President’s Letter – May 2022
Greetings to my fellow Stevens Alumni,
Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday we were just starting to plan for our 150th reunion celebration and now it becomes SHS Alumni history. There were many obstacles to overcome the past few years to make our 150th Reunion successful. Due to Covid, our 149th Reunion had to be put on hold. With the help of the City police chief a re-route for the parade due to Pleasant St. being closed for street construction was set in place. The alternate route took a left by the Elks and then a tight right onto the length of Pearl St. and made its way up Main St., around the Bull Pen to Broad St. and back to the high school.
We wanted to make sure all the parade float entries were included from 2020 so those 5-year classes could show off their float entries. There was a total of ten trophies for each of float winners for both years. Our float prize sponsors came through, and with no hesitation, donated additional funds to make certain that all the float winners for 2020 and 2021 were recognized.
With Dick at the helm and his dedicated parade committee ready, the units were lined up and ready to go at 10:30 a.m.
You will find a message from Dick about this year’s parade in the newsletter which will probably answer many questions you might have if your class is participating in the parade.
We want to also to thank the business sponsors who bought ads in our newsletter to help defray the cost of sending this annual newsletter to an active mailing list of over 7,000. All in all, the weekend was a tremendous success with many comments on how wonderful the parade was. The day ended with the “Backwoods Ax Co.” band performing at the American Legion Hall. Again, a HUGE success.
Now, we move on to plan the 151st Annual Alumni Day Weekend event. The date is June 11, 2022 and the theme is “Those Were The Days My Friend”. The annual luncheon will be in the SHS Cafeteria and catered by Leo’s Market in Claremont. The Annual Meeting will immediately follow the parade in the high school cafeteria at 12:30 p.m. Entertainment Saturday evening will again be provided by the Backwoods Ax Co. Band. For those who want to listen or dance to music from the 50’s and 60’s era, there will be just that in the downstairs hall at the American Legion on Broad St. from 8 to 11 pm.
All classmates are encouraged to participate in the parade with an entry; a float, cars, a tram, bikes or even on your feet walking to show support for YOUR Alumni Association. If your class wins a trophy and prize money, please take note of the business that donated to make this happen and send a big “Thank You”.
Even though the events will not be quite as extravagant this year, we want to make this reunion a great memory for all and add another page to the long prestigious history of Stevens High School Alumni Association. Let’s keep it going for lots and lots of years to come!
Sadly we will not be having the banquet this year. Many have asked if we will again have a banquet? So many enjoyed a wonderful meal and meeting with classmates and friends to reminiscence about school days at Stevens High School. The banquet is where we recognized the 5 year classes and the oldest members and those who came from farthest away. Most importantly, the banquet is where we recognized the seniors and post grad students with scholarships. I know many of us enjoyed watching these students come forward and be recognized for awards. There was also those classes who wanted to present their alumni association with monetary gifts or other gifts such as last year when the 50 year class presented a signed Commendation from the State of New Hampshire by His Excellency Christopher T. Sununu, Governor recognizing the SHS Alumni Association for their dedication to help students further their education with scholarships and for also being the oldest active high school alumni association in the USA. We should all be very proud of this accomplishment. Maybe one day, we can make this banquet happen again, never say never.
The new website is up and running. Mark Chamberlain ‘81 continues to look for ways to make our site more user friendly. You can pay your dues and donations on line. If you have comments or ideas, please let us know or email Mark Chamberlain at [email protected] . See the news update by Mark in the newsletter.
Again, I ask that every member pay their dues of $10.00. Donations to the General Fund or Parade fund are always welcome. There are those that still think the parade is free; it costs a great deal of money to organize the parade. Units can cost as much as $2800 and parade expenses can mount to $18 to $20,000 dollars. We want to continue this annual event as it brings our Alumni together, and it is good for the City of Claremont.
In closing, I thank our alumni membership for their support, either monetary or volunteering time in keeping the “Stevens High School Alumni Association” active. I am proud to have been your Alumni President for the past six years.
Best Regards,
Doug LeBlanc, President
Proud member of the Class of 1963
And Stevens High School Alumni Association
