August 10, 2004 Reunion Meeting Report

Your reunion committee(s) met yesterday at Betty Timberlake Knight's house. Representing Crestline School were Ted Doster, Sam Johnson and Ann King. The person doing much of the coordinating for Crestline, Carolyn Wilson Long, could not be there. For Mt. Brook, we had Winston Martin, Betty Timberlake, Margaret McCall and me. I attached two photos. In these, you will see Sam,Ann & Tom and then Winston, MD and Betty.

Well, on to the plans. The date has changed to APRIL 16, 2005. Please make a note of this, it's a firm date. The Birmingham Country Club has been booked for that night and arrangements are being made for food for the evening. This will be a joint party with Mt. Brook & Crestline alumni. The suggestion was made that for decorations we use crepe paper in the school colors on either end of the ballroom. While not segregated, Crestline folks may want to gather on "their" end with Mt. Brook doing the other. There will be assorted decorations as well as many easels set up with poster boards full of photos, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia of our school years. Each school committee will be responsable for making their own posters and getting originals back to their owners. I plan to use photo copies where ever practical such as news paper articles, so originals are not at risk. I can photo copy photos and other things that people are sending me and then I send the originals back to them for safe keeping. Then, I don't have to worry about losing anything, or not getting back to it's owner.

I got a nice packet from Emily Hassenger on Tuesday and as soon as the items are photo copied as well as scanned into digital form for possible web site use, I will be mailing the packet back to her. ALL OF YOU, PLEASE, send me anything you can find in the way of photos or articles and I promise you will get them back in less than 10 days in perfect condition. If you will write a little story about the photo(s), it makes it easier for me to put them on the web site with your story. Also, the same material will be mounted on poster boards for display for those who don't have internet access (and I hope that is a very small number). I only have 44 names for both school in the email directory. Surely there are double that number out of the two schools with over 125 graduates between them. If you can help me out with a friend's email from the master list, or you look at the copy list on this email and don't see them there, please send them to me. I want as many as possible to get these emails. There will be much fewer letters sent out between now and April 16th for a number of obvious reasons.

Music will be provided by yours truly, with four CD's already filled with songs from the "Fablous Fifties" and even into the late 40's. Check out the music link from the home page of www.mtbrook55.com and these actual songs you will be hearing the night of the reunion. Not every one of them will be played, as some were not such big hits, but I have already selected about 120 songs from these years and recorded them on CDs. With my commercial sound system, we should have some great music to hear while we relive old times and great memories of our days in grammar school.

On another issue, what to do during the day of April 16th. Our first plan was to have a picnic on the grounds of Mt. Brook School at noon (or in the school lunchroom if they will open it up and allow that - - - or in the picnic area next to the lunchroom outside). Now we hear that there is a chance Mt. Brook School may celebrate their 75th school anniversary on that same day, and if that's the case, we'll have plenty to do in the afternoon before our joint party that night.

Crestline folks are talking about a brunch at someone's house and details of that will be firmed up and sent out with a future newsletter (both email and regular mailing).

There has even been some talk of private gatherings on Friday night, but nothing firmed up about that. Some of us coming in from distant cities, will be arriving Friday so as not to miss lunch and other activities and would be free for a small gathering at a restaurant or something just on an optional basis with everyone paying for themselves that evening. On Saturday, the catered party at the Birmingham Club will have a charge on the order of $50 a person (maybe a few dollars less) and that also will be determined when we set the menu. That will be firmed up later.

That's about it for now. Please help me with missing addresses or emails if you can. See web list for those we need help with.

Best regards,
M.D. Smith