New photos on Reunion slide show

We have uploaded 88 more shots of Reunion. 500 plus more to follow as they arrive.

Photos on way. Be patient

I estimate we will have between 500 and 600 photos of the reunion. As soon as subsets of that bunch become available, I will begin uploading. Captioning will follow as soon as we can get together and identify the pictured folks.

REUNION COMMITTEE TO MEET NEXT WED, JULY 2

The Committee will be meeting next week to begin the process of collecting and preserving the data from the reunion so that the next go round will be quicker and easier to crank up. Also, we will determine what, if any, funds we have left over so that they may be preserved in our Reunion account as a kitty for the next reunion. We will be assessing what worked well and what parts of the reunion could be improved. Comments and ideas are always welcomed. We will likely discuss what smaller events that we might sponsor of sub groups of our class.

Lastly, I know we will discuss securing funding for the Ward Scott/Class of '68 writing prize given to a worthy GHS senior annually. We are trying to endow that prize and would welcome financial contributions from our class. Let us know if you would like to donate to this cause.

On a personal note, I am feeling fine and appreciate all the kind words of comfort from all of you.


Bubba Meister

T-shirt manufacturer, Cafe Press, announces a price increase on July 28.

Cafe Press will be upping their prices on t-shirts by a buck. If you plan on ordering an official reunion t-shirt or hat, you would be well advised to order before that date. To order, go to www.cafepress.com/ghs68shop.

40th Reunion Lost and Found

When we cleaned up after the spectacular Saturday night dinner-dance at the Country Club, there was an unclaimed navy blazer, brand name Stafford, and an unclaimed olive green "boonie hat" for lack of a better term, made by Dorfman Pacific Co. with mesh sides for that cool, comfortable windblown look and a drawstring to prevent you from losing your hat. I'm not so sure about the drawstring's usefulness in this case. Call Bill at 352/374-5217 or email to ghs68reunion@aol.com and let us know if one of these is yours.

Deceased Classmates Honored on Sunday morning of the Reunion

Those We Honor:

Orman Owen Annis, Jr.
Jimmy Cullen Austin
Mario Egnazio Balsamo
Ernest L. Barfield
Scott Clifton Barlow
David John Beck
Lawrence Jon Bobroff
Lonnie Gordon Bozeman
Milford Thomas Capo, Jr.
Bobbie Joan Crenshaw Bohannon
Kathleen “Katie” Crowley Hull
Richard H. “Dickie” Cummings, Jr.
Terry Dennis DeWitt
Linda Gayle Eddy Henderson
Mark Ehrbar
Harold Ray Ely
Grace Irene Ernst
Johnny Samuel Gocek
Alvin Paul Graham
Harris Harding “Harry” Green, Jr.
Michael Hahn
Evelyn Carol Harrell
Carla Claire Hembree
Virginia Lee “Ginnie” Holsapple
Gwendolyn Ruth Jones
Danny Kinchen
Terry Gene Kirby
Robert Alan “Bobby” Kuhr
Joseph Samuel Lucuis
James Clyde Maudlin, Jr.
Cheryl Irene O’Hara Gano
George Norman O’Steen
William Chandler Sanford
David Scott
James Edward Simmons
Clark Charles Smith
Evonne Griffin Smith
Robert Getzen Smith, Jr.
James Thomas Stinson
Sylvia Jewell Stroud Reeves
Elizabeth Maria Voodre
Alonzo Earl Wood

Good reasons to sign up for the Yahoo group

Bill and I were talking about the Yahoo group yesterday via e-mail. We both feel that classmates should sign up for it. It is obvious that a great sense of community was re-kindled at the Reunion. It was much greater than the Committee even dreamed it would be. A sure way to stay active in that community and interface with classmates is through the Yahoo Forum group. After the easy sign up, you can add your own postings at a greater length than the blog allows. Also, when others add one, you will receive those postings via e-mail at a frequency that you can elect when you subscribe. We strongly urge you sign up for it. You can start on the blog site and use the link to the Yahoo Forum, where you can participate by letting us all know what is up in your life. Plus, the many folks who could not make the Reunion are following both the blog and the Yahoo group to learn more about the fun we had and about their classmates. Give it a try.

