That’s Right! It may have been 50 years since you answered the call to the Wabash, and we are doing it again!
When: November 11&12 (RSVP below for full itinerary to come)
Where: The New and Improved Boathouse in Lafayette
Where to stay: Drury Inn, Lafayette
Full Agenda: TBD
Purpose: Renewing friendships and telling stories! (possibly some that are factual!)
We are working with Purdue Rowing Alumni President Ellen Shew Holland and Purdue Head Coach Nathan Walker to put together a special 70’s focused Reunion.
This started as a pipe dream for me. It took me over 3 years to find one of my Crew Buddies. (50 years really is a long time!). Along with 4 other Oarsmen, we met up at the Boathouse and had a wonderful time rekindling friendships, catching up on our lives (wives, children, grandchildren, careers, pass times, hobbies, retirement, etc). It was like no time had passed in some ways. (Brad Heath was still telling puns! And he still thought they were funny!) We shared how those 4 years on the River had helped to shape our lives…Setting Goals, Hard Work, Sacrifice and Uniting as a Team. Bill Hermes summed up the impact of those lessons when he wrote in his book:
“At Purdue I rowed 2000 Meter races with 7 other men, led by a coxswain yelling “Pull!”. Like a crew race with great efforts come great rewards. I could only see where I had been, and knew that strong and steady work was required to take me where I needed to go. The Lord is my Coxswain!”
All of us were impacted by those years on the River and the friendships we made. This reunion should be a great time to reignite some of those friendships, particularly as many of us are heading into retirement. Since many of you are coming from some distances (Paul Calvert-Arizona and Joe DeWenter-Oregon) we are working with Drury Inn to give us a deal on a block of rooms. Not only do they have a nice meeting place, but they include a nice breakfast in the morning and an included happy hour with snacks in the evening. Some folks may want to come in a little early (Thursday) and/or stay late (Sunday) so we will work on scheduling some optional activities/gatherings if you would like.
We hope to see you on the Wabash on Nov 11&12
Sincerely,
Bob Paxton, Joe Dewenter, Marc Hawley, Paul Calvert, Nathan Walker, Ellen Shew Holland, Doug Schroeder, Bill Hermes, Jim O’Keefe, Brad Heath, John North, Craig Johnson, Pat Kash
PS: feel free to forward this invite to any 70’s Oarsmen we have missed! Thank you!
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