1-9-8-6 Wellesley rah!
Journey, originally a literal unit of time and travel, has become a metaphor for the experience of living life complete with its ups and downs. Like with any form of a journey, there are times when the roads are straight, times when we cannot see what is ahead, or when our path takes an unexpected turn. These ups and downs and sometimes startling deviations in where we think we are headed remind us that the destination is not our only goal.
Hello to the Class of ’86 -
We share your collective disappointment that our 35th Reunion will be completely virtual. That said, your class officers and reunion planning team are working to create a unique and wonderful virtual event while being mindful of Zoom fatigue and the multiple demands on our time and energy. We recognize that one of the most compelling reasons to participate in reunion is the joy that comes with being back on our beautiful campus, and allowing ourselves a weekend of possibility - to sit on Severance Green with old friends, to walk around the lake, attend a lecture, to dance at our class dinner, to get to know new classmates and to stay up late in the common rooms talking and eating purple M&Ms. We feel deeply this loss. We recognize our collective yearning for that delightful sense of contentment, and hope to recreate ways to spark the powerful connections that happen when we are on campus together. Without the need to travel and the constraints of time and resources needed to participate in an on-campus reunion, this virtual reunion structure ensures that this will be our most accessible reunion yet. Our 35th Reunion recognizes our sameness and our differences as women who connect, learn, share, grow and move beyond 50 with purpose and grace. We hope to be reminded that each of us as individuals with unique abilities and experiences belongs to a community where we can find friendship, laughter, acceptance, support and purpose.
RECORD BOOK
This reunion tradition has been updated as a digital record book. The record book will allow you to share an update with the whole class. We hope everyone will participate, even if you will not otherwise be participating in Zoom lead up to reunion or reunion weekend events. The book will be available as a digital file at no charge. You will receive a separate email from Adriene Rodriguez through the College with details on how to provide your record book entry. We have a few prompts which might help get you in the record book state of mind, but please do not feel limited in anyway. Share your joy, your struggles, deep thoughts or tips on what helps ease your anxiety. Just share, and please know you can also include a digital picture!
- Gosh, if anyone had just told me THAT, I might have done things differently…
- What surprises me every day about my life is…
- Share your journey both career and personal--has it been a long and winding road, or a straight shot down life’s highway?
- Is there anything about your life now that your classmates wouldn't guess?
- I am living the best of the worst of times just now by directing my time, treasure and abilities to…SHARE YOUR SECRETS!
- Has W's non ministrari sed ministrare been a meaningful force in your life after W?
To help you get in a record book state of mind, here is the 1986 30th Reunion Record Book link: https://alum.wellesley.edu/
BEFORE REUNION
Please save April 25, 2021 for a day of learning for all alums with a number of faculty lectures, panel discussions, and more which will be organized and hosted by the College. A email with the formal program details will be sent in the coming weeks.
CLASS OF 1986 LEAD UP EVENTS TO REUNION
We have programmed several lead up Zoom events to help us reconnect to one another during the month of May, pre-Reunion. Using the guidance from our recent class survey, these events will be ALL TALK. We are looking for facilitators to help us with the break out/chat rooms as we reach across the miles and time zones. On the reunion registration form you will find the schedule of events which includes these events:
Friday, May 14, 2021 –- Countdown to our 35th Reunion - 1-9-8-6 WELLESLEY RAH - 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm EDT – chat and move within different groups as they are shaping up –Hi, I am…an empty nester / single or divorced / an academic or educator / in the midst of changing careers /trying to juggle taking care of my aging parents while managing…/am a social activist or work in the not for profit space
Sunday, May 16, 2021 - Countdown to our 35th Reunion - 1-9-8-6 WELLESLEY RAH - 3:00 to 4:00 pm EDT - MINGLE WITH YOUR DORM -chat and move within different groups as they are shaping up - let us know if you can host a chat room by emailing joanna@savitarcompanies.com.
Saturday, May 22, 2021 - 1986 Class Meeting - 12:00 pm EDT
We will send a Zoom link for each event on the 1986 schedule.
REUNION WEEKEND FRIDAY, JUNE 4 through SUNDAY, JUNE 6
There will be events on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, including events which are open to everyone and specific affinity-group events. Class of 1986 will kick off with a Friday night gathering, Saturday morning yoga, Saturday evening for cocktails/mocktails, dinner and an 80s dance party and lots of talking, and closing the weekend with Sunday morning meditation, class memoriam and the College parade.
President Johnson will drop in to one of our events. We will update the schedule as soon as we know the time slot.
NON ZOOM EVENTS
We are working to create a number of videos which you can watch when you have a spare moment – we have the reprise of the musical presentation from the a cappella groups from our 30th Reunion which is so much fun to watch. We working to organize a virtual art show and a showcase of artisanal/creative work of our classmates. Please contact joanna@savitarcompanies.com if you would like to participate.
REUNION REGISTRATION
Please fill out the Registration Form and let us know which events appeal to you. We hope that we get a strong turn out and ask that you take the time to check off the boxes so we have adequate resources available for each of the Zoom events. There is no cost for the events.
THE BEST IS YET TO COME – 35 YEARS AND BEYOND
Over the past 35 years we have each made countless decisions, some well-reasoned and thoughtful and others completely on a lark. We have followed different paths, stumbled and succeeded, been proud of our efforts and felt the shame of our failure both real and imagined. We have encountered obstacles and made to the other side, subverted our dreams for the dreams of our loved ones, and nurtured people along the way. We are at the mid-point in our lives. We can honor ourselves and on another as remarkable, loving and resilient women of purpose. At our 40th reunion we will have entered into our 60s. As we continue our journeys it will be increasingly important that we stay connected. We hope that these led up events and reunion weekend remind us how important it is to reconnect and to remain connected. Isolation and missing out on so many of our usual routines has been really destabilizing in so many ways, quite a number of them completely unexpected. That time passes so quickly and things change so drastically can be frightening particularly when we are away from family, friends and the usual sources of mirth and enrichment. We are hoping that the virtual reunion will spark an interest in getting together as soon as the coast is clear – in small groups or larger, regional gatherings – and in a renewed connection to one another. A new slate of class officers will be presented at our Class Meeting prior to reunion. Each of us below has been honored to work on behalf of the class of 1986.
Yours in service and friendship,
Joanna Golden, Eileen Oakley, Dante Spetter and Gina Raphael
REUNION VOLUNTEERS
Please reach Joanna Golden at 305.785.3044 or joanna@savitarcompanies.com. Many of you indicated a willingness to help. We need facilitators for the Zoom events! We will have a quick training session in early May.