REUNION SPEECHES

Good evening Grady Grey Knights and Welcome to THE FABULOUS EGYPTIAN BALLROOM…
 
I want to thank all of you for being here tonight and I truly hope you enjoy spending time with both your family members and old friends. Just this past week in my little inter circle, I lost a dear neighbor to cancer and my brother lost a close friend to a heart attack. It really makes you stop and realize in our busy lives that we just have no guarantees there will be another day for us to enjoy. So the only thanks I would like to receive from all of you for my efforts in bringing you all together tonight, is for you to take this opportunity to give each of your dear friends and family members a hug and let them know how special they are to you. If you’ve had any grievances in the past, please let tonight be the night you bury that dang hatchet.
 
Now, I know that you all want to visit with one another and I promise you will have plenty of time this evening to do so. A whole lot of preparation went into organizing this massive event for you and we would like to take this opportunity to recognize those people who helped bring you to this magical evening. But, before we begin, I have just a few announcements to mention.
 
The Grady School Tour will be tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We will meet in the cafeteria and please bring cash for your lunch so we can collect it and have someone pick it up for us. 
 
Please enjoy the food prepared for you tonight by Roadshow Catering. They will be here until 9:00, so make sure you take time to eat. We will have munchies for later in the evening.
 
NO SMOKING is allowed in the ballroom or in the Fox Theatre. Smoking is only allowed downstairs on the street area, but we should have access to the outside Terrace attached to the ballroom next door, after the wedding reception, which is in progress right now is over around 10:30. The Terrace is part of their rental space so we must wait until they have left.
 
The restrooms are located upstairs but there is a handicap restroom on this level through the doors by the Grady tables in the back.
 
Mr. and Mrs. Scott Kingsley are here tonight to take our class photos which will begin at 7:15 and our DJ will be making announcements for a different class every 15 minutes. Please listen for your class announcement. There is a schedule posted on the table of the time your class photo will be made so be prepared to be over in the corner at the appropriate time.
 
Please feel free to visit the tables in the back. We have Grady Memorabilia Tables with a few mementos for you to take home with you. If you have any items you would like to share of the past, please place it on this table, but I must ask that the items not be removed from the table other than the mementos in the treasure chest. We also have a networking table for you to promote your business among all your friends and some note pads if you want to exchange numbers. If you didn’t sign the Attendance Book at the entrance, please feel free to sign it and write any comments you wish.
 
We have so many opportunities as Alumni to get involved with the needs of our Alma Mater. We have here tonight two alumni who would like to inform you of ways you can give back to the future upcoming Grey Knights….after all Grady is Forever…. And we each can have a part to play in keeping it ongoing.
 
I’d first like to introduce to you Barbara Cohen Feinberg, Class of 1964, who is here tonight with several of the foundation members. They have designed a Foundation Table for you to enjoy browsing and learning about all the things that have taken place in the past few years and any current needs of our Alma Mater.  Please take the time to visit this table and sign up as they will be giving a Grady Brick away to one of you later on in the evening.
 
I also would like to introduce to you John Williamson, Class of 1974 who is involved with Grady Talks, a great way for alumni to give back to the students at Grady with career coaching.
 
 
Well, just like anything in life that turns out truly great…..it begins with a creative idea….filled with a whole lot of hard work, encouragement and financial backing and presto…..YOU HAVE A FABULOUS NIGHT AT THE FOX THEATRE…. Let me begin by introducing to you the 2011 Alumni Committee Members. I am Mary Ann Wilson Alford, Class of 1976, Dolores Alvarez Jonusas, Class of 1972 and Mr. Sam Thompson, Class of 1973. I’d like to give a special thanks to the Class of 1973 for giving us the upfront money which allowed us to create the website that has brought us all back together. A big thank you goes out to Julia Cothran Bernath, Susan Eppley Critelli and Jack Arogeti for their efforts in planning the Class of 1971’s 40th year blow out last night at Manuels. We would also like to take a moment to thank several people who have helped us during this endeavor. Linda Kelly Smith, Class of 1976 who has helped with the catering, Donald Buttrey Class of 1974 who has helped supplied us with our audio video equipment and services for tonight, Candy Haskins Margolin, Class of 1975 who helped search out the best location for this event, and all of you who took hours of your time trying to locate class members by “spreading the good word”…..
 
I want to thank our Corporate Sponsors. Zestos who has donated $500 worth of free coupons for us to enjoy at any of their locations, Moe’s and Joe’s owned by our very own 1969 Alumni, Rick Adams, who supplied us with free wings and a great location to meet and greet last night and Woody’s Cheesesteaks for giving us a discount for our lunch tomorrow after the Grady Tour.
 
We would like to give a very special thanks to our Alumni Sponsors.  
 
