Thank you Cherie L. for your message and your question. You are correct, there is a lot of work behind this. But it is a work that has been shouldered by many.
It began innocently enough with no strategy or agenda. About two years before our 40th Reunion just a few classmates began emailing each other. These simply shared high school memories and got caught up on individual histories. Typical questions regarding had someone heard from "so-n-so" led to serious efforts to locate "so-n-so" and invite them to email their memories and updates. Like your class, most everyone had lost track of most everyone else in our class.
As the emailing classmates grew in number, one classmate offered to become "email central". Everyone agreed to email to this classmate who in turn forwarded all emails to all classmates in the group. Private emails were sent directly to the classmates intended.
The "email central" classmate came to be likened to an "engineer" as newly found classmates were welcomed aboard what came to be called the "E-Train".
Though it was still a year-and-a-half away, our upcoming 40th Reunion added a greater purpose and urgency to the E-Train to make a concerted effort to locate and "connect" with as many of our 488 classmates as possible. Though we were searching and found many, there were very few who were searching and found us. It was like most classmates were sitting around waiting or hoping to be found! These few might have found our Reunion notices posted in all the right places, but most would have assumed no one really cared anymore and would have little motivation to look. Understanding the value in reaching out and connecting with another classmate inspired our search that would eventually lead us around the world!
The "E-Train" ride proved again and again that even after 40 years of hardly any contact at all old friends are true friends and new friends are a present opportunity. Sharing the past leads to sharing the present. Classmates discovered an extended family with tremendous heart, information and resources during times of personal need. Some have health issues, some have parents dying, some have children in the war, some have retired or been forced to retire and some are lonely and need to know someone remembers them and care about them.
In a quest to honor veterans during Reunion, we were amazed to learn 110, almost half of our male classmates, served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. An unanticipated number had been awarded Purple Hearts and two had made the ultimate sacrifice.
Our search efforts included contacting beloved and respected teachers and coaches. Several of them "climbed aboard the E-Train" and were special guests during our 40th Reunion.
During our search we learned with great sadness that 49 classmates, one out of ten of our graduating class, had passed on. It's sobering to remember that number will only continue to rise. The stark certainty of our mortality fuels efforts to "reconnect" with all our classmates.
It is tempting to deceive oneself with a view that our Glynn Academy Class of '67 is "special". That would be unjustifiable. I am convinced that our class is mirrored over and over again by thousands of high school graduating classes near our size from our era in history. Technology continues to make it easier to locate people and communicate with one another. Ours is not the first, nor the only class to accomplish "reconnection". Our efforts continue as the existence of this blog should demonstrate. We are still searching for classmates.
It only takes a handful of classmates willing to risk a little to reach out and locate other classmates. Maybe it has to start with you. If everyone locates one then eventually all will be found. Here's hoping you'll have 360 at your 45th Reunion, Cherie!
holcomb67
12 comments:
Wow! I just visited your class links. You guys really make me wish my high school class would do something like this. And you look like you are all having a whole lot of fun.
Very impressive!
I'm 1967 Class but from Charleston, SC. After looking at some links to your really awesome class site I want to know your secrets! I know this was a lot of work, but how did your class do all this? My HS class had over 600, we have lost track of most everyone, and though we posted notices in all the right places on the internet only 36 came to our 4-0 reunion. I'm really, really green with envy of your class (and that's a rival school color!).
I stumbled onto your site searching for my own high school Class of '67. I am dismayed my efforts yielded only a few classmates.com alums. There were almost 400 in our senior class. We thought our 40th reunion was well attended with 37 former classmates, most of them living locally. Many of us went to school together for 12 years. We thought we were close and would be friends for life. But time and events rushed by us and spread us far and wide. Now most of us are out of touch. I clicked on the links to your class site and my experience could best be described as an epiphany. Though the concept appears fairly simple, I know what your class has accomplished through the email "train" represents a lot of effort. You have inspired me to try to do reconnection with my own class. The people working on your website are phenoms. My dream is that my own class might create its own legacy such as yours.
