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General Classmate/Site Updates 2009-2010

Reunion Weekend Recap and Posted Pictures

Older News & General Info

(12/27/09) Back in the late summer of 2008 when I first started encouraging fellow classmates to join Facebook, it was still a relatively new concept to people our age - there were about 130 million users worldwide and it still was seemingly targeted towards younger audiences.  Since that time it has expanded into a very powerful and obviously well known social networking entity, currently with over 350 million users AND a huge amount of "older" people on it.  I did a quick search and counted over 1700 PHS alumni from the classes of 1980-1986 . . . and that's just the people who have actually registered PHS in their profiles!  Back about a year ago (December 2008) there were about 600, so the use numbers have increased rather dramatically.  It's a truly outstanding interactive way to keep in touch with family, friends and of course fellow classmates.  I will be using this rather extensively for future correspondence and strongly encourage everyone to get set up with an account.

Signing up for it is easy and completely FREE; you need not put down any credit card info or personal data other than a valid e-mail address.  During the signup process the program will walk you through setting up your profile, friends, picture postings, etc.  Even the most technologically-adverse individuals can be up and running on it in virtually no time and will find the ease of use quite appealing....and addicting!  Give it a try, and find me online using the below link:

Please note that once you've created an account there are additional PHS related group pages to access, the main one for us is titled Palatine High School Class of 1983 (thanks to Darin Pope for starting it).  I encourage you to join this group as we will use it in conjunction with this website for ongoing communications.  The nice thing with the Facebook group page is that it's much more interactive than this website!  Additionally there is a more general group page titled Palatine High School Alumni which you can access here. 

I will not use Classmates.com in the future as accessing most of its features requires you to shell out a subscription fee.  Facebook is definitely the way to go . . . oh and I did I mention that it's completely free?  If you haven't done so already, go sign up now and have fun with it!

December 27, 2009 - this is the first PHS site update in nearly a year (no joke), which though being a pretty good reflection of apathy hopefully isn't totally viewed that way!  We all have busy lives and those who want to stay in touch are doing so already . . . and let's face it, we're roughly 3½ years away from our next big reunion.  Combine all that with the success of networking sites like Facebook and you can probably understand the issue.  However, do not worry, this site will continue to be the main focal point for all Class of 1983 information and occasional important updates will be added as necessary.  Figure that you'll see much more activity starting in the summer of 2012.

We would still like to plan some "informal reunion" gatherings in the future, perhaps in conjunction with some of the other classes.  A few other classes have done this by organizing through Facebook, with the last "big" one happening January 2009 at Lamplighters.  When more of these are planned, info will be emailed out and posted here (and of course on Facebook).

I continue to receive the occasional classmate contact info updates that are added to the master database; eventually I'll update the contact page again.  If you have moved or changed email addresses, please fill out the quick form on the Classmates page - it takes just a minute and will assure you'll keep getting important updates.  Note that for privacy reasons actual contact info is NOT shared online - if you need someone's info you can request it with a simple email to me.

I've also shut down the Guestbook as it was attracting the spammer postings, plus nobody from our class has posted anything there in quite a while.  Original (non-spam) postings have been retained, and if you'd like to add something just send me a message and I'll post it for you.

In closing I'd like to put in a plug for my new business venture - McGonigal's Pub - which is planned to be open in downtown Barrington no later than March 1st of 2010.  This has been my all consuming project for the bulk of 2009 and will obviously continue for quite a while!  Once we are up and running, we'll definitely plan an "informal reunion" gathering here.  I'm also pleased to announce that this coming summer my pub will be hosting the PHS Class of 1985 25-year reunion.  Sláinte!

This is a NEW full picture, scanned from an 8x10 provided by the photographers.
Click on it for a larger version, suitable for download or printing.

CLICK HERE for the full weekend reunion write-up!

After nearly a year of work and planning by the committee, our 25 year class reunion held on July 18-19 has come and gone.  It certainly appears that everyone who attended the festivities really had a great time, and I'm sure there will be plenty of fond memories and stories to tell for years to come.  THANK YOU for helping make this reunion a success!

Pictures from Friday	Pictures from Saturday

For those of you who ordered & paid for the "Memory Book" at the reunion, you should have received your proofs back in early September, along with a 8x10 group photo.  Apparently "there were not enough orders placed to produce a memory book."  I find this rather disappointing considering that many of us paid $25 for the book and ended up receiving one overpriced picture.  I will investigate into this; though I doubt it will do any good it's worth a try to see what, if anything, we can get.

FYI, a scanned copy of the group photo is below (replaced the digital pic).

As we had reported earlier, due to an unexpected low main event turnout the committee had fallen short of meeting the banquet hall minimums.  This meant that  the committee members - who over the past year have have donated countless hours of their time putting together these events - were faced with the prospect of also having to pay the extra amount owed out of their own pockets.

I am pleased to report that thanks to the generosity of many fellow PHS classmates, we have covered our debt!  This is a true testament to what a wonderful group of people comprise the Class of 1983.  With that in mind, I would like to specifically recognize the following individuals who stepped up and "saved the day" for the committee, plus virtually assuring there will be future reunion events: 

Though the mission-critical requests are over, if you would be able to donate funds to the committee that would help us cover future reunion planning expenses, feel free to use one of the below links. 

$25 Donation	$50 Donation	You choose amount (fill in on donations page)

Several of our fellow classmates either own their own businesses or may be in the position to advertise their place of employment.  In our efforts to raise additional funds for this and future reunions, the committee would like to solicit your help.  For a $100 donation we will place an ad for your business on this website.  The ad will be listed in the Sponsors section and on the main page.  Additionally, your ad will remain on our site until you notify us to have it removed.

Funds will be used to cover administrative issues, additional expenses and future reunion-related activities.  Unfortunately ads placed are not tax-deductable, but in terms of advertising this is a very inexpensive rate and should get your business some nice exposure.  If you are interested, please contact Bryan for further information.

I'd like to thank the few people who have sent in some OLD pictures from our high school (and a few Jr. High) days.  I will be adding these to the pictures page in the 25th Reunion section.  PLEASE send in some pictures of yourself or fellow classmates - they can be recent or from the past, it doesn't matter.  You can e-mail them to me or mail them for scanning; see the pictures page for more details.

In order to best reach everyone online we have established a presence on Classmates.com, Reunion.com, MySpace, Facebook, Classreport.org and the Palatine High School alumni page.  However, you will find no new information on these sites; none of them will be updated as they all direct people to this site.  Be sure to visit www.phs1983.com often for reunion and class updates.

Advertising & Donations: our fundraising committee will be seeking opportunities, but we are happy to consider any business or individual who would like to advertise on our site - rates will be very reasonable and all proceeds go to the reunion fund.  If you are interested in submitting an ad, please contact reunion@phs1983.com for details.  Obviously any donations of money, products or services would be greatly appreciated!

A quick note on e-mail viruses (from Bryan McGonigal)...I posted this a few times in the past, but just to confirm:  NO virus or malware currently invading inboxes across the world are being spread through my e-mail or those associated with www.phs1983.com.  If you've received any odd messages that seem to be from a name with the @phs1983.com address, it's probably one of the spoof viruses on the net.  Occasionally I get one from myself, which always cracks me up!

Note that this website is maintained by committee chairman Bryan McGonigal, who also writes and posts virtually all the content.  This would be your reference point when "I" is used in some of the articles!

For additional committee and general contact information, visit the contact us page.

Send all general correspondence to reunion@phs1983.com

Thank you for visiting!

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