Dear Schutzites:
It has been too long since I’ve written to everyone. For those who don’t know, in July I returned from a year-long electrification project assignment in Uganda and am now catching up on various things I’ve neglected while I was AWOL.
Here’s what’s new and cookin’ with your alumni association:
• It was decided at the 2018 Grand Reunion in Portland to move to holding our reunions every other year. Did anyone miss it this year?? I certainly did, but your Board decided that we might get better attendance by making this change, and the membership attending Portland agreed. So, it’s time to get a-planning for the 2020 reunion. We will be trying a new format next year – a week-long vacation at the beach in Emerald Isle, N.C. that we’re scheduling for May 10-17 to avoid the summer crowds, avail of off-season rates…and avoid hurricanes! I have a beach house there, and we will be renting a number of other beach properties within the walking vicinity. Emerald Isle is a lovely get-away barrier island with easy access to both the beach and the Bogue Sound, convenient airport access and not too long a drive from anywhere on the eastern seaboard. We’ll have the usual 3-day formal reunion schedule for Thursday-Saturday, and people can arrive anytime starting on Sunday. There is everything you could want – the usual beach activities, plus charming historic towns nearby, an excellent aquarium, golf, fishing, restaurants and shopping – you name it. We’ll be sending out a survey to help us with the planning details but in case you’re wondering, the cost including housing and reunion group meals and activities should be around $450/per person. We see it as a great way for a relaxing time together.
• Since we had no reunion this year, please join the next SASAF Board meeting conference call on Sunday, September 29 for a brief Annual Membership Meeting as required in our by-laws. I’ll send out the call-in coordinates and meeting agenda to everyone prior to the date.
• As some of you know, the new “WikiSchutz” website (www.schutzhistory.org) is now up and running, giving everyone the opportunity to know more about Schutz history and to contribute your enhancements. We have gotten very positive feedback, so take a look at the site and join in! Many thanks to Charlotte Gelzer-Weaver and Alice Meloy for the work they are doing to give us all the history.
• With Schutz School, we are continuing our support of the Meloy Scholarship, and it’s not too early to be planning our participation at the Schutz School 100th anniversary commemoration in 2024. You may be interested to know that the School is experimenting with a resident alumni program and if this takes root, some in our community may want to participate. You will be hearing more about this.
• We had a wonderful response to the Board’s fund-raising challenge last year! Twenty-three people responded, more than matching the $2,000 grant offer. We all need to share in covering the costs of what we are doing for our community and hope that more people are willing to help with future fundraisers. Our heartfelt thanks to all those who helped make this a success in 2018:
Deb Martin
Bill and Carolyn Pollock
Jean Stultz
Susan Lorimer
Tom Bower
Mary Beth Neely
Larene Boyd
Susan Knight
Ron and Janie Walters
Ann Meloy
Ruth Galloway
Paul Clark
Ruth Decker
Charles Watkins
Caroline Kurtz
John and Gwen Haspels
Ed Nicholas
Jane Hall
Marilyn Watkins
Sandra Jamison
Amanda Johnson
Ed Pollock
Steve Jamison
That’s it for now. I hope we’ll be seeing you on the shores of sunny Emerald Isle next Spring!
Paul Clark
President