Milestone reunions

30 Years Class of 1992

No. It can’t be. Meeting after 30 years? Meeting during the pandemic? Meeting during rumours of, and then an actual, war? Impossible! And yet it happened. We the class of 1992, also known as RIOT, pulled off what some say is the reunion of the century. Ok, maybe it’s only we RIOTeers who say it. But it’s true!

The Class of 1992 (RIOT) met in Istanbul, Turkiye, from August 13-18, 2022, for our 30-year reunion. The planning began months in advance to fix dates, the venue, and the itinerary. Any apprehensions that anyone may have had about meeting classmates after 30 long years were quickly brushed aside through what turned out to be an amazingly fun and meaningful time (perhaps it was fun because it was meaningful). We began with a welcome dinner in a beautiful rooftop restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus. We ended with an all-expenses paid farewell dinner in the Four Seasons, from an anonymous benefactor (if you are reading this, thank you!). The days in between were punctuated with several group lunches and dinners coupled with the freedom to “do your own thing.” We visited mosques including the beautiful Hagia Sophia. We visited the Basilica Cistern. The Topkapi Palace and Museum. The “Asian” side. Some of us went to the Prince’s Island on a 1.5-hour ferry ride. Some also went to a famous club that sadly didn’t have a dance floor! Best of all, we spent an afternoon at a pool party in our classmate Barry’s sister’s home (Kathleen Hawthorne, class of 1990 and current Woodstock General Body Member). We all agreed that day was the best! But mostly we hung around together, hearing wonderful stories, admiring how each other had grown. And all this strangely without jealously or pride.

Leaving Istanbul we were tired but grateful and blessed. Many confessed that this trip was both a memorable and a healing time. We ended with the hope to meet more often. Ten years was too long to wait to reconnect with long lost friends. Friends who were long lost no more.

Nigel Ajay Kumar

56 Years Class of 1966

The class of 1966 had an “in-person” reunion for their 56th year, as they did not feel safe having their 55th last year due to the Covid pandemic.

Fourteen classmates and several spouses made their way to Amicalola State Park Lodge at the beginning of the Appalachian Trail. See Jottings for more details and photographs.