Theta Deuteron
of Theta Delta Chi
Reunion of
the classes of the mid- ’50’s
Hilton
Head Island, South Carolina – March 26th through 28th, 1998
Theta Delts of the mid-’50’s
from the MIT charge, Theta Deuteron, gathered for an informal three-day
reunion at Hilton Head Island in the last week of March,
1998. The occasion is worthy of note not because it was
successful, which was to be expected, but because it was so gloriously
successful. Exactly why it was so is a source of bemused
wondering, as well as of warmth, to many of us who were there.
The best I can do is recount the things that happened, a chronology in
prose, though what we experienced ought really to be expressed in
poetry.
About two years ago, Jack
Cronin, ’56, was inspired to start contacting his fellow MIT Theta
Delts of the mid ’50’s with a proposal for a reunion. Those
particular classes seem to be a natural cluster, in a way beyond what
mere proximity could explain, I suppose because we were bounded on one
side by the veterans of the ’40’s, men who had actually fought in WWII
or in Korea, and on the other by the children of the ’60’s, who had
never had the opportunity to be fired in the cauldron of military
service. We came of age steeped in the romantic heroism following
World War II as described by its songs - bluebirds had indeed arrived
over the white cliffs of Dover - but without our having had to
experience the horrors of its reality. The world in front of us
then was exciting, palpably revving up for take-off to a new and better
future, waiting only for us to get in there and make it happen.
Opportunity was everywhere (“Plastics!”). We were blessed by
being in a time that allowed us to be idealistic without being
revolutionary. Cynicism was unfashionable, the Cold War and The
Bomb were real enough to unify but not terrify us, and served to put
domestic social issues into the shadow. We could easily tell the
good guys from the bad guys then, and knew that winning would bring a
happy ending. Viet Nam had not yet happened.
Whether for this or for some
other reason, there was a feeling of cohesiveness among this mid ’50’s
group that made it seem quite natural to us that we get back together
almost a half a century later, informally, and if only for a moment,
again share our lives.
Jack launched the operation by
sending out letters asking for suggestions for time, place, and
scope. He got lots, supportive in concept but disparate in
specifics, from which he valiantly tried to build consensus.
After several attempts, it became evident that a participative approach
among widely separated people wasn’t going to produce an actionable
plan anytime soon, so in mid-’97 Jack switched tactics and crafted a
specific proposal to meet the criteria of a good resort area, located
somewhere near our population’s center of mass, at an out-of-season
time so not overly crowded or expensive, but nevertheless offering
pleasant weather. Accordingly he nominated Bermuda in March
’98. The timing indeed turned out to be good for just about
everyone, but the location less so, mostly because of its
expense; you couldn’t drive there, and out-of-season or not,
accommodations were pricey. In its stead, Jack then nominated
Hilton Head Island on the South Carolina coast, which was immediately
chosen by acclaim. Hilton Head had an enormous advantage over
Bermuda, beside cost: the Carty’s Joe, ’57, and Jane, lived there
and had graciously volunteered to act as hosts.
Given the Hilton-Head-in-March
decision, Joe and Jane picked up the ball and ran it for a
touchdown. They organized, well in advance and
thoughtfully, all those details that allow an event to go
smoothly: they researched hotels and had blocks of rooms set
aside, reserved meeting locales and caterers, solicited from us our
menu choices, and made up and sent around to all a schedule of events
and maps with clear directions and traffic tips. Then, for our
first meeting, they opened their house to the lot of us.
Attendees numbered 23
brothers, 22 with spouses, a total of 43. Events were scheduled
in the late afternoons and evenings of three days. Mornings and
afternoons we were free to coalesce as we desired (and we did!) in
informal groups for lunch, tennis, golf, beach activities, or
excursions to nearby points of interest - Savannah, Beaufort, wildlife
preserves.
The scheduled events
were:
Thursday March 26th:
cocktails and buffet in Jane and Joe Carty's gracious home; a
cheerful to the point of uproarious launch of the reunion. We
were all genuinely delighted to see one another again; it was as
if almost no time had passed at all, as if we were merely picking up
interrupted conversations. The dynamics of a cocktail party, and
the density of the group, kept us all moving smartly about, engaged in
the delightful treasure-hunt of spotting this or that brother (class
pictures of yore were at hand, and the new, somewhat more, er,
dignified faces of the present were made more readily identifiable by
Joe’s providing large name tags to be stuck onto lapels). Each
such encounter sparked effervescent distillations of where we’d got to
over the last forty-plus years, and the recalling of a few choice
undergraduate hijinks. It was amazing how quickly - in front of
our very eyes - these mature, momentarily unfamiliar faces became
transformed with recognition into the youthful images in our memories,
except now made better-looking by the stamp of confidence. We had
no trouble rediscovering our affection for one another; it was
terrific to be together again.
Friday March 27th:
cocktails and dinner at Dolphin Head Golf Club, which we had all to
ourselves. Cocktail time was a continuation of the
scintillation of the previous evening. Dinner was at tables of
eight, providing a venue for leisurely conversation, followed by some
good-natured after-dinner presentations. Afterwards there was a
most high-spirited group-photo session.
Saturday March 28th:
cook-out at Dolphin Head Recreation Area overlooking Port Royal Sound,
a beautiful spot from which to watch the sun setting over the sea,
nicely in keeping with our mood of relaxed cordiality. It was a
lovely afternoon and evening of just being together and enjoying one
anothers’ company.
What else went into the
success of our reunion? It helped that the weather was mild and
sunny, and that Hilton Head Island itself is a most pleasant place,
with an ambience of gentle good will and laid-back pleasure, miles of
fine ocean beach, several top-flight golf courses and tennis complexes,
generally quite attractive homes and many fun, good, restaurants.
More importantly, most of us were just-retireds and very much enjoying
this newly experienced combination of health, comfort and
freedom; we were happy campers. More importantly still, we
were cast by one another’s company into a happy time of our lives and
of the world, one which is described as being simpler and more
optimistic than the “reality” perceived today, as indeed it was.
But mostly - we just liked one another.
It was, simply, a glorious
event. As I thought about it in retrospect, it occurred to me
that as our lives unfold and our futures become more compressed, and as
our pasts turn hazy in the reaches of time, our presents more and more
stand to be enriched by our bringing out and burnishing treasures we’ve
got stored in our memories. This reunion not only shined up a
grand collection of such gems, it created brilliant new ones. We're all
looking forward to the next one, when- and wherever it may be.
R. H. Neergaard, 6/9/98