Classmates,
It has been over 2 weeks since our 35th class reunion and I have finally found the time to send an email. Again, I want to thank those who helped me host an incredible reunion. First, LuAnn David Lipke, without her help there actually would not have been a reunion. Since I live in Texas, LuAnn was my point person in Prairie. She let me swim when I needed to swim, but she also reeled me in when I was drowning. Anne Oehler Olson – so many of you received these emails because of her perseverance. She called and emailed almost everyone; there were only a handful of classmates that did not receive some sort of communication from me. Kayla Koenig Mezera, she sharpened her pencil and let me know how much we had to spend and the amount of money needed to keep the reunion a float. She also handled all the money, making numerous bank deposits. Nancy Floyd Cooper, along with LuAnn, she was the voice of reason. And lastly, all of you, with your assistance with the smaller tasks, updating your profiles, and coming to the reunion with open hearts and minds you made our reunion a success.
Someone at the reunion asked if chairing the reunion was thankless task. My answer would be a profound no. I took great pleasure in watching everyone enjoy themselves. I observed the expressions on many faces, knowing everyone had a wonderful time. I didn’t say that chairing a reunion wasn’t work; it was, but the end result was the true worth. I would tell anyone who would like to chair a future reunion, if you have the passion, you can do it. I shared my 2009-2010 stories with several of you at the reunion. During the last year I experienced a new marriage, moving to a new home and seriously ill parents. With the stress of the later, chairing the reunion gave me something to anticipate. I was never overwhelmed by the endeavor and I took pride in organizing, in my own words, the best reunion. But, I am partial.
Of course, every event can be improved. I did receive a few grumblings that the reunion was held in Iowa. For our 35th class reunion, I called every restaurant in Prairie looking for availability, ambiance, capacity and pricing. For our exclusive use, The Landing was the only site available. Please let me know what we could have done better and hopefully we can incorporate it into the next reunion.
Anne Oehler Olson and I have posted several pictures on our website. I arrived in Prairie on the Wednesday before the reunion and attended the Homecoming Parade and Football game, taking photos at both. Please go to the ‘Class of 75 Gallery’ on the left hand side of the website. You can also add your own pictures there too. I added a ‘35th Reunion Memory’ section to your profiles. If you would like to share a memory, please edit your profile to do so.
Kayla has informed me that we collected enough money at the reunion to keep the website up and running for the next 5 years. We also have enough money to help the next chairperson with deposits, postage, etc. for our 40th class reunion 2015.
Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to chair this reunion. I really enjoyed it.
Denise Svacina-Langley |
