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Written by Skip Roberts
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Monday, 09 March 2009 |
It is now time to start planning to see old friends and perhaps meeting some classmates whose faces and names are a distant memory. Whether you were at the 40th or have not been since the 10th, it’s now time for organizing our 45th reunion in September. The official reunion dates 10 through 13 September 2009 have been approved at West Point. Based upon surveys and comments from the 40th, we have again chosen to stay at West Point in the Thayer, with an overflow to the Fort Montgomery Holiday Inn. Local shuttle bus service will be provided and other local accommodation options will be offered.
Here is our reunion schedule so far:
Thursday, 10 September
Hotel/Reunion Check-In (3PM)
Welcome gathering at Hotel Thayer (4PM)
Friday, 11 September
Reveille Run/Walk
Tours of new facilities at West Point (specifically new Library and Gym)
Lunch at Ike Hall
Superintendant Briefing
Class Meeting
Memorial Service
Cookout at the Thayer
Saturday, 12 September
Reveille Run/Walk
Cadet Review
Lunch in Mess Hall
Football Game (Vs Duke)
Dinner at the Thayer
Sunday, 13 September
Breakfast, Chapel
Organ Recital at Cadet Chapel
Departure
The first order of business is to organize and reserve rooms at the Thayer and other local hotels. Rooms are already on hold for us. We will not have a mad phone-in drill like we did for the 40th. Instead, we will ask you for your preferences first. If your preferences equal the room availability, we will notify each of you to follow up with a call to the appropriate hotel. If your requirements exceed the availability of rooms, your committee will conduct a lottery to determine room/hotel assignments. We hope to have all rooms assigned and reserved by the end of April. Because of the limited availability at the Thayer, each Classmate may only reserve 1 room at the Thayer.
Please send specific room handicap requirements to Skip Roberts at
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and to Dan Evans at
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(Note: Skip is off on vacation until April 14th so make sure you notify both.)
Call Skip to talk at (703) 250-7026 (after 14 April).
For those of you planning to camp out at Round Pond please let me know. The West Point Camp areas are controlled and managed by the military. Your committee will work out the specifics.
Here are the daily reunion room rates (minus tax) for the hotels (10-13 September). We are assuming double occupancy. The rates apply also for singles alone in a room. For those singles who want to share a room, let me know and we’ll work out the details. Note that the Thayer has a number of large double connected rooms in the South Wing that share a bath – these are ideal for families.
Thayer – Main Building - $205
Thayer – South Wing (old drag area, but remodeled) - $190
Thayer – South Wing (two rooms, bath in middle) - $240
Holiday Inn - $190
Holiday Inn Suites - $210
Highland Falls Motels - $150
As we did at our 40th, shuttle bus service will be available from the Holiday Inn and Highland Falls establishments.
Some of you may desire to stay in the Newburgh/Stewart Airport area at the Homewood Suites. Your committee did not coordinate with them, but if you want a lower room rate, feel free to call them direct at 1-845-567-2700. Ask for the senior rate, it was advertised in the $130s. A word of caution; on football weekends you could be on the road for a good hour.
A number of folks have asked for an estimate of other reunion costs. In addition to the hotel (and we’ll have firmer figures for you in the April/May timeframe) plan on about:
· $50 per person registration (buses, administration, etc.)
· $100 per Classmate for basic reunion issue/memorabilia.
· $300 per person for lunches (Fri/Sat), drink and food for reception, dinners (Fri/Sat), continental breakfasts.
Additional activities will occur prior to the reunion (7-10 September). There will be daily golf and tennis outings as well as tours to New York City and the local Hudson Valley area.
Here are some specifics and planning costs for pre-reunion activities. A number of Classmates will be arriving as early as Monday the 7th (Labor Day). We have a full slate of activities, but need a head count in order to finalize plans and compute costs. Specific golf instructions will follow in a separate letter. Here’s our plan so far:
Monday – you’re on your own, some folks are planning for golf at the West Point Course. Dinner on your own.
Tuesday –
Golf at West Point (about $55 – members and retirees a bit lower).
Day trip to New York City (bus, museum and lunch about $100).
Tennis – TBD.
Dinner on your own.
Wednesday –
Golf at Branton Woods, about an hour away in Connecticut (Harvey Fraser’s course). Plan on about $125 which includes bus transportation.
Day trip to nearby Hudson Valley estate/museum and lunch. Plan on about $75 for this. Tennis – TBD.
In the evening, we are planning a tour, Happy Hour and dinner at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. With bus transportation, you can plan on about $125 per person.
Thursday –
Golf at Garrison Golf Club (about $80 with lunch).
Day trip to Constitution Island or other local museum/site and lunch at the Thayer (about $50 per person – bus, boat, food).
Tennis – TBD.
Hotel Info – Monday through Wednesday night - Recommend we use the Thayer at $175 for the main building and $155 for the south wing. The rates at the Holiday Inn are about the same (no savings). If you want to use the Highland Falls hotel, plan on about $125.
For the most part, golf activities are locked in. However, we do need head counts for our golf planning committee. The same goes for the day trips and tennis. Costs will vary based upon our head count. For those folks who just want to tour by themselves and leisurely enjoy the West Point area, we will have a number of ideas for you at the Thayer when you check in.
In order to get the ball rolling, we now need each of you to go the following URL, complete the survey and hit submit. You will not need a password.
http://www.west-point.org/surveys/index.php?sid=75773&newtest=Y&lang=en
As mentioned earlier in this message, please include Dan Evans on any e-mail traffic generated because of questions within the survey.
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Recommend you print a copy of the survey for your records.
We need this survey/questionnaire completed by the 17th of April. It is important that you indicate if you intend to arrive early in the week and if you intend to partake in any of the pre-reunion activities. Don’t worry about the main reunion activities; we’ll take care of this at a later date. Our main concern with this drill is to develop hotel room requirements and to develop a head count for pre-reunion activities.
Thank you. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible this September.
Warm regards,
Skip Roberts and Your Reunion Committee
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 22 July 2009 )
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