Photos starting to come in and are posted ASAP

Jackie Hoover sent in the photos from the Reunion that her husband, Norman took plus some shots of her new grandchild.

If you have Reunion digital shots, send them to ghs68reunion@aol.com and they will be placed in the Reunion slide show. When we add the official photos, I expect we will need a second show and it will be created if needed. Each slide show has a capacity of 500 photos.

If you know how to caption your photos and can identify some or all of the people pictured, please do so. It will be a big help! Most importantly though, send in your shots.

THE BLOG PASSED 9000 HITS TODAY

Thank you to all our viewers for returning to the blog site in droves. We are just beginning to post pictures and expect to be adding many, many photos for the next three weeks or so. By many, I mean 700 or so. Brace yourelves for bounties of beauty.

Message from the Committee Chair, plans for post-assessment of Reunion and future plans for another one

Bill's note to the committee is as follows:

My dear friends, I'm still mostly speechless over the weekend, although many warm and wonderful thoughts are spinning around in my head, most of them centered on each and all of you and how well it all went, despite everything that happened over the last few months and days. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for everything you did on the reunion, both planning and doing, your care for our classmates and your thoughtfulness towards me. There's plenty more to say when we meet next.

We as a committee plan to meet soon to consolidate our materials, evaluate what was done successfully (or not), what was needed and what was unnecessary, etc. Our purpose is to put a template in place so that the next time around will go even more easily. Our goal is to groove more and work less.

We will be discussing a date for a future reunion, how to continue keeping our class database updated, and what on-line presence will be maintained for the short and long terms.

Certainly, any comments or suggestions are always welcomed either by e-mail, comments to a blog posting, or (better yet) the Yahoo group/forum.

Ward Scott sends message

Take note of Ward's comments in the comments section of the brunch article. Many thanks, Ward, you are a precious part of this class.

I have also placed it on the Yahoo group/forum. Over the long haul, we would like as many folks as can to sign up for the forum as are willing. It will likely be our long-term tool for longer submissions to why not take the dive today and ink yourself in as a member?

BRUNCH HELD OVERLOOKING BIVENS ARM. HARLAN HONORED

The final event of the Reunion was a brunch held at the Paramount Hotel overlooking Biven's Arm. The location was beautiful and the mood of all was buoyant and ready for the next Reunion.

Our chairman, Bill Harlan, was recognized for his birthday with his family present. He was rewarded with a chocolate sheet cake, the way to his heart!

A report on the memorial service will be posted soon as will more pictures of events. If you have photos send them in via e-mail.

PHOTOS OF EVENT TO GO UP ON BLOG IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS

Fortunately, we hired a fine photographer to cover the Reunion events and he took over 500 photos of all. As soon as he has culled and polished up the collection, we will add them ASAP so come back to the blog and take a look. As we know more about the timing of the photos being uploaded, we will advise. If any of the class mates took photos and want to share them, send them along. If you know how to add captions, please feel free to do so.

ALL REPORTS: THE MAIN EVENT WENT WELL AND THE 'MATES DANCED THE NIGHT AWAY

Unfortunately, the Bubba Meister became ill as the Saturday evening event began and had to spend six hours in the emergency room. He is home due to the kind and comforting help of the Harlans. All is well, but the Meister is very bushed and recovering. He extends many thanks to all the help and prayers.

Reports from the Harlans and the Niblings who came to the emergency room to visit the "down but not out" Meister were that the sixties music lovingly prepared for the 'mates' dancing pleasure was a hit and that the class was "wilder than they were at the 30th." Wow. There is some boogie left in this class. Keep on rockin' ya'll.

Today, we commemorate our fallen classmates and enjoy a brunch as a send off to all her came. The Committee is delighted you all seem to have had such a deeply satisfying and uproariously good time. That was our goal and it appears that we (and you) succeeded in making this event forever memorable.

