Dear Headmaster Hill,
I can’t remember when I first began
thinking of my 50th Reunion at Williston. Maybe June 7, 1968. I
never expected this great event of 2018 to turn into such a big disappointment.
Williston is in my blood. I was one of those rare 8th grade
five-year students, one of two in the class of ‘68 to return as a faculty
member, and am in continual contact with classmates. I have always loved reuniting with classmates
in Easthampton in June. Why was the reunion changed to May?
I am not adverse to change; heck we
were the class of change in a decade of change. Girls were gradually merged
into Williston Academy during our senior year. In 1968, the world was changing
around us at a rapid rate with too many assassinations, a war, a divided nation,
and drugs. Williston had been our
constant in an ever-changing world, our sanctuary as we were changing, too.
Change is not the issue with the decision to have Alumni weekend held on a
weekend in May instead of June; it is the decision, that’s the problem.
Students will be on campus. It is Mother’s Day weekend. Other schools in the
area will be celebrating graduations. That’s not Alumni Weekend. I am very
disappointed in the decision. I don’t remember being asked about the change as
an alumnus about Alumni weekend. Were alumni involved in this decision about
changing the date?
In past reunions, we stayed in the
dorms, we wandered the dorms, revisited rooms we lived in for a year, roamed
the passages that began our journey in life. It was affordable housing, too.
Now we can’t do this in our 50th year. The campus is not ours on
Alumni weekend. Dorms will be off limits, as will other places to congregate or
stay. Where will we gather if not the common rooms, classrooms, nooks and
crannies of our old school on reunion weekend? Distant hotels? It’s called
Alumni weekend for a reason. It is for the alumni to gather on a shared ground
to reminisce and reunite; it is a reunion, a retreat.
Finally, what has the turnout been like
for reunions since this decision was made? I’m curious if the numbers of
returning alumni in May is lower than prior reunions that were held in June? I
would suspect so and attribute the low turnout to this poor decision of moving
our reunions from the tranquil quiet weekend in June to the hectic chaotic
weekend in May. I won’t be there. I
won’t be contributing to the Alumni Fund. After all, this isn’t personal; it’s
business. I hope the school reverses it’s ill-advised decision and reschedules
reunions to June so I can return to my beloved Williston on Alumni weekend. I
look forward to that.
Sincerely,
Theodore D Nellen ’68 F ‘79
PS
I will be posting this letter on my
Blog. Classmates, this missive and/or blog address may be shared with other
Willies and others in the W-N community as appropriate via email or
Facebook. I don’t have Facebook.
Ted
Dear Mr.
Nellen,
Thanks for
taking the time to write. As a school that invests a lot of time and resources
in Reunion Weekend, we have wrestled with all of the concerns you raise, and
have heard from other alumni who prefer the June schedule.
There were a
number of reasons for this temporary change, and we were inspired by the
success and experience many of our peer schools have had with Alumni Reunion
Weekends held during the school year. We decided to move to the May schedule
for one five-year Reunion cycle (between 2016 and 2020) and reassess based on
feedback from alumni participants.
In fact, with
Williston having now organized two of these May reunions, one important agenda
items for a new alumni volunteer group convening in early fall is to offer
input and advice on this very matter. Any future changes to the schedule will
be made far enough in advance to allow organizers and volunteers to adequately
plan for any change.
I would
encourage you to reconsider, give this a chance, and attend your 50th
Reunion next May if your schedule permits. I know that fellow members of the
class of 1968 have already been hard at work to make it a special and enjoyable
weekend for all of your classmates. Based on the experience of many attendees
this past May, I would be surprised if the schedule change diminishes the
weekend.
Thanks again
for writing, and I hope to welcome you back to campus next May.
Sincerely,
Bob
Bob,
Thanks for the
detailed response with some explanation to the reason for the change of reunion
Weekend from June to May. I can only hear my mother's response when I told her
I wanted to do something because my friends were doing it. You know the
response, too, I'm sure. I hope the decision to return Alumni weekend to June
so I can look forward to my 60th on campus in June. In the meantime I will
continue visiting with my classmates as I travel the country.
I'm still concerned
for the younger alumni who have to figure how to pay for the cost of rooms in
the area so they could attend Reunions. The Class of '68 is lucky to have a Jim
Cain provide for accommodations in a nearby hotel. Not every class has this
benefactor.
Sincerely,
Ted
Dear Ted,
Thanks for
this note and I do hope you make it back. Jim Cain is indeed a great supporter.
Losing his brother, Dan, last spring was an enormous blow to their family
and to Williston as well, since he was a former Trustee and a personal
supporter of mine.
The younger
crowd, as you point out, took a bit of a hit on the rooming issue for reunion,
but with Air BnB etc,, those who wish to return have seemed to manage. More
important for me has been the involvement of our students in Reunion and the
exchanges they have with returning alumni.
This next
statement does not apply to Williston Academy graduates who seem to all share
in a heightened appreciation of their alma mater. What I discovered from
speaking to graduates from roughly 1980-2000 is that many of them hold a dated
view of Williston as it is today, one based on how they recall
their experience. I want alumni from those years, especially, to see
for themselves the students we have in action, the teachers who are consummate
pros and the school as it is today. I want them to have Williston on the
short list for their own children, should they be looking at boarding schools,
rather than hear about such and such an alumna having sent her child to
Loomis or Westminster or where ever, without even considering Williston.
Last year, the alumni who spoke to me really appreciated seeing the
school in action and I believe had just as good a time with their classmates in
attendance.
Proud to be
serving in my eighth year, and hoping this year's reunion classes celebrate the
best of Williston.
Best, Bob
Hello Bob,
Yes, the loss of Dan Cain was a huge hit. He was my hero when I was an eighth grader. The bigger thrill was that he knew me, signed my yearbook, and we maintained a friendship through the years as we reunited at reunions and in NYC during those W-N gatherings. I know his importance to the school and love how Jim is carrying on the Cain legacy.
Yes, the loss of Dan Cain was a huge hit. He was my hero when I was an eighth grader. The bigger thrill was that he knew me, signed my yearbook, and we maintained a friendship through the years as we reunited at reunions and in NYC during those W-N gatherings. I know his importance to the school and love how Jim is carrying on the Cain legacy.
As for me, I have a
16' Scamp trailer I travel about in and planned on parking in on the quad for
the weekend and as a former faculty, the weekend is gratis, so these aren't
issues for me. I spelled out the issues for me in my first letter and they
still stand. I am well aware of how Williston looks today and functions. I
continued my teaching career in NYC public schools for thirty-three years after
leaving Williston faculty and am not interested in sharing my alumni weekend
with kids, I'm retired now. I will be spending my Mother's Day with my
grandchildren and their mothers, my daughters.
You should be proud
of the work you have done. I am looking forward to more good years for you and
to meeting you one June on campus.
Cheers,
Ted