MASTERPLAN
Coming home to our roots
by Angeline Warren
C
ousins arrived from Dayton, Ohio, for a pre-reunion dinner. This gets us in the mood and we anticipate how good the Warren Family Reunion will be in Rocky Mount and Spring Hope, North Carolina. We started to set up and decorate at noon on Friday. It is so much fun because everyone can help and use their talents and gifts. Edwina Peaden set up the General Store Display. We added special touches. Our colors were red and white: centerpieces, balloons and a framed picture display of our marvelous seniors and other relatives. Our Friday evening Meet ‘n’ Greet was held in the hotel ballroom with light snacks. Everyone was given t-shirts to wear on Saturday, and we gave out door prizes: CDs, family photo frames, mugs, mini photo books, keychains. photo albums and gifts from a cousin’s visit to China. All the children were given piggy banks with a gold coin, encouraging them to open a savings account.
Warren family members in their reunion t-shirts designed by Tripp Turtle at Bread & Butter in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
all our Super Seniors. Thirteen marvelous seniors were present, the oldest 93 years old. Dr. Joyce Roland talked about health history and issues important to discuss with family members. Relatives talked about how they used to clear the land and farm, how home remedies were used
her aunt Annie Bee Pulley. We asked for contributions to preserve the Legacy of Blount Warren and presented them during the tour. She was very moved and touched by the gesture of love from our family. Sunday we attended Metropolitan Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, where our cousin Ada Pulley worships, followed by Sunday dinner. TIME TO RELAX
The Warren-Pulley Family Reunion
I am always so excited when I finally get the photo album of all the pictures and can sit down and just relive the event through pictures! During the reunion I have no time to take any pictures. Remember to take some time for yourself during the reunion. Or stay for an extra day just to do this. You will need it, believe me. Happy Reunion Planning! Our Warren-Pulley Family Reunion 2008 will be held in Denver, Colorado, hosted by cousins Elizabeth McDonald, Scott McDonald, Reginald Pulley and Keith Pulley. Reported by Angeline Warren, Carrboro, North Carolina.
REUNION DAY
We had 59 family members on reunion day in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Willie Mae Blount, Program Coordinator and Mistress of Ceremonies, put together a great program that included a Welcome, a Hymn and Scripture reading and Prayer. A cousin lit three candles: the first represents ancestors who paved the way and are no longer with us; the second represents those of us present today; the third is for the new generation growing up. We called the names of relatives deceased since the last family reunion. We recognized all our graduates and then 20
R E U N I O N S ❖ reunionsmag.com
and how some can be used today. At our business meeting we decided that reunions will be held every year and we changed our name to Warren-Pulley Family Reunion. We caravanned to Spring Hope, North Carolina, to see the Blount Warren Estate, home place on Webb’s Mill Road. Several cousins said this was their favorite part of the reunion! They were glad they could see the place where Ara Warren Pulley and James Wiley Warren lived. Their granddaughter, Willie Mae Blount, purchased the last 18 acres from
Warren Relatives visiting the old home place of James Wiley Warren, Sr. in Spring Hope, North Carolina.