A party is only as good as the people who attend it. There is a reason why our Reunion succeeded this week end and it is you, the Class of '68.

Congratulations and stay safe. We will keep you posted about coming plans for get togethers and a possible successor reunion in five years.


The Committee

Nibling and Conner prove that one can be up at 7:30 for breakfast after first night of the Reunion

Jim Conner and Ken Nibling met for breakfast on Saturday morning after a late night on Friday. Brave souls those two.

Lots of stuff going on today and a housekeeping note on the slide show

We hired a photographer to cover the reunion and he was vigorously shooting photos of the Friday night gathering at Gator's Dockside. The Committee was delighted because it allowed us to be social butterflies and not worry about shooting each of the 8 million attendees. His work will be prepped and sent to us next week so hold on for additions to the reunion slide show. As soon as we receive his photos, they will be posted on this site.

Today, we have golf, a motorcycle ride, a Ward Scott English class reunion, two bus tours of Gainesville, and the dinner/dance at the country club.

To those of you who could not join us, we miss you, but understand that difficulties in traveling these days arise. We are endeavoring to provide you with a "virtual" reunion as events occur with photos and video. Also, we plan to keep this blog active for several months and the Yahoo group/forum for a very long time. So sign up for the Yahoo forum if you have not already.

Off to do much work and to take cat naps when time allows.

Bubba Meister

Friday Night at Gator's Dockside a Smash Hit

Everyone celebrated the first night of the GHS 68 Reunion with opportunities to talk with old and new friends. The room was packed and went on past 11 when I called it a night.

We are on a roll now and ready for several events tomorrow with the dinner/dance tomorrow night. I was taken with the many roads that our class mates have traveled in their lives and the mutual affection and appreciation everyone has for the welfare of their friends. This is a fine group of people and I am glad many traveled so far to come home to be together. Go 'Canes.

The Reunion Tees Off With the Golf Icebreaker. Anyone See Any Ice Anywhere? These Guys Can Break Anything!

Ken Nibling and his brave troops tee-ed off at 12:27 on a steamy Gainesville afternoon, not as hot as it could but pretty darn hot. All golfers acquitted themselves well on the first tee with no personal injuries sustained on their initial drives.

A local personal injury lawyer (and a GHS grad) was seen leaving the parking lot before the golfers took to the first tee. Our reunion golfers took this as a good omen since, after sizing the reunionists up, he likely had decided that none of them would likely cause any serious injuries to anyone. He didn't even leave his card!

To Those Coming Only on Friday Night

If you have not done so, send us an e-mail and we will send you a registration form. That will allow us to update our database so we can easily contact you for the next reunion. We will have some available at each venue.

Donna Catotti sends some of her art to help us all celebrate the 40th

Donna Catotti will be joining us on Sunday and has sent along some of her art work that will be displayed on Saturday evening at the Gainesville Golf and Country Club. Opportunities to win some of her work will be made available to those attending the Saturday night event.

Her web site, http://www.artstudioalaska.com/, is a good place to start to learn more about what Donna is up to these days.

The Committee's Last Meeting Before the Reunion

We are all thankful that so many of our classmates will be joining us for the 40th Reunion. We have had a blast planning this reunion and we look forward to seeing you all soon in Hogtown.

The Committee

WHAT DO YOU LOOK LIKE THIS WEEK? SEND PHOTOS

Some of you will make the reunion. Some will not. Either way, please send in electronic photos that we can add to the slide show of this week's reunion. The person pictured at the farthest away site will be met by thunderous applause. Shoot and send them this week.

DON'T FORGET!

T-shirts and hats are ONLY available on-line so order immediately if you want them for the reunion. Go to www.cafepress.com/ghs68shop to order. They are quick, but order today...or right now.

Even if you can't make the Reunion, monitor this site for pics/videos of the action

We expect very strong attendance for the Reunion. We have been flooded with last minutes sign-ups and e-mails.

