Celebrating the Blue and Grey past…

Last weekend, the South Gwinnett Class of 1992 gathered at the 1818 Club in Duluth, GA for a 20-year Class Reunion.  So many of those who gathered have said much regarding the Party that happened and everyone I have heard from that was there had a great time.  Even though I did say my peace last Saturday night, I wanted to provide an extended take on the events of the evening.

(1) Some wonderful surprises on who could attend.  Even though I had a good idea of who was coming in advance, there were some last-minute surprises.  The Smith twins (Mark and Brian) were great to see.  Another former Band of Stars member showed up, and it was great to see Todd Peck again after not hearing from him in a long time (thank you Natalie Wilson Faulkner for tracking your friend down).  And Miles Daniel was another pleasant last-minute surprise attendee, even though he declined to wear a name tag.

(2) Great pictures all around.  Everyone took great pictures throughout the evening, capped off by the group pictures.  I took several pictures myself, and thankfully most of them turned out well.  My personal favorites were two pictures taken by Kim Julian’s date for the evening.  The picture of all Four Georgia Scholars from our Class, and the Picture of 4 of the 8 Focus members from Britt Elementary School were two pics I had wanted the moment I heard Kim, Laurie (Vickery) Benesh, Beth (Fitzpatrick) Smith, and John Brown were attending.  It made the whole evening worth it for me.

(3) A great job of organizing.  Laurie and Jennifer (Jackson) Cramer did a great job of making sure the night went smoothly.  Callie (Waters) Kaiser was able to find an available night at the 1818 Club.  Wendi (Jones) Pierce and John were able to organize hotel rooms for the out-of-town guests.  Finally, Beth and Stephanie (Rutledge) Virag organized the Memory Table and did such a great job of bringing back windows to our past.

(4)  Just great conversations all around.  Families and life after South dominated the conversation as many of us talked about kids, jobs, and even a few walks down Memory Lane were overheard.  Mostly, it was about reconnecting with old friends and sharing laughs, hugs, and smiles.  It brought the best out in all of us.

The only regret I have is that my wife, Liz, could not join me down in Duluth.  She would have loved meeting more of my friends that she hadn’t met before.  Maybe at the next Reunion, Liz will be able to come with me.

We missed those of you who could not attend.  You would have had a wonderful time, and hopefully all the accolades you have heard from other classmates will convince you to join us at the next Reunion whether it is 2017 for the 25th or 2022 for the 30th.  John is right:  You will have a great time.

(P.S.  Oh in case anyone is interested, I saved the name tag files from the Reunion in the hopes of jump-starting anyone’s efforts to put together the 25 or 30-year name tags.  If anyone would like to work on the name tags, I will do what I can to help you reduce the work load.)

While many of you focusing on trivial stuff such as Chick-Fil-A’s beliefs…

Tonight could mark the fifth night of the worst unrest in the LA Area since the LA Riots… and almost NO ONE is paying attention to it outside of folks in LA.

Here is the story, courtesy of the LA Times:

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Simmering tensions in the wake of two deadly police shootings in Anaheim exploded into violence Tuesday night as protesters clashed with police outside City Hall even as officials voted to ask federal authorities to investigate the killings that have rocked the Orange County community.

Protesters hurled rocks, traffic cones and other objects at police clad in riot gear as officers chased people along sidewalks and streets throughout the evening and fired less-than-lethal projectiles into crowds after giving a dispersal order. Sirens wailed as officers formed skirmish lines and police from neighboring law enforcement agencies provided assistance.

Police said that at least five people were arrested on suspicion of assault and resisting arrest, and that a reporter from the Orange County Register was struck by a rock as angry crowds stood face to face with officers in tense standoffs. Fires were started in dumpsters, and at least one storefront had its windows broken as the skirmishes continued into the night.

The chaotic scene marked the fourth day of protests since officers shot two men to death over the weekend, outraging residents concerned about police conduct in Anaheim's heavily Latino core.

Joel Mathew Acevedo was shot and killed after he fired at an officer Sunday night. A day earlier, Manuel Angel Diaz was killed after running from police on Anaheim's east side. Five people have died in police shootings in the city this year.

On Tuesday, Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait called for both state and federal investigations, in addition to an ongoing probe by the Orange County district attorney's office. The FBI announced Tuesday it would review Diaz's shooting to see whether it warranted a civil rights investigation.

At the City Council meeting, people surrounded the council chamber to speak out about the accusations of police brutality. Many were turned away from the packed chamber.

The council voted to ask the U.S. attorney's office to launch a probe.

"To the people in the city that are troubled about what happened," Tait said at the meeting, "I'd like to tell you that I am committed to keeping the lines of communication open and to keep the process completely transparent."

(story continues at www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0725-anaheim-shooting-20120725,0,170227,full.story)

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So, memo to those of you who would normally be up in arms over this kind of thing… When you are finished telling people that "Anyone who eats Sh** Fil-A deserves to get the cancer that is sure to come from eating antibiotic filled tortured chickens 4Christ." (Roseanne Barr quote), feel free to weigh in on this controversy.