RELEASE DATE: JUNE 12, 2016
KINSEARCHING
by
Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
Although the popular reader-driven periodical, Reunions Magazine, became an online publication last year, two paper issues continue to be regularly printed annually. Spotlighting reunions in 2016, the latest hard copy (Volume 26, Number 1) is hot off the press.
As usual, the colorful issue celebrates all types of reunions—big, small, family, class, military, and those with a historical connection. Descendants of the Tuskegee Airmen, for example, met in Omaha, while descendants of Comanche chief Quanah Parker met near Palo Duro Canyon in West Texas, when a dedication ceremony for a marker concerning him and the tribe took place.
Family reunions commemorated their get-to-gathers, whether they had been occurring only a few years or more than twenty. Surnames include Benrud, Clark/Fancher, Fairley-Foskey, Hopkins-Strain, Liske, Mahoney, Moran, O’Malley, Radcliff, Sangster, Schmidt, Sheldon, and Speltz.
Articles about several long-time reunions appear in the issue. Alumni from Steilacoom School in Pierce County, Washington, and alumni of Thomas Jefferson High School in New Kensington, Pennsylvania celebrated their fiftieth anniversary while the Baccalaureate Nursing Class of the University of Buffalo in New York and the Howarter family of Kansas enjoyed their sixtieth anniversary.
Several military groups also gathered for a reunion. Among those enjoying each other’s company were the veterans of the 4th Battalion, the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment; the USS Eugene A. Greene (DD/DDR-711); and the 317th Troop Carrier Airlift. On 8-12 June, 2016, veterans of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, known as the “Big Red One,” will hold their 98th annual reunion.
Besides highlighting specific reunions, the issue includes interesting pieces useful to reunion planners. Topics include ten reasons to host a dude ranch reunion and fun “heritage” ideas to do at a reunion, such as sharing family recipes, scanning photographs, and personalizing a deck of cards with pictures of relatives. In addition, the issue contains a review of a new book about the reunion of the famous Hatfields and McCoys.
As evident in this special issue, the glossy quarterly not only continues to spotlight individual gatherings but also furnishes practical advice for reunion organizers. Annual subscriptions to Reunions are still available at the low price of $9.99 annually ($17.99 for two years). Checks should be mailed to Box 11727, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211-0727 (phone 414-263-4567; fax 414-263-6331; e-mail [email protected]). For more information, go to the website at www.reunionsmag.com .
As part of their fund-raising efforts, the National Orphans Train Complex (NOTC) is pleased to offer memorial medallions to persons who wish to commemorate deceased loved ones who were orphan train riders or their descendants. Composed of metal with engraved lettering, the medallion may be mounted on a headstone. The estimated cost is $30.00. Checks, payable to NOTC, may be mailed to NOTC, P. O. Box 322, Concordia, Kansas 66901-0322. For more details, visit their website at www.orphantraindepot.org or call 785-243-4471.