Invitiation Letter, June 10, 2004

Dear Class of ’79,

Amazing how time flies! The reunion committee is excited about our plans for a 25th reunion the weekend of July 30th – August 1st, and we’ve been working hard to organize the details.

We’re capitalizing on the success of our 20th reunion by planning similar events this time. We will have a Low Country Boil at the home of Oliver Schroder’s parents at the Isle of Hope on Friday night, return to the SCPS campus for a family picnic on Saturday, celebrate with a semi-formal party on Saturday night at the Desoto Hilton, and worship together at Savannah Christian Church on Sunday morning. We believe that this variety of activities will provide something for everyone, and we are pleased that we have even reduced expenses slightly from our last reunion!

Please complete the enclosed reservation form and send it to Wendy by July 15th. You may attend any or all of the activities, but of course, we’d love to see you at everything! Additionally, we’re requesting your help finding some of our MIA’s. If you have any contact information on the classmates on the enclosed sheet, please let us know.

We have updated our Class of ’79 web site, so please check it out at www.savcps.com. (Click on Alumni at the top of the home page.) You can register for our 25th reunion, find current contact information for classmates, and read about our 20th reunion. If you have old pictures, stories, or other memorabilia to contribute for the web site or for display at the reunion, please submit them to Wendy at scps79@aol.com or mail them to 6 Davenport Lane, Savannah, GA 31419. They will be returned at the reunion.

One more thing . . . many of you are aware that Savannah Christian has developed a long-range plan to redevelop the Chatham Parkway campus. Already, new athletic fields are being added and we will break ground on an Athletic/Fine Arts Complex very soon. A new upper school is planned, allowing us to close the DeRenne Campus and to reunite the entire school on one beautiful campus. The Class of ’79 now has a golden opportunity to provide leadership in the drive to ensure Savannah Christian has a strong and inspiring future. The Capital Campaign Committee is challenging parents and Alumni to consider pledg- ing $5000, the equivalent of one year’s tuition for one student, over a three year period. So far, members of the reunion committee have pledged nearly $12,000, but we have only just begun! We would love our class to set an example in sacrificial giving for other classes to follow. If you would like to join us in this effort, please complete the enclosed pledge card.

We are very excited about our 25th reunion and eagerly look forward to seeing you there!

Class of ’79 Reunion Committee

The SCPS Class of '79 Twentieth Reunion was an incredible experience, beginning with the Low Country Boil Friday night at Marie Peltier Fogarty's house. We couldn't have been in a more beautiful location, and the weather couldn't have been any better.

It was a good thing we had nametags! Not that any of us have changed, right? ... it's just that some of us have lousy memories. Chris, what a classy entrance! Loved the limo ... next time, give the reunion committee a ride and we'll make sure you make it into the slide show. Anyway, Marie and her husband Dan were wonderful hosts, and the evening only got better as it went along, culminating in some water ballet when Oliver & Company decided it was time for a swim. Guys, we've got you on camera. Pay up.

The Saturday picnic was special because we got to see the kids many of you have been busy making for the past twenty years! It sure was great to be back on campus ... to stand under the Senior Tree and remember ... the ... way ... we ... were. (I feel a song coming on.) After a wonderful barbecue lunch, Coach Kelley took us on a tour of the school. We wandered through the high school building and saw the desk with Shawn Appleby's name carved on it. We watched our kids bang the doors on our old lockers. We wandered through the gym and looked at all the old team pictures and took photos of each other next to "our" trophies ... ah, the glory days! Then on to the new building with dozens of new computers stacked in the hallway and then to Eden ... we have every reason to be proud of SCPS!!!

We barely had time to recover from the picnic before it was time for the Big Kahuna! The Harbor Room at the Desoto Hilton was beautiful with windows looking out over the city and harbor. I could hardly take it all in. White tables with beautiful flower centerpieces, plenty of incredible food, Savannah Christian memorabilia lying around everywhere... and a very special table honoring Mike Gradick and Kathy Warren with white roses laid beside their pictures. It was exhilarating to finally be there, and you have to admit, we all looked darn good Saturday night! Top it off with some old 70s music, and it was a glorious evening.

The program was lots of fun, with David Little giving away "Certificates by Zip" to those who had accomplished major feats since high school. Let's see... Lisa Bagwell Buffington deserved the You've Come a Long Way, Baby Award, both for traveling the farthest and for being married the loooongest! Barry Sutlive and Greg McGinty won the Old Lady in the Shoe Award for being so prolific, with 4 kids each. Wade McDonald is our Most Recent Parent, and I believe he's working on another! Kelley Oetgen was in full bloom, expecting her first child and looking beautiful. She won the Last Hold Out Award for being the last to start a family. Greg McGinty jumped in for one last award, the Dirty Diaper Award, for having the youngest child.

After the awards, we gave away door prizes for answering trivia questions about the 70s, then experienced a really neat surprise as Mr. McGinty walked in and shared some funny and poignant memories of our class. Exactly how many of you DID he paddle??? And anyone want to confess to being in that driverless car that left school at lunchtime? (I think I know!!!) After such a special time with Mr. McGinty, the only thing that could possibly compare was the slide show of pictures from our high school days set to music. Did you catch the words to the songs while you were laughing at the good ole' days? "And I've loved these days, All we've been through, And I'd just like to say I'm so glad it's been you. Here's one more song from the heart, For the laughter and the tears, After all these years." The words still bring tears to my eyes.

Sunday morning worship was just the icing on the cake for our reunion. Savannah Christian Church welcomed us with open arms and made our class feel very special. Nelson Wilkinson, Susie Tanner Pohl, William Collins and I sang a song about our hunger to experience God more deeply... it was very meaningful to us. The pastor preached about how important close friendships are and how we should be committed to supporting and loving each other in small groups. I felt like he was talking straight to our class, and I caught a vision for how we might make our reunion last a lot longer than just one weekend. At the end of the service, each of us received a gift bag from the church, which I thought was an appropriate symbol, since the entire weekend was a priceless "gift" for so many of us.

Those of you who attended our reunion know that the experience was wonderful beyond what we could have imagined. Those of you who missed it, we want you to know that we talked about you. J But you haven't missed your chance, because this reunion will go on, via this web site and through more mini and mega reunions in the future. So jump right in . . . we've only just begun!