Our Bronze Sponsors donated $50 or more:
 
Connie Clark, 1968
Marcia Goldberg Brown, 1971
Will Evans, 1971
Larry Irwin, 1971
Robby Guest, 1975
Rachel Pinhas, 1975
 
Jackie Arnold, 1976
Michelle Jobe Franz, 1976
Alex Mizell, 1977
 
Silver Sponsors donated $200 or more
 
Dorothy Carrillo and Tom Dell, 1963
Jack Arogeti, 1971
Susan Arnovitz Plasker, 1971
Julia Cothran and Terry Bernath, 1971
Patrick Taylor, 1971
Tony Vaughn, 1972
Bill Clark, 1975
 
I would like to ask our Gold Sponsors who donated $500 or more to come up here for a moment to be recognized for your generous financial support we would have never gotten this event up and running.
 
Dolores Alvarez Jonusas, 1972
Angelo Kliossis, 1972
Cynthia McGraw Porter, 1971
Micki McGraw Nicholson, 1973
 
At this time I would like to take a moment to give a big shout out to our most honored guest sitting at our center table. If you would please stand as I call out your name.
 
Marian Kelly; Betty Smith; Frances Galishoff, Coaches Curtis Kell and Lou Olsen;
 
Several months ago, I contacted Susie Mercer who is currently in charge of the yearbook staff at Grady. I asked her if she would be willing to help us with a project for this reunion. She, along with a few of her students, most graciously accepted the offer to help.  During our conversation, I learned from Ms. Mercer, that sometime in the past year Grady had a break-in and several vital pieces of equipment were stolen. This equipment was used to produce the yearbooks for the students and school each year. As we all know, the yearbook becomes a vital memory book for all of us as the years’ progress. It’s hard to imagine a school not being able to produce a yearbook. At the entrance tonight we placed a Grady Donations Box. The donation proceeds will go to the school to help replace this equipment. Tickets will be given out to you for prizes to be announced later for any size donation which is made, so make sure you make a donation (and please be generous). Don’t forget to get a ticket for your donation and be sure you sign your name on the back of it and put it into the box. There will be donation prizes given out throughout the evening beginning at 7:30, so listen out for your name.
 
At this time I would like to introduce to you these special guests that have worked so hard to bring us a grand presentation of our past 22 years at Grady. I’d like to introduce Ms. Susie Mercer, Krysta LaMotte, Margaret McDonald, Catlin Wade and Max Kocsisszucs (who could not be her with us tonight).
 
Good evening. My name is Krysta LaMotte and I am the editor in chief of Grady's 2011-2012 yearbook.
 
When Mary Ann reached out to us about this project, we were super excited. As current Grady students, we know that Grady would not be as great as it is today without, you, the students before us. Looking through all of the yearbooks gave us a chance to see how the hairstyles, clothes, and yearbooks themselves changed throughout the years. We feel lucky to see where Grady has been and to represent where it's going. It showed us a time when boys had sideburns, cheerleaders wore uniforms that actually covered them up, and principals could bash in cars in the name of school spirit. We hope that this slide show reminds you of some of your favorite Grady memories. For our part, we brought along some of our favorite yearbooks, we really wish we could have been in the room in 1970 when you decided on the green cover and purple mustache man.
As some of you may have heard, Grady has experienced several break ins over the last two years. Both times most of the computers in the yearbook lab were stolen. Some of you may remember when yearbooks were made entirely with these weird copy things. But these days yearbooks are completely digital. The missing computers put us in real danger of not finishing our yearbook last year. As it was, we managed to finish on time by sharing computers and by staying late night after night. Unfortunately, in these tight economic times, we're in the same boat this year; while we wait for the district to scrape together the funds to buy new computers for our lab, we'll have to keep sharing and working late in hopes of meeting our deadlines for 2012.
 To help offset costs, we will be out in the lobby where you can purchase our awesome slide show for $10. We also brought along our ad paperwork, so if you have a small business and would like to advertise in our yearbook, we would love to take your money! Also we aren't too proud for handouts, so any donations are welcome and appreciated. 
 
Again, thank you so much for letting us share this evening with you we wish you lots of luck and many more reunions to come. GO KNIGHTS!!!!
 
http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/scottkingsleyphotography/albums/events/193173/guest/cd7cb9aa252dbfa
 
PLAY VIDEO
 
I’d like to have Dolores Alvarez come up and present the senior (and I do mean, Senior) Superlative Awards which you guys nominated on the website.
 
To get this party started, I’d like to have the class members of 1971 to come up here to help celebrate their 40th year.
 
The Spirit Stick has always been a Grady tradition at our pep assemblies and in honor of your 40th year we would like to give the Class of 1971 the Spirit Stick for this rally. We also use to have a car bash many years ago, so instead of bashing a car, we have a piñata for you to bash. I’d like to give Julia or Jack the honor of bashing in the piñata in celebration of your 40th year.
 
 
LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED…..
 

Play Celebration song….