30th Year Reunion

30th Year Reunion - August 7 - 9, 2009

 

Call to Action

On February 12, 2009, Donnella Briscoe Rucker emailed alumni of the McKinley Tech Class of 1979 to initiate planning for the 30th reunion. The first planning meeting was held on Saturday, February 28, 2009 in New Carrolton, MD and was attended by thirteen people.  Everyone became acquainted with each other and discussed how it was hard to believe 30 years had passed since high school graduation. They also discussed how great they looked even though they were fast approaching the age of 50. After the small talk was finished, the group got down to business. It was decided the reunion would take place the 2nd weekend in August and would consist of three events: Happy Hour, Dinner/Dance and Church Service/Picnic. The Reunion Planning Committee was established and the hard work began.

Return to Top

The Work Begins

 
The Reunion Planning Committee met almost every weekend from March through August.  Many of the subcommittees met during the week, held conference calls and exchanged numerous emails. As with any large group, on some occasions there were some disagreements and misunderstandings, but the committee remained committed to stay focused on the main goal: to make the 30th reunion a very memorable occassion.


 

 
 
Locating the Class of 1979
 
The McKinley Tech Class of 1979 website was created to serve as the main forum for all communication regarding the class.  Classmate Profiles were created for over 700 individuals who were seniors during the 1978-1979 school year and Guest Profiles were created for former faculty and staff. Committee members shared their memorabilia and the website began to take shape.
 
The Reunion Planning Committee began to spread the word about the reunion and Class of 1979 Techites from all over the world began to visit the website:
 
 
8 live in California
1 lives in Colorado
59 live in District Of Columbia
4 live in Florida
5 live in Georgia
4 live in Illinois
193 live in Maryland
1 lives in Missouri
3 live in New Jersey
4 live in New York
7 live in North Carolina
1 lives in Ohio
 
1 lives in Pennsylvania
1 lives in South Carolina
1 lives in Texas
1 lives in Virgin Islands
18 live in Virginia
1 lives in Washington
1 lives in West Virginia
1 lives in Wisconsin
1 lives in Afghanistan
1 lives in Ghana
2 live in Japan
407 location unknown
 
 
 
 
 
Classmates and faculty/staff updated their profiles and reconnected with old friends. They shared stories, photos and favorite memories about their time at McKinley.   Everyone was happy and proud to read about how classmates’ lives had changed so much since leaving McKinley. They were saddened to learn of the passing of many classmates and faculty/staff.
 
Classmates
Chandra Bailey                            
Rose Marie Boodoo (Johnson)   
Gregory Bridgeforth   
Cheryl Browne   
Janice Coleman
Renita Copeland    
Jeannette Donald    
Kent Green   
Kenneth Henson   
Stephanie Johnson   
Tyrone Johnson    
Timothy Lee    
Acquanette "Pinkey" McNeely    
Judy Metcalf   
Mary Peebles (McRae)    
Eric Proctor   
Christina Rowe (White)    
Tyrone Thomas  
Cynthia Tillman   
Wayne Ward   
Faculty and Staff
Mr. Jerry Ainsfield (Social Studies)  
Ms. Rhoda Burdnell (Business)
Ms. Liliana Chiappinelli (Foreign Language)
Mr. Woodson Davis (Social Studies)
Ms. Olivia Dixon (English)
Mr. Peter Ford (Music)   
Mr. Jorge Hernandez (Spanish)    
Mr. Rudolph Liggins (Industrial Arts)    
Ms. Mary Lundy (Business)
Mr. David Messman (Spanish)
Ms. Carmel Norcom (Business)    
Ms. Marjorie Omohundro (English)
Mr. Anderson Ridley (Math)    
Mr. Henry Saunders (Science)    
Ms. Gloria Taylor (Media)
Mr. Tomlinson Tod (Drivers Ed)   
 

Return to Top

Registration Events

Several Registration Events were held to allow alumni to reconnect, register for the reunion and make donations to help defer reunion start-up cost.
 
Meet and Greet I – 04/25/2009 - Stonefish Grill – Location, MD

View Flyer

 

Return to Top

 

Meet and Greet II – 06/13/2009 - Willie K’s – Location, MD

 

View Flyer

 



 




Return to Top

 

Prayer Breakfast – 06/20/2009 - Holy Redeemer Church – Washington, DC

 

 

View Flyer



 



Return to Top

Reunion Weekend

The week of the reunion was here. The Reunion Planning Committee met one last time to discuss the final details and complete the preparations.

 


 

Finally, reunion weekend was here.
 

Reunion Countdown

 

Every alumni received a Welcome Package and the festivities began......

Return to Top

Reunion Happy Hour

Date:  Friday, 08/07/2009
Time:  8 PM - 1 AM
Location 

Gallery Resturant & Lounge
1115 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910



 


 


Return to Top

 

McKinley School Tour

Date:  Saturday, 08/08/2009
Time:  10:45 AM
Location 

McKinley High School

2nd and T NE
Washington,DC 20002

 

 

Reunion Dinner/Dance
 
Date:  Saturday, 08/08/2009
Time:  8 PM – 1 AM (buffet will be available from 8 PM -10 PM)
Location

Martins Crosswinds
7400 Greenway Center Drive
Greenbelt, Maryland 20770


Reunion Program Book Dinner Dance Program
 
             

               Click to Enlarge                                                         Click to Enlarge 



 



 


Return to Top
 

Reunion Church Service/Picnic 
 
Date:  Sunday, 08/09/2009
Time:  10 AM to Noon  Church Service
          Noon  – 8 PM    Picnic
Location

Langdon Park
20th and Franklin Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20018

 



 


Church Service Program

View Program

Church Service Music




 




 


 

 

 
As the Reunion Weekend came to an end, everyone returned to their daily routines with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts. They felt proud to be a member of The McKinley Tech Class of 1979.
 
 
 
 
 
We Believed ... We Achieved!!!!
(And there is still more to come)
 
 

 

30th Reunion Income and Expense Statement