REUNION COMMITTEE MEETINGS
♦ JANUARY 5, 2009
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY EARY ORPHEY AT JANUARY 5, 2009, 6:45 P.M. AT THE HOME OF SUE REDMOND. PRAYER BY SUE REDMOND
AGENDA: DATE(S) OF REUNION, PLACE, CATERERS
DATE(S) FOR REUNION: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2009.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2009 - ATTEND CHURCH SERVICES; AFTER CHURCH, LUNCH
(DUTCH)
GROUP DISCUSSED DIFFERENT CATERERS AND DECIDED TO CALL MR. JAMES COLEMAN WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE GROUP, GLC. MR. COLEMAN GAVE US A PRICE OF BETWEEN $8.00 AND $10.00 PER PERSON. WE DECIDED TO LOCK IN THIS CATERER AND THE PRICE. MENU TO BE DECIDED ON LATER.
NEXT ON THE AGENDA WAS A PLACE TO HAVE THE REUNION. SEVERAL PLACES WERE DISCUSSED. THEY WERE THE FOUNDATION, THE KNIGHTS HALL, THE BANQUET PLACE LOCATED IN AMPLE PLAZA, THE GATHERING, THE BANQUET ROOM AT CENTRAL SCHOOL AND THE YMCA.
THE GATHERING WAS RULED OUT (TOO SMALL). THE KNIGHT’S HALL WAS ALSO RULED OUT (TOO LARGE).
MEMBERS WERE ASSIGNED TO INQUIRE FROM THE OWNERS, PRICES AND AVAILABILITY OF THE FOLLOWING PLACES:
- SANDRA MORRIS – THE FOUNDATION
- BETTY ROSS – CENTRAL SCHOOL’S BANQUET ROOM
- GENEVA – AMPLE PLAZA’S RECEPTION HALL.
MEMBERS WERE ASKED TO OBTAIN ALL INFORMATION AND PRESENT FINDINGS AT THE NEXT MEETING ON JANUARY 12, 2009 AT 6:30 p.m. LOCATION: HOME OF EARY ORPHEY
OTHER MATTERS DISCUSSED WERE FEES FOR THE REUNION, A D.J. AND SOUVENIERS. THIS WAS TABLED PENDING INFORMATION RECEIVED ON PLACES AND THE TENATIVE NUMBER OF CLASSMATES PLANNING TO ATTEND.
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 8:40 PM.
♦ MAY 13, 2008 (For copy of complete minutes, contact Gloria Sterling-McGill).
I. Meeting called to order by Eary Mae via teleconference at 5:59pm.
II. Minutes were approved as written.
III. Action Item Updates: (See proposed Reunion Date changes under New Business)
- Reunion Site - Three sites were considered. Betty reserved the Arts & Humanities Center (old Central School) site at 809 Kirby St. since the cost and parking best meets our needs. The cost is $130 for the day and the seating capacity is 130-150 people. The Foreman-Reynaud YMCA had a person/hour cost. Gervis Guidry’s studio costs $300 and parking capacity is 50.
- Class Website - Shirley implemented class website. The site provides full reunion tracking, alerts, polling, planning, and notification. Names and available contact information was loaded for all known classmates. In the future all classmates will update their information at the website, eliminating the need to manually track data via spreadsheets.
- Compiled class database - Shirley received class lists from Betty, Eary Mae and Gloria, consolidated them and distributed to the committee that will be researching contact/location data. Instructions for updates were included.
- Reunion Publicity/Advertisement – Betty placed an ad in the Lake Charles American Press this past Sunday, May 11, 2008 calling on all class of ’68 graduates or relatives to respond.
- Classmate Search/Contact Information Updates – Those volunteering to search for classmates on whom we do not have contact/address info is making progress slowly. Those are being forwarded to Shirley.
V. New Business
Item #1 – Motion to accept the recommendations for reunion committee structure was approved by those present.
· Chair – Eary Mae Goins- Orphey · Co-chair - Betty Green-Ross
· Recording Secretary – Gloria Sterling-McGill · Corresponding Secretary - Shirley Parish
· Treasurer/Co-Treasurer -- Geneva Wilson/Teresita Beverly-Strauss
Item #4 - Budget/Cost per person (Not discussed)
Item #6*** – Reunion Date Change – Concern was raised by several alumni that the proposed reunion date would conflict with Bayou Classic. Also an “all-school/all-class” reunion is being planned for December 26-28, 2008. It might be too much to ask alumni to do both. James Coleman is chairing and can be reached at (337) 855-6622. A website http://groups.msn.com/whsindians-alumni has been set up.
Action: Committee agreed that it was best to not proceed with a reunion this year but to plan for a date in ’09. All agreed to try to get input about four (4) different weekend dates: Mother’s Day (May 9, 2009), Father’s Day (June 20, 2009), Fourth of July (July 4, 2009), Labor Day (Sept. 5, 2009). Shirley will include dates on website so that classmates can register their preference. Betty will cancel the reservation at the Arts and Humanities Center for this year.
VII . Adjournment - Meeting adjourned by Eary Mae at 7:02pm. No future meeting date set.
♦ MAY 05, 2008 (For copy of complete minutes, contact Gloria Sterling-McGill).
OPENING: Reunion committee held its first meeting on Monday May 5, 2008 at 8:45pm via teleconference.
DISCUSSION: Future Teleconferences – Use conference link 218-936-7999 (access code 131167#).
Although link is advertised as “free” each participant must still pay for long distance charges to “218” number at $.07 a minute.
- Reunion Date - Proposed date for upcoming one-day reunion (pot luck) event is Friday November 28, 2008 from 5pm until closing of facility.
- Reunion Site - Three site options for the event were discussed: (1) Central School; (2) Foreman-Reynaud YMCA - 215 Albert St. and (3) the home of Gervis Guidry (the previous site of the Rockin’ Sidney Studios). Need to get estimates of cost for each site as well as seating and parking capacity.
Action: Winifred will contact Gervis; Betty and Eary Mae will gather info about YMCA and Central School site.
- Reunion Estimated Attendance – Committee estimates that turnout at last reunion was a little less than 100, including at least 47 classmates and their guests. Based on review of yearbook and previous class lists the class of ’68 seems to fluctuate between 160-181. Lists may contain students who completed senior year at different schools.
- Compiled class database - Eary Mae, Shirley, Geneva and Betty have accumulated various data needed to
compile a complete class list.
Action: Eary Mae, Betty and Geneva will forward all class lists they currently have to Shirley including any updated info. Shirley has offered to merge all lists into a single database and to be the central administrator of the class.
- Reunion Publicity/Advertisement – Recommendation that we do outreach for ’68 classmates via local
community papers, Lake Charles American Press and local Gospel station. Suggested that multiple contacts be listed: Eary Mae, and Betty for Lake Charles and Shirley or Gloria for Texas.
Action: Betty offered to be responsible for getting “free” community service annoucements placed in Lake Charles. Shirley will work with Houston committee members to get similar announcements placed.
- Classmate Search/Contact Information Updates – In addition to outreach via the media, recommendation was made that once class database Is compiled that we divide the lists up and utilize website such as http://www.whitepages.com (identified as a resource by Shirley).
Action: As each committee member obtains update contact/address info for a person that info should be added “in red” to list and forwarded to Shirley. Difficult-to-find persons will be given to Gloria to investigate via a nationwide subscription site.
Update: Subsequent to the teleconference, Shirley received class lists from Betty, Eary Mae and Geneva,
consolidated them and distributed to the committee that will be researching contact/location data. She
included instructions for updating info. database. She will also ensure that the list is updated and distributed.
