Monday, October 23, 2017

A Reflection on a Very Successful Reunion


It's been a few weeks since the F.J. Reitz Class of 1967 held its 50th reunion. After nearly every event that we have had a part in organizing, I know I usually Monday morning quarterback the event, dissecting the positives and negatives and begin a list of things not to do again or definitely repeat for next time. This time I deliberately held back my natural tendencies (well, alright, the foot surgery had something to do with it but that's just a minor distraction) and delayed my critique till this week.

In general, I've concluded that Reunion Committees as a rule, overthinks everything. Give people a place to meet, a place to sit, a decent meal and plenty of time to talk, they will consider the event a success. It's only the Reunion Committee that noodles over details that in the big picture will not make or break the event.

And the single most important thing? That everyone feel invited and welcome. Let us not forget that our involvement with the reunion began with one powerful impetus. You've got a really stubborn classmate who was determined to find and contact everyone. EVERYONE. That is the heart of the matter, plain and simple. Once you've been contacted, it's no one's fault if you've become reclusive over the years. Just like rogue nations, there are reasons that such things happen and a reunion committee invitation is not going to make a difference one way or another if you've been becoming isolated over a 25 year period. Based on my experiences with my own high school some of which I have related to you over the years, I know that a 35% participation rate is really high for as many years as we've been out of school. So I'm delighted if we get over a 125 or so classmates to come to every event. It's not always the same people just because of life. It's called life, and life happens!

Well, life continues to happen and the Reunion Committee is already plotting and scheming our next get together. With the success of the Friday night pork party, we're hearing talk of a 70th birthday party for the class. We may even serve birthday cake, but without candles. Burning down the Bishea building just wouldn't do, now would it? Planning it for around the Fall Festival again would be great, wouldn't it? Needless to say, we'll be meeting and sending out invites when the time comes.

Here's a picture of the room all decorated just before we left for a rest on the morning before the reunion. I was sitting here speculating about older classes who have far smaller attendance than we do simply because of the nature of age and mortality. I know we're a long way from that but it does remind one why it's important that we do this as often as we can.

So here I am sitting in front of my computer and Linda tells me that she had just heard that Max Harth passed away in Switz City. Max went to Cynthia Heights and was apparently one of those people who had been in poor health for many years and who I was destined never to meet. I immediately thought of the picture of the empty reunion room, but I also thought about all the new classmates I was able to meet this time, like Tim McMahon, and Terry Williams, and Angela Hempen and so many others. I haven't given up hope that I will continue to meet new classmates yet, next time, in two years and two years from now I know that I will still have the same lingering regret about not having had the time to speak with each of you. It's definitely not because I think so much of myself; rather it is because there is too little of me to go 'round. That certainly goes for everyone on the Reunion Committee with their responsibilities, but it applies to all the rest of us too. See ya in two years if not sooner.

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