President's Message April 202

New Date for 2021 Reunion - October 22 and 23 - Be there!

Classes of 1970 and 1971 storm back for their 50^th Legacy Commemoration

(not to mention the classes of ‘65/’66, ‘60/’61, ‘55/56’, ‘50/’51, ‘45/’46 …. and all other classes in between, along with staff, faculty, family and friends!!)

“Delayed” is preferable to “Never” Danish Proverb

As with everything, there’s a bit of a back-story as to why we had to delay this year’s reunion one week further into Oct rather than our usual slot of one week after the Columbus Day weekend.

After postponing the 2020 Lenox School Reunion until 2021, the Lenox Club had slotted a wedding on the 2021 date of 16 OCT.

We looked at engaging other venues for our traditional dinner, but frankly found that the cost and other factors would likely be prohibitive. We even looked at engaging with Shakespeare and Company to use one of their large spaces to have a caterer come in and hold the dinner right there. However, finding a suitable caterer still in business that could pull off a sit down dinner (with S&Co having no kitchen to utilize) also became a triumph of hope over reason.

Thus, we opted to accept holding the reunion on one week later than usual. Our apologies for any scheduling/booking problems that this change may have created, but as you can see, there really was no other choice but to move the date. Heck after a year’s delay, what’s one more week!?!?!

“One day you’ll tell your story of how you’ve overcome whatever you went through. And your story will become part of someone’s survival guide.” Unattributed

All Lenox alums should be of an age that we have received or are about to receive the vaccine. Terrific! The days of reaching for whatever that sketchy looking thing is in the fridge for dinner, rather than chancing a trip to a grocery store, are ending. Anxiety over toilet paper - cancelled.

Thanks to this insidious virus, we have had to endure some grotesque hybrid form of suspended social animation/hibernation; and not without withering and heart wrenching losses. We have lost cherished members, friends and family while having been relegated to connecting only virtually, starved of the physical. As survivors, we shall remember those we lost. But as survivors, we’re also hopefully stronger for the gauntlet we went through. 

One feels the shift back to something better. As the country emerges from this annus horribilis, it is clear that there exists a significant pent up desire and demand to start emulating the more normal times of the past. This reunion represents just that. It not only brings together the last two classes to matriculate from Lenox School, it also heralds our ability to survive and carry on. So now, we shall meet again!

“We will be known forever by the tracks we leave” Native American Proverb

The tracks we will leave to posterity regarding Lenox School, its legacy and history will be found largely through the Lenox School Website project. The Lenox Website project has been marching forward and I am pleased to report that through the efforts of Randy Harris and the consent of the LSAA board, we have engaged Keith Simpson ’70 to start the digitization process of Pen & Scrolls as well as the remaining year books that have not already been done.

Once the Pen & Scrolls and yearbooks are completed, we’ll move onto digitizing the balance of what represents the school over the years: the Lenox School Story video, images of the school memorabilia, important documents, white papers, etc.

This will be a giant accomplishment as the website when finished will carry the unique story of a most unique school, its history, the story of the founders, the faculty, and of course, the story of all of you.

“Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving”

Warren Buffet

As you’ll see in the Treasurer’s Report, missing a reunion has put a bit of a strain on our operating expenses, but I am very proud to say that we have managed to remain true to our motto of service and maintained our donations and scholarships throughout this past challenging year. We also are continuing our engagement with the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation to raise the funds that will support the website and donations/scholarships to all live on into the future. We’ll have a detailed report regarding this at the reunion, along with what I believe will be a very exciting related announcement.

“Sometimes you have to accept the fact that certain things will never go back to how they used to be.” Unattributed

Well, if there is anything that more glaringly reinforces this quote, it surely must be the fact that the Cork & Hearth restaurant is converting from our yearly Friday night après golf tournament dinner spot, to a recreational marijuana store. In unrelated news, the future orders for Cheetos, Doritos, Oreos, Pop Tarts, potato chips and brownies in the Berkshires appear to be increasing.

Nevertheless, this compels us to seek a new Friday night spot for our post golf get together (although for those of you who look to the Roman, Greek or Norse gods - we’re going to have to appeal to Odin to take a break so that Aestas might produce an “Indian Summer” this late in Oct for golf). But hey, it’s the Berkshires, so the chances for snow, rain or warm sunny days are all possible!

And in other more close-to-the-heart, relevant “things never being what they used to be” news - Monks Hall and the Coop were razed at the end of December and the beginning of January in order to make way for S&Co outdoor performance venues. Both were in fairly advanced disrepair, and their removal doubled the square footage per acre available for outdoor performances that S&Co desired to utilize.

The removal allowed S&Co to successfully appeal to the town for utilization of the newly liberated space for these types of performances (which Town ordnances would otherwise not have allowed).  In fact, the LSAA assisted S&Co by providing them with a Letter of Support for the project along with historical information on each building that was used in the Town-approval process.  An article about the buildings and another on how they were a manifestation of Rev. Monks’ ‘Element of Unostentatious Surroundings’, a key principle of the Lenox School experience, are provided in this edition. 

Stay tuned - in the Reunion Pen & Scroll following this one, we’ll need a good count from the reunion response form this year to give not only to the caterer for the luncheon at S&CO and dinner at the Lenox Club Saturday 23 OCT; but also to whichever establishment is lucky enough to have us descend upon them for the evening of Friday the 22^nd of OCT after golf (or skiing or whatever the Berkshires serves up that day).

Speaking of which, did I mention that the new date for the 2021 Lenox School Reunion is 23 October?!?!

23 October 2021 - Save the Date!  Be there or … (you know the rest)….