Some of our classmates will not be able to attend. For them, we will be posting videos of some of the attendees as well as a third slide show of fresh photos of the reunion itself. For those who do attend, you will have a visual record of the goings-on.

See you all soon.

The Committee

Debra can't make it, but hopes you will

HOGGERS TO MEET FOR LUNCH ON SATURDAY

Ward's Scott's fifth period English class in 1968 contained special members of our graduating class. They have stuck together and even reunited in 2005 at the school and in their original classroom to hold another......class together with Ward. Many traveled long distances to sit again together and talk about a southern novel, The Hawk's Done Gone.

They will be coming together again as a confluence of inquiring minds are known to do. The Reunion gives them a chance to hold their own mini one, a sort of ReeUniteTee. Their rendezvous is scheduled from noon to 2 pm on Saturday, June 21 at Juniors restaurant which is located at the north end of the Gainesville Shopping Center, several stores before Publix. The Boss Hog himself, Ward Scott, will be in attendance so all Hoggers need to plan to be there.

You know who you are and what you must do: "Get in step and stay in step." Ya'll hear?

Who's Coming to the Reunion, You Ask? Glad You Asked

The list below has all the classmates who registered as of last night, June 10, totaling 120. We expect more to register and know of a few more planning to come Friday night and perhaps register then for additional events. We will accept as many as we physically can hold, and that's alot. But registering in advance, even if only a couple days in advance, is your best bet to make sure you have a meal on Saturday night or Sunday morning, and a place to sit for the bus tour or memorial service.

Ken Nibling
Richard Greene
Bill Chesnut
Terry Rigsby
Beth Graves Davis
Judy MacRostie Dwyer
Ronnie Hilliard
Ann Fearney Paul
Susan Hazen Balloon
Ed Hegen
Steve Lally
Emery Swearingen
Coleman Stipanovich
Becky Peek Fitchlee
Rik Dilgren
Mark McLaurin
Diana Turney Taylor
Doug Lynes
Richard Robinson
Robert Scott
Karen Stack Van Lare
Mike Boles
John Klement
Shirley Hall Jackson
Mitt Bradley
Jim Chesnut
Gary Stanley
Alan Rhoads
Karen Paige Fielding
Nancy McLeod Huggard
Bill Koerner
Linda Huckeba Starr
Bob Haufler
Sandra Hammett Haufler
Bill Harlan
Tim Tucker
Lynn DeBusk
Bill Crawford
Diana Overby Norton
Michael Owens
Rhea Broyles
Steve Smith
Ronnie Wright
Richard Kensler
Jeff Danner
Mary Jo Talbot Moore
Bruce Tinney
Richy Hinson
Larry Sanders
Katie Hubener
Jackie Cooter Hoover
Jim Conner
David Boothby
Al Cook
Kathy Sherman Cook
Sue Cooper Nelson
Joe Anderson
Diane Kattke Baker
Linda Mathis Mcintyre
Marcella Krumm Weging
Frank D. Smith
Pam Whitlow
Jerry Smith
Marvin Rogers
Joyce English Adams
Dorie McKinney Clark
Sylvia Fussell
Larry Sandefer
Susan Eddy Nalbandian
Mac Cline
Dennis Lee
Sandy Waldrep Durden
Cindy Forster Burns
Ron O’Steen
Rogers Bartley
Carol Hanes Haraway
Cindy Clardy Schremmer
Brenda Johnson Teague
Edmound Herb
J. Michael Powell
Bonita Pagnozzi Kremer
Linda Lee Allums Travieso
Judy Cox Orton
Shirley Hines Bowden
Janis Jeffcoat
Donna Carney Omer
Dan Mixson
Doug McCallum
Kathy Harben Arce
Steve Hall
Susan Parker Reisinger
Donna Polsen Davis
Dale Davis
Roger Sims
Charles Wells
Deborah Green
Mike Rowland
Linda Moore Rowland
Kim Love
Jack Phillips
Patti Hale Anderson
Eileen Bird
Carol Thomas
Susan Staley Eckhart
Chris Nadeau Introna
Hal Walker
Bill Hogle
Joyce Ryan Simmons
Juana Land Burns
Craig Hall
Richard Waters
Beth Ayers McCague
Lois Grunewald Franklin
Sandra (Sasie) Mallard
Jim Burton
Don Davis
Claudia MacKenzie Bates
Judy Anderson Casper
Van Sirmopolous
Laurette Burnard Venski ; Clifford Jones

