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CLASS OF 1969 • 40th Reunion
May 28 - May 31, 2009

class officers

October 2008
Best greetings to the Incredible Class of ’69 --

As you read this, you should have by now received your “save the date” magnet for our 40th reunion, which will be May 29 - 31, 2009.  Hopefully you have it prominently displayed on your bulletin board or fridge (I hope you figured out easier than I did that it needed to be cut rather than peeled!), and have cast the dates in stone in your calendar, mind, and Blackberry.  Because I promise it will be like no other weekend you have ever spent.

I was fortunate enough to volunteer at this May’s reunion.  Our own Barbara Burton Micou was ending her second year as President of the Alumni Association, and Patti Boise Kemp, Linda Gattis Shull and I all attended and had an absolutely wonderful time.  We were able to catch up with the Class of 68er’s --who haven’t changed a bit-- as well as participate in the many exciting events of the weekend.  Cindy Snyder, Class of ’75, Director of Alumni Relations, is the coordinator for the weekend, which has changed dramatically even since our last reunion -- all for the better.  This new format will blow you away.

Here are just a few of the new and expanded highlights:

  • “Classes without Quizzes” (where was this when we needed it?!)  On Thursday and Friday, May 28 and 29, there are classes at the Mary Wash campus and the graduate campus in Stafford, given by Mary Washington professors and covering a wide variety of interesting and timely topics.  They are fun and informative. 
  • A dinner for just our class on Friday night.  Thanks to Cindy, we were able to reserve Brocks Riverside Grill in downtown F’burg overlooking the river.  We were able to beat the other classes to this prime location, but we had to guarantee at least 70--we told them no problem!  This will be an opportunity for us to have our own time for catching up with “old” friends, classmates we haven’t seen for a while, and a slide show and any other entertainment we might come up with, so start going through your memorabilia (are there any beanies or handbooks out there?) and pictures so we can stroll down memory lane.
  • Saturday has been expanded into a more relaxed format with time to mix with our class and other classes as well.  The class meeting has been replaced with a fabulous picnic under a huge tent between Virginia and Willard (did you know there was a fountain between the two dorms now?), a DJ to play all our requests and some good class rivalry for the Mary Washington Eagle.  Class pictures are that afternoon, and there is free time to explore the campus, go to the Bookstore, visit Fredericksburg, or go back to the hotel for a swim or visiting.  The Saturday night banquet is lovely and not the yawn we use to try to avoid --and it will be a chance for all of us to meet our new President, Judy Hample. 

There are so many reasons to attend.  I could go on and on about the planned activities, but so much of it is just “catching up.”  It is hard to believe it has been 40 years, but when you step back on campus, the years seem to melt away.  So much has changed in our lives and our world in 40 years and the Class of ’69 was, and is, always on the cutting edge of change.  We were one of the last “traditional” freshman classes and we were certainly one of the “new breed” of women paving a different road for all of us.  We have come a long way.  Our accomplishments are many and formidable, and we look great -- we really are the new 40!

This is supposed to be the first of two letters from me encouraging you to attend our reunion.  However, I hope we will begin and maintain a running dialog via emails, a Class of ’69 blog on the UMW website, phone calls, and even handwritten notes.  Pick up your phone today and call your roommate or suite-mate or good friend and make plans to join us.  I encourage you to come early--like Wednesday or early Thursday to take advantage of seeing the campuses, meeting faculty, and revisiting Fredericksburg.  Did you ever go to Kenmore while at school?  Did you ever tour Belmont?  Old sites like Carly’s, the Latch String, and the Coachmen are gone, but Carl’s and Allman’s are still there.  The K-Mart shopping center (where we all bought our cardboard dressers!) has been bought by the University to be converted to a housing and shopping complex for the school.

There is much more information to follow.  I will get you information for hotel reservations as soon as we finalize them -- we are trying to select one hotel that can serve us best and house us all.  We are having a blog set up for us on the Mary Washington Alumni website to keep our information and dialog going.  Go to the University of Mary Washington, click on Alumni, Class of ’69, and there we are.  Please help us find missing classmates, post any information or questions, and bring us up to date on you.  Jean Polk Hanky (jhanky@aol.com) is doing the class news for the UMW magazine, so get info to her as well.  I would love to hear from any or all of you to get this reunion off and running to be the best one we’ve ever had -- we can do it.   Hell, we can do anything……

My best to each and every one of you.  I extend an open invitation to come visit New Bern, NC anytime -- I have plenty of room.

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Christie Wineholt
252.349.8700
xie@suddenlink.net

 

 

More information will be posted as it becomes available. Keep checking back for more details!