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Folks,
This is the second in a planned series of
newsletters about our 40th reunion. To read past newsletters, click here.
Because many email services limit the
size of emails, these newsletters are published as email links to the
Roughers62 web page. If, for some reason, you're unable to access the
link, send
and request a text-only copy.
The Reunion Committee ordinarily
contributes heavily to the newsletter, but this week they're vacationing
in the Cayman Islands, so I (way out here in California) will just have to
gut this one out alone.
Well, email--the secret weapon for the 40th
reunion--and the web have begun to work their magic. The last newsletter resulted in locating about 30 new
classmates, about half of whom registered to attend. In some cases, folks sent email directly to me to say hello,
and CC:'d a classmate, whose email address I quickly snagged. They, in
turn, knew a few addresses, etc., etc.
Classmates.com Sand-baggers
As I mentioned in the previous
newsletter, we're trying to shake people out of the infernal
Classmates.com web site. Since the purpose of the Classmates.com is to
enable contact among classmates, it's hard to understand why folks
would sign up for the service--then fail to respond to email. Go
figure. At any rate, I
recently sent out a final email inviting these folks to provide their
email address. We'll just assume that those who fail to respond have good
reasons. There is no way to send these newsletters (or even links to
them) reliably via Classmates.com, so if you know someone who's hiding out
there, please email them a link to this page.
Deceased Classmates
If you haven't visited the
Roughers62 web site,
it's time to do so. We've added a lot more email addresses and many more
folks have signed up to attend. In addition, we've taken a step that some
may consider controversial: we've added the names of deceased classmates.
I personally think this is fitting. Reading through the class roster
recalls an early phase of our lives that most of us remember with
affection. Those memories are, in great measure, defined by the people we
knew and the relationships we formed. By remembering the deceased, we
simultaneously acknowledge their lives and add a sobering but healthy
perspective to our own. If you have any contributions to this list,
please send them along, and, of course, if there are any errors on the
list, let me know immediately.
Saturday Activities
As I mentioned in the previous
newsletter, we still need suggestions about Saturday
daytime activities. The Roughers golf tournament seems to have struck a
cord, so we'll pursue that. So, talk to your significant other and let's hear some more
suggestions. The huge staff at 62 Roughers Plaza are ready and willing to do your bidding!
Register Sooner, Not Later
Now, for some planning issues. Many of you
may find it hard to commit to the reunion dates (Sept 27th and 28th). This
is understandable and OK. However, at this stage of planning, it's far
better for us to overestimate attendance than to underestimate it. If you believe
there's even a 50-50 chance that you'll be able to attend, we would
greatly appreciate your filling out the Registration form on the web.
Just note in the comments field that you're not certain whether you will
be able to attend; if possible try to indication of your current level of
certainty (50%, 75%, etc.). Then click the "I'll mail a check
later" button. In late summer (sometime August), we'll notify
everyone by newsletter of the drop-dead dates for payment--and you can
notify us of your final decision then.
Now, please don't use the paragraph above
as a reason to delay payment when you know perfectly well that you're coming.
There is, after all, a huge overhead to our operation. The spa at 62
Roughers Plaza needs regrouting, our feng shui consulting fees have gone
through the roof, and the corporate jet needs to be retrofitted with a modern bar. As an incentive, for each registration before July 15, we're
giving away two free rolls of Osama bin Laden designer toilet tissue.
Volunteer Sleuths
The search for illusive classmates
continues. Of the list published in the previous newsletter, only two
classmates were accounted for: Mike Hudson and Bob Roberts. I personally
blew my entire month's Metamusil budget on phone calls trying to track
down John Perry and Artie Washburn--with no luck. However, looking at the master roster reveals that about half the class
still lives in Oklahoma . Of that half, about two-thirds lives in Muskogee,
Tulsa, or Oklahoma City, so there's not excuse for not smoking them out. The Reunion Committee should be able to squeeze
the email addresses out of Muskogee locals (sounds painful, doesn't it?),
so how some about volunteers for other locales? (A tip of the hat to
Jim Robinson, who's going to contact classmates around Norman, and to Gary Heidelberg,
who has "special techniques" for tracking down the
habitually missing.)
So, if you'd like to help, email
Mary Ellis Wozniak Cookson the area you're willing to make phone calls in, and she'll give you
the contact info for those in your area who are unaccounted for.
Photos, Please
Now this is going to be scary, folks, so
take a deep breath. If you've got a digital camera (or know someone who
does), send me a photo for posting on the web site roster page (look for a
little camera icon). Being a natural leader-by-example, my photo is already
up there. To make you less self conscious about posting your photos, tonight I plan to
post nude pictures of Roland Harris and Pete Smith. Amazingly,
Vera Fyfe Aktansel actually volunteered her picture! For the faint
of heart: I have new photo-editing software that, in addition to a
function labeled Remove Red Eye, there's also one labeled Liposuction.
I'll be happy to retouch your photos in return for a small gratuity.
Odds 'n Ends
- I was recently contacted by a
journalist who wanted to know the significance of the name
"Roughers." I took a wild guess that it has the same
metaphorical significance as the term "Sooners." Does anyone
actually know? (I feel I lost believability when I told her that the name
of our girl's drill team was The Crack Squad.)
- Does anyone know
the last graduating class that spent all three years at Central
high? If so, .
- If some volunteer with a '62 yearbook and a
scanner will scan in the individual photo pages, I'll post them on the web. If
you've got a scanner, but no yearbook, .
Best,
Joe Campbell (for the Reunion Committee)
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