MHS, LHS & CHS - Class of '64

How can we thank you enough?

This reunion is going to be an occasion that we will remember for the rest of our lives, and we owe it all to the First Lady and the President for allowing it to happen.  They are such wonderful people for inviting us into the White House and letting us celebrate this reunion.  I am so grateful that I really don't know if I can express it adequately.  But let me try.

Mr. President and First Lady Laura Bush, I hope we can tell you this in person, but if you happen to visit this website please know that we are extremely grateful to you.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

This reunion will mean so much to all of us.

And if the class members who visit this website are so inclined, please feel free to leave a comment expressing your own gratitude to our magnificent hosts.

The weather up there

Be sure to check the weather report before heading to DC.  Currently the National Weather Service is forecasting the following:

(Updated 3-26-08 4:00pm)
-Thursday 3/27/08  - high of 59°F and a low of 50°F with an 80% chance of showers declining to 50% Thursday night;
-Friday 3/28/08  - high of 63°F and a low of 39°F with a 60% chance of showers;
-Saturday 3/29/08  - high of 52°F and a low of 34°F with a 20% chance of showers during the day, mostly clear night;
-Sunday 3/30/08 - high of 50°F and a low of 36°F, mostly sunny during the day, 30% chance of showers in the evening.

Dress appropriately.

And be prepared to be amazed by the cherry blossoms.  Our regional expert Harmon (Butch) Bullard reports that this is just about the time for that to happen.

One week to go!

Seven days to go!  Or 168 hours.  Or 10,080 minutes.

Or 604,800 seconds.

604,799.

604,798.

604,797.

But who's counting?

Consider a side trip to NYC

Our MHS classmate and DC regional expert Harmon Bullard has been fielding questions about the area, and here are a question and answer that others might appreciate:

Question:  We were thinking of trying to take a train into NYC and go to "Ground Zero".  Is that feasible?  What would you guess the trip would take in hours?  We thought that we could possible sight-see around DC from Sat. through Thursday and maybe plan on this on Friday.

Answer:  Absolutely, and I highly recommend it. It can definitely be done in one day.  There are several bus lines that offer up and back service daily.  However, I think by train is much better.  From Washington D.C. it's about a 3 hour trip on the Amtrak.  Also,  Amtrak's high speed  "Acela" train runs a couple times a day.  While this is more expensive you can shave over an hour off the trip coming and going.  My wife and her girl friends have gone up to the city for shopping or an afternoon matinée by leaving early in the morning (say 6 AM) and catching a late train coming back.  It's a very easy and relaxing trip by train.

The Amtrak will drop you off at Penn Station.  From there I recommend you take the subway (an experience you should not miss) into New York's Financial District.  It's less than a half hour ride.  Get off at Wall Street or one stop before and you are right there.  It doesn't take that long to walk around the ground zero area . . . which is still fenced in.

Afterward, I would head back into Midtown ,Times Square, et al.  And, if you like to shop you've got to see Macy's . . . its out of this world.

New York is such a great place to visit . . . it truly is the town that never sleeps.  And, I believe one of the safest large cities in the entire world.  But, it is expensive to stay there.  That's why the day trip is good.  However, if you decide to visit for more than one day,  my wife and I have learned it's better to stay out on Long Island and come into the city by train.  It's much less expensive than to get a room in the city.  If anyone wants to know anything specific about NYC have them talk to my wife at the Reunion . . . she knows the place like the back of her hand.

You will Love New York! 

Harmon

Getting to the White House

Have you made plans to get from your hotel to the White House on party night?  We originally thought that each person would get there on his/her own.  But many people have asked, so here are some options.

Our classmates will be staying in various places around DC, and those people staying near a Metro station may want to utilize that service.  Here's a fun tool to play with:  the Metro trip planner.  Plug in your location, destination, time and date, and it will tell you the nearest departure time, the duration and the price of the trip.  Pretty cool.

For the people staying at the Washington Marriott there are several options:  Walk, Metro, taxi, Limo or chartered bus.  So let's address each one.

Walk - The hotel appears to be about a mile away from the WH, so it may be within walking distance with sensible shoes.  Heels?  Maybe not.

Metro - It's a few blocks from both the Washington Marriott and the White House to the nearest Metro stations.  So that, too, would involve some walking.  See the Metro trip planner to plot a route.

Taxi - There will no doubt be several taxis available, and the hotel concierge could probably call up some more if necessary.

Limo - There are several limousine services, and some in our group have already made plans to hire one.  Scroll to the bottom of this entry for comments from Barbara Barker Dillon and Audrey Fowler with contact information for limousine services they are using.

Chartered Bus - Harmon (Butch) Bullard has been in contact with the Chariots for Hire bus company.  And here's what he said:

In addition to cars, limos, etc. they also have buses . . . you can see what they have on their home page.  There are 3 sizes of buses . . .   57, 36, and 25 passenger.   The 57 passenger bus rents for $110 plus 20% tax and gratuity per hour;  the 36 passenger is $85 plus 20% and the 25 passenger is $80 plus 20% per hour.

So, if they pick up at the Marriott at 6PM and drop off at the White House at 6:30 and then pick up at the White House at 10:30 PM and drop off at the Marriott at 11PM this would be 5 hours that we would be renting the bus (es).   For the 57 passenger bus this would be 110 x 20% = $132 x 5 hours = $660 or  $11.58 per person R/T provided there are 57 passengers.  You can adjust the times anyway you want . . . say if you want one bus to leave at 5:30, another at 5:45 . . . etc.  also we can stagger the return.  Even if you went up to 6 hours total . . . it's still sounds like a pretty good deal.

