On December 31, 2003, a small group of TEHS Alumni gathered for what marked the beginning of the founding of a Tredyffrin-Eastown High School Alumni Association. This was NOT and is NOT an effort to eliminate Class Reunions and this was NOT and is NOT simply a Committee to plan an All-Alumni Reunion. The goal of this group, which has now been expanded, was and is to act as a sort of Steering Committee during the formation of an Alumni Association. The Mission of the Alumni Association will be to maintain and foster relationships among a diminishing number of people who attended the now defunct TEHS by maintaining records of Members (Alumni), planning events, such as the first All Alumni Gathering, and to assist and support Reunion Planners in any way possible.

The very last TEHS 50th Class Reunion will be held in the Year 2005, since 1955 was the very last Class to graduate before the School was closed. As we all grow older, we find that there are fewer and fewer of us left from each Class to attend our Reunions, and even to plan them. Another phenomenon that occurs, as we grow older, is that we tend to become more interested in remembering old friends and old days. Still another phenomenon of growing older is that age disparities become increasingly unimportant. In addition, the inclusion of multiple family members, the inter-class marriages, the relatively small sizes of the Classes at T.E., and the closeness of the students all contribute to the simple fact that most of us are well acquainted with other T.E. Alumni from different graduating Classes. When considering all of the above, it would seem that a gathering of all Alumni would be well received by most as a wonderful way to renew and continue such acquaintanceships. What better time to start than with a Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the last Class to graduate!

An All Alumni Gathering will not replace Class Reunions. These Class Reunions celebrate the accomplishments of the Class itself, generally in increments of 5 or 10 years. The 50th Reunion of the Class of 1955 needs to be celebrated unto itself, as do the 55th Reunion of the Class of 1950 and the 60th Reunion of the Class of 1945, etc. (YES! There are Alumni who graduated before 1945.). Wouldn’t it be great if they could all be celebrated in conjunction with a gathering of all Alumni? Our first effort, then, has been to coordinate a first All Alumni Gathering with any Reunions planned or to be planned for 2005. The Class of 1955 has picked Saturday, October 1, 2005, as the date for its 50th Reunion. As a result, we are planning our Event for the afternoon of that date.

One of our first steps has been to enlist Class Representatives for each graduation year. The Class Representatives would ideally be the people who have been planning Class Reunions in the past. However, this is not a prerequisite. A strong interest in the School and a willingness to help are most important. Particularly in the earlier years, the Class Representative need not necessarily be a member of the Class he is representing.

The Advisory Committee then developed working committees, made up of Class Reps, each chaired by a Member of the Advisory Committee, to carry out its Mission. One of these working committees, the Membership Committee, is already hard at work developing and maintaining a database of all Alumni. Much of this information is available in the hands of the people who have been planning Class Reunions over the years. Our objective is to be sure it is not lost from year to year, in the event contact is lost with the individual who has the information.

Another working committee, the Events Committee, charged with the task of planning any All Alumni Gatherings and coordinating with the Class Representatives of the Reunion Years, is also hard at work, selecting a venue, and working on a program of activities, etc. We are hopeful that the date, selected to coincide with the 1955 Class Reunion, will be identified as TEHS Alumni Day, and that the first weekend in October will be identified as such year after year.

In addition the Finance Committee is hard at work trying to figure out ways to pay for all of this and to oversee any funds that might be received and disbursed by the Association, separate from the Class Reunion funds.