'62 Roughers 40th Reunion--Newsletter Vol 4.

Vol. 4
August 2002

This is the fourth in a planned series of newsletters about our 40th reunion. To read past newsletters, click here. If, for some reason, you're unable to access the link, send and request a text-only copy. 

If you received this newsletter via US mail, it means that we don't have your email address. The stamp and envelope together with the toil of countless employees at 62 Roughers Plaza--all these are being wasted because you haven't visited the Roughers62 web site and added your name to the roster. Click here to do so now. 

Suggestion Box on Rougher's Web Site
We've received a few emails and letters expressing dissatisfaction with how the scheduled events have been conducted at previous reunions. For example, some feel that the questions asked at the last banquet were a little too personal in nature, and that asking people to reveal their "greatest achievements," adds a competitive tone to the occasion. We want everyone to feel comfortable, so we really need to hear from you on this issue--now! 

To sample such sentiment, I've set up a Suggestion Box on the web site to allow you to sound off about what you liked and didn't like about past reunions, and to make suggestions for improvements. All submissions are anonymous, so feel free speak your mind--just try to be constructive. 

You can access the Suggestion Box either through the main menu on the web site, or by clicking here. If you don't have access to the Internet, ask a friend to do it, or just write us a letter.

Special Room Rate at Best Western 
Based upon local feedback, it appears that Best Western is the nicest place to stay (but not necessarily the least expensive). It's new (opened last March), and seems built to high standards. Its location near N. 32nd and the Shawnee Bypass makes it close to the Muskogee Country Club where the scheduled festivities occur. When I made my reservation there, I spoke to the manager. Using my most unctuous manner, I persuaded her to give us the following discount rates:

Reservations must be made before Sept 10th. You must use the following toll-free number: 866-239-2002.  This  takes you to the Muskogee hotel, not corporate reservations. Mention that you want the Class of '62 rate; if there are any problems, ask for Marilyn Kates. (All this information is also posted on the web site, under "Where to Stay in Muskogee.")

To test whether Best Western could and would efficiently execute on this deal, I needed someone of dubious character to check them out. Ralph (Michael) Wright eagerly volunteered. Here's what he wrote: 

The folks at this West Bestern are really pleasant to deal with-- took care
of me right away, exactly what I wanted, confirmation #, etc.

She DID say that she was SURPRISED to have interest in the Class of
'62 rates so quickly, since they were just worked out ... I reminded
her of the existence of EMAIL. She laughed.

Weird, but it sounds like they actually WANT our business!

Attendance Update
We now have email addresses for about 140 classmates--more than one quarter of the class. Our goal of  three-quarters of the entire class of 442 now seems wildly optimistic, considering the number of deceased, the unaccounted for, and the number of people we're contacting by phone who don't have email addresses. At this writing, ninety-two classmates have registered or expressed the intention of doing so. If three-quarters of these bring their spouses or SO's, we'll have 160 folks at the shindig. Personally, I think it's a slam dunk.

Tick-tock, Tick-tock: Register Now
By now the majority of you should know whether you're free to come on Sept 27th and 28th. If you've been shamelessly procrastinating, click here now to register.

For those of you who still can't commit, it's far better for us to overestimate attendance than to underestimate it. If you believe there's a better than 50-50 chance that you'll be able to attend, we would 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 indicate your current level of certainty ( 75%, etc.). Then click the "I'll mail a check later" button. In late summer (probably mid-August), we'll notify everyone by newsletter of the drop-dead dates for payment--and you can notify us of your final decision then. Right now, it appears that the deadline for registration is going to be the first week in September. 

Spur of the Moment   Although we would like all the reservations to be in ahead of time so that there's time to buy food and drink for everyone, don't let lack of registration prevent you from coming on the spur of the moment. That's what I did for the 30th, and I just paid at the door, and voila, rubber chicken and beer magically materialized. Hell, even if you can't find two dimes to rub together, come anyway--we'll find a way.

By the way: all you folks who have already registered via the web promising to "Mail Check Later," don't forget. (We know who you are and we know where you live.)

Saturday Activities
At present, the only daytime activity scheduled on Saturday is golf; golfers go off in foursomes, starting at 8:30. If you want to get in on this, send email immediately to reserve your spot. The first tee time is 8:30, and the cost is $30 per person, including cart.

Remember, we have the facilities of the Muskogee Country Club all to ourselves for the weekend, both for the evening shin-digs and during the day for informal activities, so feel free to rendezvous with friends there, or just hang out. The bar will be open, too.

