Entertaining Thousands in Harvard Yard

"My boyhood saw

Greek islands floating over Harvard Square.”

-- Horace Gregory
Chorus for Survival

Once again, I was mistaken about my opportunities having ended. My college class at Harvard and the corresponding class from Radcliffe have held combined reunions every five years since we graduated. Because I operated a small consulting firm near Harvard Square during the early years after we graduated, I was usually asked to share some of my staff to help run the reunions. The third time this happened, my role was expanded and I was asked to be the co-head of our 20^th reunion. Along with my friend Deborah Weisgall, the writer, I had the great pleasure of organizing a four-day party in 1988 that ran virtually nonstop. At one time or another we had over 3,000 people attending. And they were paying for the party. I only had to pay for my small portion, which I would have done anyway. So although it wasn’t totally for free, there was no added expense.

Naturally, another country mansion came unexpectedly into play. One of our classmates, Steve Roy, grew up near Boston where his family has a magnificent home in Cohasset on many acres facing the ocean. Steve kindly offered his family’s home for free for a field day, and we held a day filled with great conversations, races, laughs, music and boiled lobsters. A great time was had by all.

But this wasn’t my only chance to be a host to thousands. During those reunion years, a few members of each of the younger reunion classes are also asked to dress up in formal wear (for men, that means top hat and tails) and be hosts to the more than ten thousand alumni, family and friends who come to Cambridge annually for the graduation ceremonies. Because my good friend and classmate, Vic Koivumaki, worked in the university alumni office, somehow I was always selected for this gentle and pleasant task.Naturally, it cost me something to rent my formal wear (I don’t have any other need for top hat and tails), but the cost was affordable and well worth the expense.

Chances are that you went to high school and you may have also done some college or graduate school work. I’m sure your school classes have reunions and you can help direct those. If your class isn’t having reunions, you need to organize one for them!

Or, you belonged to a military unit that has reunions . . . or a labor union that has a family event once a year. My Dad didn’t make it past third grade, and he regularly helped put on reunions for his fellow Army air corpsmen from World War II. Or your company has a family day that someone needs to organize.

If your extended family doesn’t hold reunions, it should. My Dad’s family has held such an occasion in a lovely park in central Illinois for many decades. It’s always the same weekend. If you want to come, you just need to bring food for the pot luck supper. Different parts of the family organize it each year. If that’s not big enough for you, encourage other families to hold their family reunions at the same time so you can do larger scale events.

Many towns have a day when they turn a central area into a fair or block party. You can be the person who organizes that event. Many churches, temples and schools offer similar events.

What are you waiting for?

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell