photo gallery.
(And that same President felt moved to augment her prepared remarks at our social on Saturday evening to acknowledge the way in which the Class of 1974 ‘swept’ the awards and added such verve to the graduation weekend.)
Saturday Class Meeting: After the beautiful remembrance ceremony, Susan Moch reminded us, during our Class Meeting, that it’s a good time in life to organize ways to check in on and support each other…as we might be about to start aging. 😊 She invites us all to start structuring such a process.
A main goal at the class meeting was to report, so that we could all acknowledge, the ‘above and beyond’ achievements of our Board members and Team leaders throughout the last 5 years and beyond. Many thanks to these current leaders who will wrap up their commitments by the end of this month and attend the training meeting with the Alumnae Association and the newly elected leaders later this summer, so that the transfer of leadership is seamless.
In addition to those leaders named throughout this letter:
Added to 15 years of Secretary duties and photo-journaling, Doris O’Keefe also took on the duty of writing to the bereaved families of all of our lost classmates and put together the unforgettable slide show that played in Buckland and at the end of our class meeting. Thanks to all those who shared photos with Doris!
In addition to her Vice Chair Development duties, Leslie Bowen served as the Reunion Song Leader and led the V8s during the Alma Mater at the Scarfing ceremony and the Bread and Roses group song at the graveside Laurel Chain ceremony, in addition to being part of the Saturday night festivities. The V8s who participated with Leslie include Joyce Staat Wixson, Laurie Heller Gross, Diane Fiero Claffey, Susan Moch and me.
In addition to all the ways already mentioned, Cynthia Polk-Allen served on the Mini-Reunion committee, sent out the Happy 70th birthday ecards to all classmates during the year, and co-designed and co-presented the ‘7 Essentials of Self Care’ Zoomtails program, with Sue Ruotolo Dorsey and Barbara Hoff.
In addition to her Social Media Coordinator duties and her Co-Chairmanship of the Connections Committee, Laurie Averill volunteered so many times to help me achieve class outcomes, that she became my right hand, helped with class gift planning, Connections Committee gift planning, idea-generating on several topics, was a support to gather scribe notes and was a contributing member of the Memorial Committee and the Time Capsule committees!
On our theme of connection and friendship, I shared a favorite poem with the reunion participants at the class meeting.
Garden Meditations
~by Rev. Max Coots
Let us give thanks for a bounty of friends.
For generous friends…with hearts…and smiles as bright as their blossoms;
For feisty friends, as tart as apples;
For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us that we’ve had them;
For crotchety friends, sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;
For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of corn…and the others, as plain as potatoes and so good for you;
For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels sprouts and as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes;
And serious friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as dill, as endless as zucchini and who, like parsnips, can be counted on to see you through the winter;
For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening time, and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;
For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold us, despite our blights, wilts and withering;
And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past…that leave us bountiful memories…
I had it printed into large, laminated bookmarks and gave this ‘thank-you’ memento to each Board member and team leader. If you’re a Board member/team leader who didn’t pick up your memento, please let me know and I’ll send it to you…and I have a few left for those who enjoy friendship, gardening or both…just let me know if you’re interested, while they last. See photos to see the memento.
We congratulated our five amazing classmates who earned awards from the Alumnae Association.
Jane Zimmy gave a Development/Giving update as she has done reliably for the past 40 or so years, along with her Co-Head Class Agent Debby Hall…and Mary Grantham reported on the state of the Treasury, as she has done reliably every month for the past five years.
We acknowledged Gail LaRocca for a magnificent reunion, she acknowledged her committees and gave us on overview of what would happen next. Carole LaMond led the election and the proposed slate was accepted. Then we completed the class meeting and enjoyed the magnificent slide show compiled by Doris.
Saturday dinner and entertainment was a gorgeously decorated event…one could hardly recognize Chapin in its party frock, thanks to more hard work by the reunion committees. And the entertainment included all sorts of talented 1974s, directed by our professional and talented co-producers Bonnie Panson and Cynthia Polk-Allen.
In addition to those contributions mentioned here, Marylloyd Claytor and LaVida Dowdell performed very different and gracefully mesmerizing dance routines, Lyric Contempo and Bel Bont, during the Saturday evening A Joyful Noise performances.
Nell Whiting read 55 Years of MHC moments, a part of the project of gathering our stories to preserve them for our classmates, Denise McLeod Thomas and Nancy Carpenter performed very different poetry readings, ‘It’s Not Too Late’ and ‘Readings for Adults Only’. Margaret and Debbie Saunders performed two Senior Show sketches and the New Black Voices of Faith, organized by Joyce Bohannon Lott, completed the evening and got everyone singing and dancing. It was memorable! See photo link…and do check out all the videos on our Facebook page.
We had such a good time being together and celebrating this turning point…and the positive energy was inspirational to all those who came in contact with us. Each of us individually…and all of us together…truly made a difference to the Reunion I gathering at Mount Holyoke the weekend of May 16-19, 2024!
And here, thanks to Nominating Committee Chair, Carole LaMond and her committee, is the newly elected slate of officers who will take us into our next five years of getting and staying connected. Congratulations to each and all of you!
MHC Class of 1974 Elected Officer Slate 2024-2029
President Gail LaBroad LaRocca
Vice President Kathe Munz Shinham
Secretary Robynn Bosler Eisley
Treasurer Mary Grantham
Reunion Co-Chairs Debbie Hinchey Vernon & Melissa Thornton
Scribe Nan Ward
Social Media Laurie Averill
Head Class Agents Jane Zimmy & Debby Hall
Nominating Committee Judy Johnson, Kate Murphy Pappas &
Heather Barlow Sheldon
Well, it’s been a wild ride, with unexpected turns and twists, highs and lows, challenges and many, many joyful moments…all culminating in great connection, a class that has weathered turmoil by strengthening bonds and achieving amazing records…and a magical event to celebrate it all. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
I hope you join me in looking forward to what the incoming leaders will bring out in this most amazing class.
Warmest of thanks,
Melissa Thornton,
President of the MHC Class of 1974, 2019-2024
PS I’ve gathered many reunion photos from those shared on our Facebook page and placed them in a gallery, to remind all of us who were able to attend about the magic of the experience, to give those who weren’t able to join us a taste of the fun and especially include those who couldn’t join us and don’t use social media. Please see the link…and thanks to Debby Hall, Susan Moch and their partners, as well as Doris O’Keefe and others…HERE’S THE LINK: https://photos.app.goo.gl/GiXnqmyaHZ1ACHvm6
PPS Thank you, MHC Class of 1974 for the gift certificate to Skillins Garden Center! I purchased and planted a beautiful old-fashioned bridal wreath spirea, so you will be remembered both for joining me here last June for our Maine mini-reunion and for this lovely garden addition. See photos.
PPPS The committee lists are attached as well. If I haven’t captured all the names, please let me know!