120

Motorcycle "Hurricane Ride" Added to Saturday Events

By popular demand of bikers Ronnie Wright and Doug McCallum, '68 Canes interested in a pleasant motorcycle ride in the country on Saturday morning, June 21, can join them in the back parking lot of the Paramount Plaza hotel at 10:30. "Biker chicks" and other passengers are welcome. Plan to be on the road about two hours for the full ride, but you can peel off anytime you wish and return to the hotel for a nap or a swim.

Karen Paige at J.J. Finley

Pam Whitlow Singlehandily Boosts Micanopy Economy by Shopping There

THE OFFICE beckons

Jim Conner invites you. The dead line approaches...

Updated List of "Missing" Classmates Posted on Forum

If you join the GHS 68 Forum on Yahoo (see the link on the righthand side of this site) you can look at Files, and one of the files you'll see contains our "missing" classmates we've not been able to get in touch with. If you can supply contact information on any of them or get them to email ghs68reunion@aol.com , either now or in the future, we'll make sure they know about reunion events and can sign up. "Got to find 'em to sign 'em," I think that was Bear Bryant, who had no trouble findin' 'em! We, on the other hand, could use your help!

Sign up for the Yahoo forum and spill your guts

Since the Yahoo group/forum has been up and running, a number of your class mates have been relating details of what they have been up to since 1968. We would like to hear your tales too. You know.......the thrills of victory and the agonies of defeat. Let it all hang out. No one is watching except the whole world.

Message from the Committee

Lots of new registrations for our 40th reunion arrived yesterday and today. We now have 110 classmates and 57 spouses registered. If you've already told us you aren't able to come, pardon this brief intrusion. And if you’re still on the fence about coming to the reunion, now’s the time to decide and to send us your registration. We’ll be happy to have you.

Even the tour of old Gainesville and the brunch are filling up! If you want to attend the tour on Saturday morning or brunch on Sunday following the memorial service, you may do better to guarantee your spot if you pre-pay for your tickets, at $10 per person for each of those events. Send another check to Jackie Hoover, or include this amount with your registration form if you are just now sending it in. Pre-paid tickets will be waiting for you at the registration table on Friday night and on Saturday night.

We will be happy to see you even at the last minute at the door. But we might not be able to feed you or find you a seat at an event. If you make a last minute decision to come to the reunion, please give us as much notice as you can by email or phone, and come on Friday night when we know we’ll have room for you at the pay-as-you-go welcome party at Gator’s Dockside. If you register then and pay for any other events, we’ll do our best to include you in them.

Speaking of accommodations, our blocks of rooms disappear this Friday. Call the Paramount Plaza at 877-992-9229 or the Marriott SpringHills Suites at 352/376-8873right away if you need a room.

One more thing. We are producing a spectacular Reunion Program with a listing of all the emails, addresses and phone numbers you've sent us over these past months. If you have misgivings about having your information published in that fashion, please let me know if you haven't already, and we will remove it from the list.

The Reunion Info and Emergency Line phone number is (352) 870-1260. That number will be active beginning about ten days before the reunion. Someone on the Committee will have that phone handy during the reunion.You can also email us anytime at ghs68reunion@aol.com , and you can find all the reunion information and more, plus plenty of reasons to come to the reunion, on the blog site, www.ghs68.blogspot.com .

Join us at the 40th—those people at 50-year reunions always look so old. You, on the other hand, look mah-velous! If you need a registration form, e-mail us at ghs68reunion@aol.com and we will send one to you immediately via e-mail.

Your Friends on the Reunion Committee

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE REUNION