Frequently Asked Questions
Some questions keep coming up. This is the place with the answers!
Question: Where is a schedule of events?
Answer: Click Right Here.
Discussion: Please check back at least every few days. This is a fluid experience. Some minor details will change and others will be announced right up until the day before we start.
Dateline: April 23, 2011
Breadman's, Chapel Hill, NC
Let's get organized and plan a party
John Cromartie, Mike Sanford, John Powell, Phil Webster, Gary Herion, Elliot Warnock
Ruth Bodenheimer, Paula Wright Pressley, Robin Wilson Johnston, Terry Johnston
Question: Can I still register? My calender has opened up and now I want to come. I forgot to register but I still want to come. What can I do?
Answer: Yes. We have 20 more registrations left to fill on a first come first serve basis.
Discussion: Almost everyone that committed to coming has registered. We have had to sign contracts with most of our vendors. We do not want to turn anyone away. The Logistical Oversight Committee (LOC) has ordered enough food and drink so another 20 classmates can register on a first come first serve basis.
SIGN UP TODAY BEFORE THEY ARE ALL GONE!!!
Question: Can I still mail in my registration?
Answer: No. Registrations have to be postmarked by May 19. We cannot accept registrations postmarked after May 19.
Question: Can I still pay by check?
Answer: No. We can no longer accept checks. We can still register online here
Question: Will I be able to register at the door?
Answer: Maybe. We have 20 spots left. We need to know who is attending in advance so we can plan accordingly. Click here to register online now with PayPal . It's fast, easy and secure.
Question: Can I register now and pay later? I know I am coming but I would rather pay later.
Answer: No. We cannot accept registrations without payment.
Question: Can I get financial assistance? I want to come but I cannot afford it.
Answer: No. Financial assistance for classmates in need is no longer available.
Discussion: Our Classmate Assistance Program was a great success. Over 20 brothers and sisters are going to be joining us due to the CHHS Class of 1972's overwhelming generosity. The LOC has committed funds elsewhere and we are no longer able to consider requests for assistance. Yes, this does mean you will be turned away if you show up hat in hand at the door.
Question: Can I get a refund? I registered and now I cannot attend.
Answer: We cannot guarantee refunds and we cannot address requests until after the reunion.
Discussion: We assume that anyone that asks for a refund has a good reason and we will gladly refund your money in full if we can. We have committed a lot of funds on your behalf to the caterers, classmates in need, gift packs and such and we need to keep a prudent reserve for the unforeseen so we cannot promise a refund until all our other obligations are met and then only if we have the funds.
Question: Why do I have to pay full price if I am only going to one event? Why are there not different packages available?
Answer: There is only one event. It is taking place over a three day period. Currently, we are not able to accept registrations for different days/events.
Discussion: The organizers made an excellent decision when they booked the Rigmor House, which is only available for an entire weekend. Even renting the Rigmor House for the weekend was by far the best deal available, and a third of the cost of any other venue that suited our needs. The reunion planners focused on Saturday as the main day for the reunion and early-on decided to take advantage of having the extra time. It was decided to have inexpensive, informal, and relaxed gatherings on Friday evening and Sunday. Those who have the time can stretch the fun across the weekend. Those who cannot attend the entire weekend will have the opportunity to come and go because there are plenty of opportunities for reconnecting with classmates.
PRP, RWJ, TJ, Penn Corbett, Sue Marshall Koronic, Gayle Rancer, John Galt at the counter
Question: Why is the price $100.00? Would it not be cheaper to just have a one day event?
Answer: It would not have been noticeably cheaper to limit ourselves to Saturday. It would have cost $90.00 a head.
Discussion: The cost of living has gone up considerably in the last 20 years. Due to inflation, $50.00 twenty years ago equals $100.00 today. Having the reunion only one day would not have changed the cost very much - probably just $10.00 a ticket. Most of the expenses of holding a reunion are fixed: the required insurance, the venue, security, parking, port-a-johns, decorations, equipment, IDs, etc. The only additional costs are whatever food and drinks we supply and those costs are negligible.
The average price for a reunion today is $75.00 a head.
An average reunion includes:
A DJ
A meal
a four to eight hour event
a venue protected from the elements
a cash bar-buy your own alcohol
decorations
Here is what makes our reunion NOT AVERAGE AT ALL:
an entire house with numerous places to hang out
food on Friday night, a Saturday picnic, for the Saturday night party and a Sunday brunch
top tier entertainment - a band who has played for presidents - giving a complete concert
two additional days of relaxing/partying with brothers and sisters from back in the day.
an open bar
assistance to a fair number of our brothers and sisters, more now than any previous reunion due to an economy in the tank
a tent and stage for the band and for us when the band is not performing
Question: Why did I get an invitation? I did not graduate in 1972. I did not graduate from CHHS.
Answer: The intent of this reunion is to include all of the group of people who began attending school together at the junior high age or later, and who could have, should have, would have or did graduate in the Class of 1972. We do not want to think someone was left out there wondering, "Why wasn’t I invited?"
Discussion: The issue of who to invite was studied, discussed and debated at great length by the organizers and everyone who attended the first couple of open meetings. At first, there were widely divergent views on who, exactly, "we" are. Where does one draw the line? Our class has the unique distinction of being the first, last and only class from Chapel Hill/Carrboro in modern times that all started 7th grade together and stayed together to graduation. The year before 7th grade, Chapel Hill/Carrboro schools were basically still segregated. In 1966 they closed Lincoln HS (grades 7-12) and all five elementary schools graduates (Estes Hills, Glenwood, Carrboro, Frank Porter Graham and Northside) were tossed into 7th grade at Guy B. Phillips JHS, which had become the only junior high school in town, for the grand experiment. Grey Culbreth JHS opened the year after we left Guy B. Phillips JHS splitting the class behind us for a year. Learn more about our schools including desegregation in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro School District. 7th grade and later was a natural fit. The reunion planners want you to know that not only are you invited, but everyone wants you to come and is looking forward to you being there. Some fun demographics:
After going over the list of attendees from our three previous reunions we learned, somewhat surprisingly, that close to 30% were from the demographics listed below.
41 of us graduated early, most with the Graduating Class of 1971.
22 of the Graduating Class of 1972 came from the Class of 1973.
44 of us listed as seniors in the 1972 Hill Life are not listed in the CHHS 1972 Commencement Program.
14 listed as seniors in 1972 that graduated that year are from the Class of 1971.
10 of us were held back at some point before 10th grade and ended up in the Graduating Class of 1973.
230 other classmates and friends left before our senior year and did not graduate from CHHS. They moved, transferred or dropped out.
We have also extended invitations to friends and classmates that while from a different year, took the same classes with us and went to the same social gatherings and events and expressed an interest in sharing in the experience. It's a big tent.
Click here for hard hitting commentary on the Reunion Outreach
Question: Can I pay with a credit card and register online?
Answer: You can register and pay on line by clicking here: Registration through PayPal
Discussion: We are no longer accepting registrations in the mail postmarked after May 19..