They require 25% down once you sign the contract.

So would you like to ride a chartered bus between the Washington Marriott and the White House on party night?  We would need a headcount by Friday 3/21/08, and Cindy has agreed to make the down payment, take the reservations and collect the money from those who use the service.  So if you would like to ride the chartered bus please Email Cindy to let her know.  (If that link doesn't work she can be found on the Contact Classmates page.)

Thank Heaven for Cindy!  What would we do without her?

Updated 3/19/08 2:45 pm -- This just in from Harmon:

Okay,  I've reserved two of these 57 passenger buses ...  I'll send the Terms and Conditions separately.  If we need more I'm afraid it may be "second trips" . . .  I was told the two I confirmed were the last 2 available.  However, we may be able to get a smaller one (36 or 25 passenger) if necessary.  Also, if Jan is able to get our "handicapped" folks to a closer door we may want to reserve a smaller vehicle for them . . . depending on how many we have.  Harmon

Thanks Harmon!

Updated 3/20/08 11:20 am -- At least three of our classmates have arranged to hire limousines through a service called Family First.  Here's some info about them from Betty Huff Mize:

If anyone is still interested in a limousine, the hotel concierge recommended Family First at 571.338.8392.  Ask for Reginald Haskins or Shirley.  He knows about our group coming in.  He quoted $90/hr with 5 hr. minimum on a towncar for 8.  $95/hr with 5 hr min. on towncar for 10.  An extended excursion van for 12 at $110/hr with 5 hr min.  He could also furnish a hummer limo for 20 people.  Would need to contact asap to reserve for Saturday night.

For more recommendations for Family First see comments from Barbara Barker Dillon and Suzanne Scism Hildebrand here and here.  The last one includes info from Audry Fowler about another limo service, Professional Livery at 888-578-5466.  Thanks everyone!

Feelings Expressed

Some people have received their invitations already.  Barbara Barker Dillon got hers and was flooded with feelings.  Here's what she said:

Well the actual invitation arrived today. The primary feeling after opening the envelope was complete awe and the feeling of being very humble. Then the feeling of overwhelming gratitude flooded the scene.

I feel so grateful to our First Lady Laura Bush and our President George Bush. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing this to happen on your "watch". The First Lady was always pure class and always will be. None of this would be happening, of course, without you both.

Another large debt of gratitude goes to the committee that has managed to put this incredible event together. We will always be in your debt for every minute of hard work you have put forth on everyone's behalf.

As of this minute in my life, everything else I've accomplished, other than my children, seems small when compared to my incredible luck in attending high school with such an amazing group of people.

My enduring gratitude to all.

(Pulled forward from this comment.)

Two Weeks to Go!

Or 14 days.  Or 336 hours.

The final, final deadline was 3/14/08.  And here's the latest breakdown from Cindy:

CHS  -    3 Students,  3  Guests
LHS  -  108 Students,  101 Guests
MHS - 159 Students, 125  Guests

TOTAL    499  Coming.  Add President and Mrs. Bush we have 501.  WOW!!

And some people report that they received their White House invitation already!

The Friday Night party -- do you plan to attend?

As we know, Barbara Barker Dillon (LHS) and Harmon "Butch" Bullard (MHS) have arranged a get-together, a Preunion, at the Washington Marriott located at 1221 22nd Street NW on Friday evening, March 28.  This will give us an opportunity to get reacquainted with our classmate friends before the big event on Saturday night.

The arrangements are being finalized, and they need to know how many people to expect.  Do you plan to attend Friday?  Cindy Klatt has sent an email to the people on her email list asking for an RSVP, so please Email Cindy and let her know whether you and your guest plan to be there Friday evening.

Thanks!

P.S.  They had to agree to pay the hotel for this event, and Barbara sent them a check.  This was not included in the fee we sent for the Saturday event.  We don't want to have fun on someone else's dime, so let's make sure no one comes out  in the hole.  There will either be a kitty at the snack table or a person at the door collecting money for the Friday event.  At this time the price per person is estimated to be $10 per person, but it could be higher.  So let's show that we are generous people.  If there's any money left over it can go into the fund for the next reunion.

Classmate Contact Information

We're a mobile bunch, and those old address books got outdated rather quickly.  But many of us are anxious to know which of our classmates plan to attend the reunion, and it would be nice to be able to contact them ahead of the reunion.  However, a  full list will not be published here without permission.

Well, there were some very bright people in our classes.  Case in point:  Cheryl Wilderspin Pannell of the Lee '64 class who made a brilliant suggestion.   Why not set up a page specifically for the names and perhaps email addresses of people who would like to let others know they plan to attend the reunion?  That way their friends can find them, contact them, and make plans to get together.  And it would all be voluntary.  Is that brilliant or what?

So here it is.  It's the Contact Classmates Page.  Please Email Me with your name, school and a brief message you would like to appear on that page.   Please put "Info for Contact Page" in the heading to let me know that it's ok to publish your name, and please specify whether you plan to attend the reunion and whether you do or do not want your email address published there.  And include any brief message you would like to appear on the page.

See you on the Contact Classmates Page!

Updated and bumped to the top.  The Contact Page is a big hit!  If you haven't done so yet be sure to send in your info.

Media Queries

All media queries should be directed to our official Class of '64 Reunion Spokesperson, Jan O'Neill.  If you are a media representative and wish to contact her but do not have her contact information, email me.