Our 30th anniversary reunion is just three days from now.  Please see the September 4th post for the weekend itinerary.  Here are some additional details:

Friday night homecoming game and tailgating party

Since a number of folks can’t make the Friday night events, we have not included these in the fee (see below). The SHS junior class is holding a Taco Tailgate fundraiser on Friday night.  A taco, drink, and cookie will be yours for a mere $6! We plan to rendezvous at the tailgating party prior to the game. If you don’t find us there look for a bunch of old farts in a quiet corner of the stadium. Do you think they will have padded seats for us?

Economics 101 – price increases

After reevaluating the cost vs. attendance equation, the reunion planning committee has set the price at $30/person for the Saturday events. I believe this was a prudent decision, and I am confident you will feel the day well worth the cost. A catered lunch at a unique locale, hang out space at the American Legion Hall, an outstanding BBQ dinner, and priceless quality time with old friends! Deb Preheim is paying the bills for us, so be sure to get your money (and a big THANK YOU) to her this weekend!

I look forward to seeing y’all in just a few days!
— Shawn

Our 30th anniversary reunion is less than two weeks away, and we really need to finalize the attendance list. The spreadsheet below shows the current attendance list. Please check to see if we have your information correct. Feel free to prod any classmates who have not yet responded!

Information on the reunion and how to RSVP can be found in an earlier post on this site.

Your reunion planning committee has put together a great program for our 30th anniversary reunion – see below for details. Now we need to hear from YOU!

The reunion is in 3 weeks, and we need to get a firm headcount to finalize the food orders. Please RSVP as soon as possible via a comment on this webpage or an email to the class mailing list. Be sure to specify how many will be in your party and which events you plan to attend.

We anticipate the cost will be $25/person for all of the Saturday activities and catered meals.  Note that this includes use of the American Legion Hall all day for folks in need of a “home base” in Sterling.  Those attending the tailgating party, football game, and coffee shop activities on Friday will pay for those activities separately.

Friday, September 28

Saturday, September 29

We are looking forward to a wonderful reunion and hope that all of you can join us. Please make every effort to attend and RSVP now!

30th anniversary reunion set for 28-29 Sep 2012

I am pleased to report that the reunion planning committee had a productive meeting on July 4th.  Deb Preheim (planning committee chair) hosted the meeting at her mother’s home in Sterling.  Attendees included: Drew and Connie Frederick, Greg McGlynn, and Shawn Engelland.  We are still working on many of the details for this reunion.  The preliminary plans are as follows:

Friday, September 28  we will tailgate before the SHS football homecoming game in the parking lot of Smisor Stadium.  We will attend the ballgame and then go to the Broadway Market downtown for coffee afterwards.

Saturday, September 29  we will tour the new elementary school and the newly remodeled facility that houses the high school and junior high.  For lunch we are hoping to have a noon meal catered to the Alden Attendance Center lunch room.  Deb requested rainbow bananas, but discouraged the melted buttered bread they used to serve since old folks like us must worry about clogged arteries.  We would also like to have some time to go through memorabilia at Jerry Bourgain’s Emporium for those interested.  The evening meal will be catered by Lee and Sheila Burgess.  It will be BBQ  and sides.  We are still working out the location for this. We plan to have the facility available all day for those of you that don’t have a “home base” in Sterling anymore.

Please let us know if there is anything else you would like to do or see while in Sterling. The cost per person has not yet been established, but we are making every effort to keep it reasonable.  Let us know if you have any questions or concerns.  Looking forward to seeing everyone this fall!

IMPORTANT:  Our planning process would really benefit from an approximate headcount.  Please let us know if you plan to attend the reunion on 28-29 Sep 2012. You can do this by posting a comment on this page or sending an email to the class mailing list.

I recently stumbled across a file of correspondence from our 10th anniversary reunion.  This is now posted for your reading pleasure – look for the posts dated 1992 in the “archive” list on the right side of this page. Enjoy the walk down memory lane!

Thirty years ago this week we walked across the Culbertson Auditorium stage and collected our SHS diplomas.  To be honest with you, I had to dig through a bunch of ancient files to pinpoint the exact date: 24 May 1982.  If your memory is failing like mine, these images of our commencement program may aid your walk down memory lane.

I have nothing definite to report yet regarding reunion plans.  A number of our classmates have volunteered to help. I am working directly with these folks to establish a reunion committee and move forward with the planning. It is not too late to volunteer to be on the reunion committee! Any news regarding the reunion will be promptly posted to this website and distributed via the mailing list. Be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already.

The Class of 1982 congratulates the SHS 2011-2012 boys basketball team.  2A State Champions!  Way to go guys!

Here is a quick report on the response to our rebooted website and new mailing list:

• 14 people have subscribed to the new mailing list.  I see this as a very encouraging sign that our class is interested in staying connected.
• 5 people have requested access to the People Pages. I find this surprising.  I wonder if text message distribution of the password is too cumbersome for some?
• 2 people have submitted updates to their People Pages. Thanks to Lee and Robyn for their speedy response. Others take heart – my page still needs updated!
• 2 people have posted comments on our new website.
• 0 people have volunteered for the 30th anniversary reunion planning committee. Not surprising, but a little alarming. I can’t do this by myself, folks!

A couple of additional notes:

• Be sure to check out the 2002 Reunion Photos, and let me know if you have any additional photos that you want to share with the class. This includes personal photos that you want to post on your People Page instead of the scary yearbook photo!
• I want assure everyone that I am moderating all posts to the shs1982-members mailing list. You can subscribe to the list secure in the knowledge that you will only receive messages that directly pertain to the SHS Class of 1982.

Thanks for your continued interest and support.

Shawn Engelland

p.s.  The gratuitous bear paw on this post is to give you some art to include when “liking” this post on FaceBook. Oh the things we do for social media!

shs1982-members is a mailing list for all members of Sterling High School’s Class of 1982. Postings to this list will primarily concern our class reunions. Only members may post messages to the list.  List traffic is expected to be low – on the order of a few messages per month.  Class members are urged to subscribe to the mailing list by visiting http://box507.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/shs1982-members_engelland.us

Password Protection: As noted in last week’s post, the People Pages are now all password protected to safeguard personal info. Please contact Shawn for access to the people pages.  Password protection can be applied on a page-by-page basis.  After you review and update the information on your People Page you may choose to remove the password protection to allow wider access to your page.

People Page Philosophy: Compared to 10 years ago we have an amazing array of social media options for connecting with friends and sharing information.  The SHS1982 People Pages cannot and should not compete with Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ for immediate, in-depth sharing of day-to-day events.  Rather these People Pages should be designed to be fairly static biographical summaries of your life since graduating from Sterling High School.  Because the audience will be (at a minimum) our loose affiliation of SHS1982 classmates the contents of your People Page biography should be suitable for public consumption.

Updates: The People Pages have not changed since 2002. I simply moved all of the old pages to the new site.  I am requesting that everyone review their People Page and submit an updated version to me.  When you submit your revised People Page please let me know if you wish to retain the password protection or open your People Page up to the general public.

Photos: In 2002, I got a lot of feedback from folks who weren’t thrilled with their yearbook photos.  If you would like to provide a different photo I would be more than happy to post it on your People Page.  Also, please send along any photos you might have from the 2002 reunion.