Emails, Facebook, VIPs

We finally got around to using the Facebook groups, and the responses are pouring in now. My impression at this point is that about many more people know about the Reunion than have responded. A second emailing, and possibly a postal mailing, will be necessary to get them.

Tonight, an alum stopped by to check out the place. Just from one guy, for 1 hour, i learned so much interesting stuff... We've got some great RSVPs, too, from all sorts of people.

Rich is currently attacking the email responses. This weekend, we'll try to flatten the entire mountain of them. We'll also integrate the harvested Facebook info and combine our spreadsheets into one. Tonight, i made a full list of the VIPs and put them into a separate spreadsheet. I'm contacting each in whatever way is appropriate.

Next, we need to, like SJ suggests, decide on some task-roles for the Reunion organizers. We need to have a Boston meeting, with Frisbe, Alex, SJ, Rich, me, Co-opers, and whoever else is nearby and interested. Then set a schedule. Then do another mailing.

Responses rolling in, focusing on 3 cities, and misc

Quite a few things have happened since the last post, but the main point is that we have been following up on responses to the mass mailing and email. Just tonight, SJ and i met and reasoned that it'd be good to bring some more Co-opers in on the project, perhaps in the context of a small dinner at the Co-op with Boston alumni. Time to start thinking about logistics. It looks like we may top 200 people at the main event, and people are certainly excited for the minor events. So far, volunteers for food, one for accomodation... but when we need to push for more and specific help, i'm rather confident we'll get a good response. We just need to know what to ask for.

Emma Katz dropped by the other day, by chance, and we talked for a while. She's good folk, will be heading up the effort in NYC. I added a column in our spreadsheet indicating when an alum is in the Boston, NYC, or San Francisco areas (350 alums in those places alone). SJ will be heading up Boston. We're working on getting a contact for San Francisco.

We will be mass emailing the entire Dudley Alumni population, it seems. This to reinforce our message as well as catch any people we've missed. There might be a Dudley or two, as well, who wasn't a Co-oper but who really would like to come.

Amelia Kaplan sent a color copy of her thesis for purposes of scanning, duplicating, and binding into nice copies for alums and residents. Research is commencing on pricing and options. Scanning it is a project in itself. This reminds me of how much i'd like to get into the archives... and i'll need to sooner or later, if i want to produce a document for the Reunion.

Anne-Marie ZB and i are working on cleaning up the dudcoop@hcs account. It has a lot of unanswered emails, some possibly regarding the 50th, but several more which can indicate which Co-opers have been active in keeping in touch in the past. Some cross-checking with the Alumni spreadsheet would be profitable. It is probably also worth it to print out some of the better of these emails (if not all of them) and put them in the archive. There are many mail folders to dig through, though.

I also need to get on connecting to people like Tom Dingman, Margaret Handy, James Maslach, Amy Goodman, and so on... i always seem to feel like there's something more pressing at hand, but these connections are really important! Plus, it'll be fun to put Thompson's "Voices of the Past" book on oral histories into practice.

Also, perhaps time to start on publicity. Hmm, lots to do.