Marilyn Rowland, CCHS '67
I read about how your class did this and still can't believe how you did this!
Jealous in Jackson
I get it! This blog is a gateway to your website. Clever!
I was looking for my own Glynn Academy Class of '80 when I linked to yours. Awesome! Yalls Class site has got to be one of the best on the 'net. Can't wait to tell my class about it!
Jennifer in Brunswick
When a train starts moving along, at first the wheels may spin a bit until it finds traction. Then as the fuel increases so does the speed. After a while, it's going so fast it would take running into a mountain to stop. Let's hope you don't run into any mountains, and let's hope you don't go so fast you pass missing classmates along the way without even noticing. That's sort of what we experienced in the Class of '67. Get as many classmates on board as you can and when the numbers grow you have more eyes and ears available for finding those who have not climbed aboard yet. It helps to have a classmate with the talent and creativity of Steve Holcomb, too.
Best of luck on your journey!
Billy Brewer
G A Class of '67
Email Operator/Engineer
I took the bait and visited your class website.
All I can say is "AMAZING!"
I've never seen a high school class website like it.
Hope to get our class web guru to check it out.
I was so touched by the "Remembrance" page I had to write and tell you. I especially loved the poem there.
The Class of '67 began way back in August 2005 with just a hand full of '67 classmates. Today, November 26, 2016, there are more than 735 on the active list of participants, and not only from the Glynn Academy Class of '67, but from some who graduated in the mid-'50s to mid-'70s. We have been sharing memories now for a long time and have posted most of them in a "book still under construction" we call the '60s Decade Memories Collection. We are presently working on Chapter 15 with each chapter having around thirty pages each. It has been a real trip doing this, and it is hoped that this might be a different kind of history book for those who might be privileged to read it.
Billy Brewer
Glynn Academy Class of '67
I am actually a member of GA Class of 87, but I saw on your blog that someone was wondering if there was any memorabilia from the Glynn Paton School. I have a dozen vintage ceramic crab shell baking dishes. 4 are orange,and 8 are yellow. They are all signed Glynn Paton or Glynn Paton School on the bottom. They were my Mother's, and I am currently going through things, and downsizing. I'm not sure who it was, but if they are interested in them, they can contact me at gypsywind68@aol.com, or gypsywind68@gmail.com. My name is Elizabeth.😊
Update from the Glynn Academy Class of '67 "Email Operator: Steve Holcomb '67 called yesterday afternoon to find out if I had taken the "E-Train Controls" over again. Let's first go back a few months (maybe a year) to a time when frustration settled in due to ever increasing constraints on sending email messages to large groups (even 300 or less). Example: in order to send out one message I had to send it out to three groups with 70 to 80 in each group. Most times I was able to send it out to two of those groups, but the third group had to wait for my email system (Spectrum.net) to release me. This is true for all email systems now, unfortunately. Email Operators are "guilty" of SPAM without a fair trial with a jury of our peers (Classmates). Such is Life! As our much love History teacher, Mr. Harold E Jennings used to say: "All's fair in love, war, and American History." I share that with you now to encourage you not to let technology get you down, frustrated, and ready to quit. Keep on keeping on! You'll be blessed!
Billy Brewer '67
Billy, I appreciate your continued dedication to the Class of '67 especially considering the frustrating email volume limits providers set in their efforts to reduce spam. I welcome the revived E-train even in this time of texting and social media when email seems "old school".
We have long debated the pros and cons of E-train versus FaceBook. The Class of '67 has had a FB site for years and it has become another way to communicate with classmates. But having had my FB account "hacked" twice, exposing my family, friends and classmates to dishonest schemes to send the hacker(s) money, I do not trust or recommend FaceBook. I am even less a fan now that FB has introduced a monthly fee for verified users. So whatever frustrating challenges you face, Billy, by helping classmates stay connected and informed you might be for some administering the antidote to isolation and depression ... and life! Do not underestimate and respect the impact you have on others. Thank you for all you continue to do for the Class of '67. Blessings to you and your loved ones. Steve Holcomb '67
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