in this special issue

Departments

FRONT WORDS – 4

ALUM & I – 6

We’re Seniors, not Old Folks! by Wynne Crombie

Review: The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland

Rotogravure: Spring Branch High School, Spring Branch, Texas

Top 10 reasons to attend your high school reunion! by Cyndi Clamp

BRANCH OFFICE – 9

No Stone Unturned by Nadean Stone

DNA Quest united adoptees with birth families

Great graveyard get-togethers by Robbie Gorr

Being a part of something important – to you and others by Rick Voight

SCRAPBOOK – 14

Reunion School

Hospitality Answerman by Dean Miller Wheel of Fortune!

Is a National Park in your reunion future? Freebies!

Calling all reunion scribes!

REUNION B * U * D * G * E * T

Reunion planning on Social Media

MASTERPLAN – 24

Passing the torch by Lisa A. Alzo, MFA

Burns Family Reunion and Burns Cousins Weekend Retreat by Almeda McLarin, MBA

Massey Family holiday affair by Cassandra Duncan

Jones Moses Family Reunion by Shurondia Jones

Reunion scavenger hunts

MILITARY REUNION NEWS – 31

Amphibious Ships Reunion and yearbook and Production Notes by Skip Sander

Learn about your ancestors’ military service

Ideas to consider for a reunion destination with Dean Miller Presidential Memorial Certificates

Overseas military cemeteries

PRESERVING MEMORIES – 34

Marching Forward with Your Family Reunion Photo Scanning Project By Lisa A. Alzo, MFA VIVID-PIX® Brochure

REUNION RESOURCES – 50

A directory of reunion-friendly places, services, vendors and products.

Reunion Celebrations v March 2023

Volume 32 v Number 1

PUBLISHER

Rick Voight

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Edith Wagner editor@reunionsmag.com

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Mary Catherine Stern

ART DIRECTOR

Jennifer Rueth

SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER

Roberta McLoud roberta@reunionsmag.com

WEB WIZARDS

Mickel Arce • Howard Ehrenberg • Chris Thompson

HOSPITALITY ANSWERMAN

Dean Miller

CONTRIBUTORS

Lisa A. Alzo, MFA • Cyndi Clamp

Wynne Crombie • Cassandra Duncan

Robbie Gorr • Shurondia Jones

Almeda McLarin, MBA • Jessie Muse

Skip Sander • Nadean Stone

Reunions magazine, Inc. (ISSN #1046-5s235), is published 4 times per year. Email correspondence, queries, requests, submissions to editor@reunionsmag.com or send to Reunions magazine, PO Box 11727, Milwaukee WI 53211-0727.

Written permission from the publisher is required for reproduction of any part of this book except pages which encourage sharing. Please explain your intended use when requesting permission to reprint and guarantee tear sheets of reviews and reprints.

Reunions magazine, Inc., is not liable for information presented as facts in any of our advertising, byline stories or materials. We reserve the right to edit and/or refuse any material submitted for publication. We take responsibility for submitted materials but unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE), submissions and photos will not be returned. All materials sent for publication become property of Reunions magazine, Inc. Advertising information contact Reunions magazine, Inc., PO Box 11727, Milwaukee WI 53211-0727 | 414-467-8104 roberta@reunionsmag.com | www.reunionsmag.com

© 2023 Reunions magazine, Inc.

After a long hard winter, can spring be far behind? I truly look forward to a break from snow and subzero temperatures and a few of those joyous daffodils and tulips that will soon appear. I have hope!

I also have renewed hope for reunions which have taken a hit for the past three years. Fortunately, we were already a virtual publication in spring 2020 because since then, given the hit the hospitality industry/our advertisers/our bread and butter took, we’ve been operating on prayers! And as sorry as I am that we are no longer printing Reunions magazine, we are producing the issues so the information is still available in an accessible form. Now it’s a do-it-yourself printable. When you’re on any page of the magazine, there is an arrow at the upper left corner of the page. Click on the arrow and you can download and print your own pages! You can print the entire issue or just the pages you want to save. If you don’t have a color printer, a nearby quick print shop surely will!

While we’ve managed to fill issues from the beginning of the pandemic three years ago, this issue is the first time that our lack of submissions/contributions has affected the amount of content. We’ve heard from a number of planners who say they’re eager to see their reunions featured, but we know pulling it all together is not always easy. Understand that whatever you have to offer about your reunion, we will work with what you send. We trust you’ll accurately include all the details you have and will spell all the names of people and places correctly. You should know that we polish everything we use and rarely use anything without asking questions to improve clarity. See suggestions on page 18.

We believe reunions are coming back stronger this year, if for no other reason than the number of upcoming reunions that are being reported. We urge you to add yours. Of course, we look forward to the addition of future reunions as soon as you have set a date.

In this issue

There are definitely many reports you’ll want to read. Starting with a 60th class reunion and all the way through to an amazing military reunion yearbook. Along the way we suggest two books, one a delightful novel about a class reunion and a reunion with a birthmother aided by DNA. By no means macabre, is a description of many activities a family reunion might want to consider for visiting a cemetery. Hospitality Answerman, Dean Miller, reliably offers many suggestions for helping you save money to make your reunion affordable. Do not overlook Reunion School, a list of upcoming reunion planning workshops you’ll want to consider to aid in your planning. We know reunion planners love nothing better than freebies so we’ve included suggestions to help. Okay, so nobody likes budgeting, but it’s a reunion essential, so we’ve included a discussion of that as well. Family reunions include suggestions for passing the planning torch to the next generation as well as a joyful cousins’ retreat.

If you’re inspired to include your story, we’ve already talked about that and encourage you to do so soon!

Happy spring and final reunion preparations for 2023! EW