The year was 1967, Paul Smith was president of Whittier College, Ball women’s residence hall had recently opened, construction on the new science building was underway, Professor Harry Nerhood was chairman of the history department, and a very spirited class of students was getting ready to graduate.
“Whittier College was the beginning of our time of independence; of searching for what we wanted to do in life, and finding friendships that many of us have had for the last 50 years,” said Ann (Hansen) Burge ’67. “We were fortunate to be with outstanding professors who really cared about who we were and what we wanted to be.”
It is this cherished connection to Whittier that inspired Burge to bring together her former classmates to organize a truly successful reunion. Under her leadership, more than 80 members of the class of 1967 attended the various reunion events held on Whittier Weekend 2017. And, although 50 years had passed, the members of the class of 1967 had a blast reminiscing about the old days and catching up with each other.
But, as Burge will attest, a successful reunion does not happen overnight—in fact, it was four years in the making. First off, Burge met with the Office of Alumni Programs and Giving to coordinate efforts. She then recruited a superb co-chair, retired information services specialist John Hall ’67. It was a multi-faceted effort that involved everything from handwritten letters to over 400 alumni, recruitment of a talented 15-member reunion committee, posting several notices in The Rock, coordinating venues, and even allowing room for co-events to surface, such as the Copenhagen reunion. Along the way, Burge and Hall developed a certain expertise. Below are some of the tips they’d like to offer other class reunion committees.
1. DON’T PROCRASTINATE
“Start planning the event as soon as you possibly can. You have to realize it’s going to take time, resources, and it’s going to take a lot of enthusiastic and talented people to put it together,” advised Burge.
2. BE PATIENT AND USE TEAMWORK
At the beginning, Burge and Hall had a list of contacts, but not all were current. They began sending notes via snail mail and received numerous returned letters. This, along with bounced emails, helped them fine tune the list. Moreover, as Whittier Weekend approached, members of the reunion committee each took on different tasks—lending their talent and enthusiasm.
3. ORGANIZE MULTIPLE REUNION EVENTS DURING WHITTIER WEEKEND
Burge and Hall wanted to build excitement for the reunion during Whittier Weekend. So, in addition to the Golden Anniversary Brunch, Society brunches, and reunion dinner at the President’s House, they hosted events every day of Whittier Weekend including a poolside cocktail party at the DoubleTree Hotel, an informal dinner in Uptown Whittier, a photoshoot at the Rock, and the Copenhagen reunion gathering.
4. DON’T BE AFRAID TO GO THE EXTRA MILE
Special touches make the reunion memorable. “You know what John did? He did a memorial on each person who had passed away. We had a book on every table so we could read about what they had done with their lives instead of just looking at pictures,” said Burge. Committee member, Hedges Capers ’67, gathered photos from Facebook and his own collection and created a slideshow set to music from the ’60s.
5. SO WHY HAVE A REUNION?
“In order to make people think about the reunion, you have to reach out, rebuild friendships, and remind people how close we were for those four years in college. We had a shared experience and for me Whittier made it possible to have the life I have,” said Hall. “Some people told us, ’I wasn’t looking forward to coming, but I am really glad I came.’ That kind of feedback made it worthwhile.” Visit the website that Hall created to see photos and more updates from the Class of 1967: www.whittier67golden.myevent.com
6. HAVE A LASTING IMPACT
Raising more than $100,000, the Class of 1967 created an endowed scholarship that will serve as a permanent legacy by forever supporting deserving and talented Whittier students in its name. For more information on organizing a class reunion, reach out to the Office of Alumni Programs and Giving, alumni@whittier.edu or (562) 907-4222.