MEMORY BOOKS

Memory books are becoming very popular and can be a nice souvenir.  There is no right or wrong way to do this project.  There are many businesses that specialize in the design and construction of these books, but this can be an easy project for the Reunion Committee or a committee volunteer to put together.

It seems that most of the memory books consist of five or six sections (see below), to highlight the reunion events.  Contents may include the following:

·         Old Class Photos, Pictures (past and present), of those in attendance

a multi-page spread of photos of the class reunion and those in attendance, also to include old photos of the class or even old reunion photos put together like a collage, yearbook, or photo album with or without captions with your best effort to include everybody. You can contact Sr. Mary Carol Hellman, OSB in Villa Archives to help you locate photos and Villa publications at 331-6333 x 400 or by e-mail at . Please contact her approximately 90 days prior to when you need the photos and/or materials.

·         Directory of names and addresses of those who attended reunion

·         Autobiography page with picture (past and present) – each classmate can have one page front and back

**See sample Autobiography and autobiography survey on next pages

You can include the autobiography page survey with your invitations and have those mailed back to the reunion committee along with your Reply Card.  You could also have the survey available to your classmates at the reunion.  Whichever you decide, make sure everyone gets one and all information is included so your Memory Books can be completed quickly.

·         List of names of those who did not attend reunion

As much as possible try to get the names and addresses of those who were unable to attend the reunion so they too can be contacted should they want a Memory book or if other classmates wanted to contact them.

·         In Memoriam page for those classmates who have passed away

You don’t want to forget your classmates who are no longer with you.  Keep their memory alive by including them.

·         Advertising page(s)

Your classmates may want to buy some advertising space and/or advertise their business in this section.  Likewise, any private business that wants to contribute and advertise can be included here.  This can help offset the price of the memory book

PICTURE CD

Another souvenir that is inexpensive and can be easily done and produced is a Reunion Picture CD or DVD.  This is a very simple and cost effective project that everyone would enjoy.  Anyone who brings their (digital) camera can submit the pictures they took at the end of the reunion and the reunion committee can compile those photos onto a CD.  A pack of CDs is very cheap and the cost of CDs can be written into the price of the reunion.  Reunion committee members can then mail them out when the CD is complete or if everyone lives local, then can be picked up at someone’s house.

REUNION MOVIE DVD

If you hire a camera person or if you have someone on the reunion committee armed with a video camera, these people can take some video of the reunion and it can be compiled/edited into a “movie” that can be made available to your classmates.  This item can be written into the cost or it can be purchased after the reunion.  Proceeds of your DVD can also be given to your school as a donation on behalf of your class.

Many of our Alumni who have put together memory books recommend using Staples at 2310 Buttermilk Crossings, Crescent Springs, KY 41017, (859) 341-5585 for scanning, printing and binding.

Sample Memory Book Questionnaire

 

Dear Classmate,

Please fill out the following questions/ survey.  This information will be published in a Memory Book that will be available to you after the reunion.  Have fun with it and enjoy sharing this information with yourself and your classmates

Name _______________________________________________________

“Catch up” information and trivia to share with classmates

·         What are your hobbies and interests now?

·         What have you been doing the past 10, 20, 30 years?

·         Are you married with children? Tell us about them.

·         What was your favorite high school moment(s), class(es), teacher(s), sport(s), club(s), etc?

·         What do you think you'll be doing when our XXth reunion rolls around?

·         What kind of work are you doing now?

·         Any messages you would like to send to your fellow classmates?

Questions and Trivia:

• Who was the girl/boy you always wanted to ask out, but never did?
• Why didn’t you ask him/her out?
• Who was your date to the senior prom?
• Who did you really want to ask to your senior prom?
• If you could be always hot or always cold, which would you pick?
• If you could have chosen your name, what would it be?
• If I could have done one thing different in high school, what would it be?
• Which past president, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with?
• What’s the one thing you couldn’t live without?
• What kind of cell phone do you have?
• Favorite color now?
• Favorite color 10, 20, 30 years ago?
• Favorite movie now?
• Do you have any life decision that you regret?
• What car are you driving now?
• What car do you hope to be driving at our next reunion?

Thank you.  The information that you provided will be included in our Memory Book.

Reunion Committee

Sample Autobiography Page for Memory book


John Smith - 1982 and 2012 

·         What are your hobbies and interests now? I like to golf and BBQ now.

·         What have you been doing the past 10, 20, 30 years? Working, Working, Working! Family, Family, Family

·         Are you married with children? Tell us about them. I’ve got a wife of 15 years with 2 kids, a girl and a boy, age12 and 10, respectively

·         What was your favorite high school moment(s), class(es), teacher(s), sport(s), club(s), etc? I still remember when I was a senior and we had a fire drill and the substitute teacher kind of had a nervous breakdown.

·         What do you think you'll be doing when our 30th reunion rolls around? Rolling quarters to put gas in my car since the kids will be in college.

·         What kind of work are you doing now? I’m still in Finance, but I would like to try my hand at something different someday.

·         Any messages you would like to send to your fellow classmates? Yes, we shouldn’t wait for reunions to get together!  I know we’re busy, but surely we can make time for a cup of coffee together.

OK John, time to be honest…

·         Who was the girl/boy you always wanted to ask out, but never did?   Teresa Wilson

·         Why didn’t you ask him/her out?  Uh, she was dating that really big football player…

·         Who was your date to the senior prom?  Cindy Green

·         Who did you really want to ask to your senior prom?  Cindy Green

·         How did you meet your spouse? We went to the Senior Prom together

·         If you could be always hot or always cold, which would you pick?  Always cold

·         If you could have chosen your name, what would it be? Braden

·         If I could have done one thing different in high school, what would it be? Studied harder!

·         Which past president, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with? FDR

·         If you could visit one place, where would you go? Heaven…so I could see my dad

·         What’s the one thing you couldn’t live without? My family

·         What kind of cell phone do you have?  Good question.  Ask my son…

·         Favorite color now? blue

·         Favorite color 10, 20, 30 years ago? blue

·         Favorite movie now? It’s a tie.  The Godfather and Who Framed Roger Rabbit

·         Do you have any life decision that you regret? Boxers or briefs….

·         What car are you driving now? A family van :(

·         What car do you hope to be driving at our next reunion? A Hummer!!!  If not, then I’ll get something from Enterprise Rent-A-Car.