Sunday Activities
In the last Newsletter, I asked for a volunteer to organize a "Sunday Extension for Late Arrivals" for the benefit of classmates won't be able to attend the Friday portion of the reunion. Sally Cousins Elliot has gracious answered the call. For those who didn't receive her email invitation, here it is:

Note that while the motivation for this activity was for the benefit of late-arrivers, everyone is welcome. Sally stresses the informality of this get-together--ladies, please, no obsessing over fancy eats and drinks. Me? Since it's called a "pot" luck, don't be surprised if I bring some....never mind.

Yearbook Photos on the Roughers Web Site
Lost your yearbook? Forgot what everyone looked like? Forgot what you looked like? Well the yearbook photos for the entire Senior Class of 1962, are now on the Roughers web site. All four hundred and forty-two (442) of them.  Click here to have a look. Since the last newsletter, I've tried to brighten up some of the more dreary pictures. If you think yours needs this treatment, let me know.

I retained my original, high-resolution scans of the yearbook. If you'd like to have copies on a CD, contact .

I've still had a poor response to my call for current photos. I've probably received only a dozen or so.  I have to say that I'm seriously disappointed. Starting next week, I'm going to start attaching photos of my choosing to names. Just imagine the FBI's surprise when they discover that Mohammed Atta, Ken Lay, and Martha Stewart are coming to our reunion.

Thanks, Volunteers 
Thanks to all who have worked so hard at tracking down classmates: Ann Sloan Brown, Susan Clark, Carolyn Ridenour Covey, Roland Harris,  Steanson Parks, Alice Huitt Preston. We owe a special thanks to Ms. Michael Huff (Class of '61), whose tips about where to find folks are so uncanny that I've come to refer to her as "007." 

But we still need more help. To keep the ball rolling, I need you to volunteer to phone five (5) people in your area and obtain their email addresses and to confirm their postal addresses. 

Here's how it works: 

• I'll send you the names of the "missing" classmate in ZIP or area codes near yours. 
• You choose five (or more, if you wish).
• I'll then provide you with the current contact information we have, which usually includes telephone numbers. Expect to look up a few names in the local phone book.
• You phone the person, get their email address and verify their postal address.
• Afterward, you visit the Rougher's web site and enter the contact information into the Roster Form.

Typically, out of five names, the existing postal addresses (and sometimes phone numbers) is accurate for three, one will have disappeared without a trace, and one will not have email.

By the way, if you know someone outside your area whom you wish to contact, please let me know. Since only a few classmates live in California, I spend most of my time chasing down a few of the people I was close to in high school and college. I've had great success.  

Reunion Anxieties redux

WOW! Did this topic ever hit a nerve!  Within a few days of emailing the last newsletter, I receive a rush of emails on the topic, as well as some who registered because they saw themselves in the classmate's opening letter. Because of this, I'm repeating it here. FREE HUGS FOR EVERYONE!

As I correspond with classmates, a recurring theme arises: primal fears about coming to the reunion. Will anyone remember me? Will anyone care? Will I remember anyone? What if I can't recognize my classmates? We've changed a lot--what will we possibly have to talk about? In many cases, I been touched by the depth of these feelings. Here's a good example, used with the permission of the author:

So what is my story about the 30th reunion? 
Well, here's the long version...

In short, I can imagine few events that would keep me from the 40th. Sure, I plan to have as much fun as at the 30th. But there's a sober motivation, too. This will probably be the last successful decadal reunion, as our number is gradually reduced by the grim actuarials of life. Or, as Shakespeare wrote in a very different context:

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass comes.
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks
But bears it out even unto the edge of doom.  

Odds 'n Ends

• Alert! Wrong Dates Published  Apparently I mistyped the dates for the reunion on one page of the web site. My apologies for any confusion.  The correct dates are Friday and Saturday, Sept 27 and 28.
  
• Eddie Jeffries passed away recently. He was the best teacher I ever had--from grade school through college. I remember him walking around the classroom, ruler in hand.  At random times he would whack his ruler loudly on a desk. This was the signal for the entire class to shout in unison, F=MA! Many years later I borrowed his pedagogical technique when I taught electronics at a local college. When I slapped my ruler down, the class shouted, E=IR! Rest in Peace, Jeff.
  
• Bounced emails Email send to the people listed below have bounced. Would you please click to send an email so we can get your correct address.
  

  	Admire, Joe		Chenault, Lenora
  	Haught, Linda		Hamlin, Paul
  	Barthel, Janice		Nicholson, Jerry

• Deceased Classmates  The response to the listing of deceased classmates was very positive. If you have any contributions to this list, please send them along, and, of course, if there are any errors on the list, immediately.
  
• Classmates.com Sand-baggers  As I mentioned in previous newsletters, we've been try to shake people out of the Classmates.com web site. Of the 90 some-odd classmates registered there, 22 have still not responded. I give up.
  

Best,

Joe Campbell (for the Reunion Committee)
Berkeley, CA