Summer 2017 and October Reunion

“Sometimes you have to lose your way to get back home.” Tagline from the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

A perfect segue for asking the classes of ‘47, ‘52, ‘57, ‘62, and ’67 – “O Brothers, Where Art Thou!?!”  The reunion looms large in Oct (13 and 14 OCT) and it is time to get back home to Lenox for your legacy reunion!

“Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” Winston Churchill. I want to respectfully present the following corollary:

 “There is nothing in life that is as exhilarating as going under your first overpass in a new RV without result.” R. J. Sansone.

Let me explain – for some years my wife and I have discussed getting an RV and visiting the national parks. Well, that bucket list item came to fruition this May as we traveled from CT to CA and back, hitting as many National Parks as possible on the way.

Seven thousand + miles later and over 40+ days on the road allows one time to reflect on many things. To be honest, it did not dominate my thoughts, but during the rare, quiet times, the prospect of the upcoming reunion surfaced, along with reflections on the stunning attendance we experience and enjoy every year (all for a school that has been closed longer than it was open!). 

I have heard many descriptions by attendees over the years for this turnout – gratifying, joyful, inexplicable, stunning, improbable, reconnecting, mystifying, spectacular, resolving, closure, tremendous, cleansing, etc. One thing is certain; it has become “the event” in Lenox now for that particular weekend. 

“No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” Alfred North Whitehead.

We owe a great and continuing debt of gratitude to our friends at Shakespeare & Co for allowing us the use of their facilities, as well as allowing us to revisit the campus we called home while at Lenox for our reunions. Can you imagine a reunion anywhere else  but on our old campus?

 

I say this every year but it bears repeating – we could not be more fortunate than to have them as stewards of what was our campus. They welcome us warmly every year, facilitate and participate in our events, and feel a shared connection with us to the grounds we once walked as students. Our history is part of their history.

“It's a thing to see when a boy comes home.” John Steinbeck, “The Grapes of Wrath”.

The Lenox reunion is like coming home for the boys of Lenox. With that in mind, we try to ensure that the reunion is filled with as many meaningful events for everyone - returning masters, staff, alums, family, and friends of Lenox School. 

Every year we end up with an absolutely full house, so please send in your response form as soon as possible so we can arrange the necessary logistics to ensure a great reunion for you. 

While the following is covered in more detail in the response form, here is a brief review: 

We start with the yearly McGee golf tournament on Friday; which is followed by an informal pay as you go dinner at the Cork and Hearth. 

Saturday will commence with the business meeting in the morning; followed by our ceremonial Lenox School flag-raising and a luncheon in Tina Packer Playhouse (formerly our old gym). The early afternoon is open for a campus tour and update courtesy of our good friends at Shakespeare & Co.

How could you have a reunion without reprising our shared experience of the hymn sing at Trinity!?! The answer is you can’t. And thus we trod up the hill yet again at 5:00 PM (for those of us still able to trod) after 45+, 50+ 55+ ??+ years or so to see how our voices have held up.  And yes, we still stomp our feet if hymn 562 is selected.

The hymn sing is followed by a short cocktail reception at the Lenox Club from 6:00 – 6:30, which is then followed by a reading of the Lenox School prayer, the missing person ceremony, comments by masters, dinner, announcement of the golf winners, and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

One of the things that gets asked at nearly every reunion (and frankly has been fairly well answered through the White Paper we have on the website thanks to Randy Harris ‘68) is how did our school go out of business.

Every time I hear this, I am reminded of a quote attributed to one of the characters in Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” when asked how he went bankrupt, he replied – “Two ways - gradually and then suddenly.

” 

There are a number of things that impinged upon the school’s closure. While it may be interesting to understand the specifics of the issues involved; rather than dwell on that part of our history, I think we’re better served to celebrate the fact that the Lenox School Band of Brothers returns each year (in numbers quite astounding) to honor that school, the selfless masters and staff and what it meant to attend.

 

 

My suggestion is that you plan early and get your arrangements made. Come see the incredible memorabilia displays we have in two buildings on the grounds; the historical marker about Lenox School placed near St Martin’s and join us for the camaraderie and fellowship that exists every year.

Lenox School Reunion - Oct 13 and 14 – save the dates!!!