By now, many of you will have seen the newspaper article that appeared in the Chatham Daily News this week that features Sue (Walczak) Cummings and me discussing the upcoming reunion. For those who have not had a chance to see it, click here!
In it, we talk about the difference between staying in touch through social media and actually having a chance to come together and sit, face to face and reconnect on a level that is much more gratifying than text banter.
Our upcoming reunion is the culmination of a ton of work on the part of your reunion committee, and since this is the last reunion I will be organizing, I am really looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at this, our 40th (ish) class reunion.
We are a month, and a bit, away from our event and now is the time to step up and secure your tickets for this great weekend of fun, music and re-connection!
So far, class of ’76 is outshining the other two classes, but I am confident that once you guys from ’77 and ’78 step out of the bushes, and make your commitment, we will have a great turnout from all three years.
Inasmuch as I want our class to outshine all others, the important thing is that we are all able to get together and share memories and re-forge the connections that we had when we were kids.
As pointed out in the Chatham Daily News article, since our first class of ’76 30th Anniversary Reunion 10 years ago, many of us have formed or reformed bonds that have now made us a tighter group of friends than ever before. Many of us who knew of each other “back in the day” are now getting together as close friends regularly; and the things we had in common back then are carrying us forward in a very special way that none of our acquaintances since our youth have been able to achieve.
Many Tecumseh Braves have gone on to marry their high school sweethearts, and it’s very interesting to see how many people still hang out together, but what is really cool about the reunions is finding out how many people are close friends with their classmates again or for the first time as the result of attending one of our reunions.
My wife and I have travelled the world with our friends from Tecumseh and would not trade many of our experiences together for anything. Last year, my wife and I shared our 35th anniversary party with Jim and Sue Cummings, who were also celebrating their 35th anniversary; combining our efforts to produce one big blowout of a party that included many of our high school classmates. It was an experience of a lifetime!!
I have heard other people express their envy of the tightness of our group, but we did nothing special except make the effort and take the time to come to a reunion and engage. The rest took care of itself!
At our first reunion, the big fear was, “How will my life’s achievements compare to those I am about to reconnect with” or “I am not the slim, athletic self that I once was” or other such things. After getting together at the reunion, we all found that it was not those things that mattered a damn, but rather the re-connection, and the affirmation of the bonds that held us together as kids: reminiscing about Latin Class, T-Dances, Assemblies, Red Feather and all the other great things we did together.
Tecumseh was a relatively small school, and this afforded us the opportunity to know nearly everyone in the school during our times there, and this is why these multi-year reunions work. We played basketball together, cheered on our Reach For The Top team, danced, and shared lunch in the cafeteria.
Come back, and help us all to have a great and successful reunion!
BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY!
Scott Primeau, Class of ’78
Paul Donovan
If only I could confirm I will be there then I’d be right there along side you helping with the event. But alas I can’t confirm I will get there. Keep up the good work.