"A View of the Event" - Dick Neergaard, '54
"A View of the Event" - Dick Neergaard, '54Theta Delts of the mid-'50's from the MIT charge, Theta Deuteron, gathered for an informal three-day reunion at Hilton Head Island in the last week of March, 1998. The occasion is worthy of note not because it was successful, which was to be expected, but because it was so gloriously successful. Exactly why it was so is a source of bemused wondering, as well as of warmth, to many of us who were there. The best I can do is recount the things that happened, a chronology in prose, though what we experienced ought really to be expressed in poetry.
Graduation: The word was plastics!
About two years ago, Jack Cronin, '56, was inspired to start contacting his fellow MIT Theta Delts of the mid '50's with a proposal for a reunion. Those particular classes seem to be a natural cluster, in a way beyond what mere proximity could explain, I suppose because we were bounded on one side by the veterans of the '40's, men who had actually fought in WWII or in Korea, and on the other by the children of the '60's, who had never had the opportunity to be fired in the cauldron of military service. We came of age steeped in the romantic heroism following World War II as described by its songs - bluebirds had indeed arrived over the white cliffs of Dover - but without our having had to experience the horrors of its reality. The world in front of us then was exciting, palpably revving up for take-off to a new and better future, waiting only for us to get in there and make it happen. Opportunity was everywhere ("Plastics!"). We were blessed by being in a time that allowed us to be idealistic without being revolutionary. Cynicism was unfashionable, the Cold War and The Bomb were real enough to unify but not terrify us, and served to put domestic social issues into the shadow. We could easily tell the good guys from the bad guys then, and knew that winning would bring a happy ending. Viet Nam had not yet happened.
Whether for this or for some other reason, there was a feeling of cohesiveness among this mid '50's group that made it seem quite natural to us that we get back together almost a half a century later, informally, and if only for a moment, again share our lives.
Choosing the right place
Jack launched the operation by sending out letters asking for suggestions for time, place, and scope. He got lots, supportive in concept but disparate in specifics, from which he valiantly tried to build consensus. After several attempts, it became evident that a participative approach among widely separated people wasn't going to produce an actionable plan anytime soon, so in mid-'97 Jack switched tactics and crafted a specific proposal to meet the criteria of a good resort area, located somewhere near our population's center of mass, at an out-of-season time so not overly crowded or expensive, but nevertheless offering pleasant weather. Accordingly he nominated Bermuda in March '98. The timing indeed turned out to be good for just about everyone, but the location less so, mostly because of its expense; you couldn't drive there, and out-of-season or not, accommodations were pricey. In its stead, Jack then nominated Hilton Head Island on the South Carolina coast, which was immediately chosen by acclaim. Hilton Head had an enormous advantage over Bermuda, beside cost: the Carty's Joe, '57, and Jane, lived there and had graciously volunteered to act as hosts.
Given the Hilton-Head-in-March decision, Joe and Jane picked up the ball and ran it for a touchdown. They organized, well in advance and thoughtfully, all those details that allow an event to go smoothly: they researched hotels and had blocks of rooms set aside, reserved meeting locales and caterers, solicited from us our menu choices, and made up and sent around to all a schedule of events and maps with clear directions and traffic tips. Then, for our first meeting, they opened their house to the lot of us.
We recognize one another right away - uh - more or less
Attendees numbered 23 brothers, 22 with spouses, a total of 43. Events were scheduled in the late afternoons and evenings of three days. Mornings and afternoons we were free to coalesce as we desired (and we did!) in informal groups for lunch, tennis, golf, beach activities, or excursions to nearby points of interest - Savannah, Beaufort, wildlife preserves. The scheduled events were:
Thursday March 26th: cocktails and buffet in Jane and Joe Carty's gracious home; a cheerful to the point of uproarious launch of the reunion. We were all genuinely delighted to see one another again; it was as if almost no time had passed at all, as if we were merely picking up interrupted conversations. The dynamics of a cocktail party, and the density of the group, kept us all moving smartly about, engaged in the delightful treasure-hunt of spotting this or that brother (class pictures of yore were at hand, and the new, somewhat more, er, dignified faces of the present were made more readily identifiable by Joe's providing large name tags to be stuck onto lapels). Each such encounter sparked effervescent distillations of where we'd got to over the last forty-plus years, and the recalling of a few choice undergraduate hijinks. It was amazing how quickly - in front of our very eyes - these mature, momentarily unfamiliar faces became transformed with recognition into the youthful images in our memories, except now made better-looking by the stamp of confidence. We had no trouble rediscovering our affection for one another; it was terrific to be together again.
Friday March 27th: cocktails and dinner at Dolphin Head Golf Club, which we had all to ourselves. Cocktail time was a continuation of the scintillation of the previous evening. Dinner was at tables of eight, providing a venue for leisurely conversation, followed by some good-natured after-dinner presentations. Afterwards there was a most high-spirited group-photo session.
Saturday March 28th: cook-out at Dolphin Head Recreation Area overlooking Port Royal Sound, a beautiful spot from which to watch the sun setting over the sea, nicely in keeping with our mood of relaxed cordiality. It was a lovely afternoon and evening of just being together and enjoying one anothers' company.
Beautiful site - sunny weather - we were Happy Campers!
What else went into the success of our reunion? It helped that the weather was mild and sunny, and that Hilton Head Island itself is a most pleasant place, with an ambience of gentle good will and laid-back pleasure, miles of fine ocean beach, several top-flight golf courses and tennis complexes, generally quite attractive homes and many fun, good, restaurants. More importantly, most of us were just-retireds and very much enjoying this newly experienced combination of health, comfort and freedom; we were happy campers. More importantly still, we were cast by one another's company into a happy time of our lives and of the world, one which is described as being simpler and more optimistic than the "reality" perceived today, as indeed it was. But mostly - we just liked one another.
It was, simply, a glorious event. As I thought about it in retrospect, it occurred to me that as our lives unfold and our futures become more compressed, and as our pasts turn hazy in the reaches of time, our presents more and more stand to be enriched by our bringing out and burnishing treasures we've got stored in our memories. This reunion not only shined up a grand collection of such gems, it created brilliant new ones. We're all looking forward to the next one, when- and wherever it may be.