Our 25 year reunion ended two months ago and I still hear feedback from those who attended and even those who were unable to make it. Some people from our class bought early tickets, only to discover joining us would be impossible. Some classmates knew all along that a summer reunion would not work well- I ran into one classmate who assumed our reunion would be Thanksgiving- just like the ten and twenty year reunions. The committee has tried to split the reunions so that everyone has a chance to attend at least one of these gatherings. Late fall works for some- late summer for others. I happen to prefer late summer- a little more color and a tad less weight- This is probably why nobody puts on spring reunions. Most of the feedback is from people who wished they could have attended or were unhappy that we didn't get the word out. Needless to say that disappoints me. We work as volunteers and ask for all the help we can get- Besides the obvious folks who helped put on this reunion- Sue Osinski, Randy Knight, Robin Provencher, Irene Vlahakis- there were others who joined in like Wanda Johnson and Dave Mason. Many of you bought early tickets which helped and even called a few of your friends to encourge their attendance. The biggest problem we have in getting "the word out" is that our Unable to Locate List is huge. We rely on classmates to help us find other classmates. We have used newspapers, the Bentley Alumni site, on-line services and local get-togethers as a way to find people. Folks seem to move today more than they ever have in my lifetime- and rarely, in the middle of their move do they say- "Holy crap, I have to call the reunion committee and tell them I'm moving!" We still need your help! The people who did not hear about our 25 year reunion until after the fact- sometimes feel as though they were not invited- Please know this- THE MORE TICKETS WE SELL THE BETTER- plain and simple. We open our reunions up to anyone who wishes to buy a ticket!!! I also know that many who do not go to reunions have no interest in seeing people from high school- We understand this- which is why we emphasize so much on grade school friendships. The reunions aren't about who went to high school with you- it's about who grew up with you. For those of you who visit our websites- please continue to do so- and encourage others to do the same. Please attend our All-Bentley Pre-Thanksgiving Gathering in Livonia later this month. Look for details to be posted on our New Class site: www.bentleyclassof1979.com
I realize not everyone from Bentley shares this bizarre desire to get alumni together in reunions and gatherings and that's ok. At least you know if the urge does strike to see some old friends someday, then this committee has already laid the groundwork. Thanks - John F. King
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