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About The Hawthorne School Association

The Red Owl

The Hawthorne School Association, Inc.
Grand Reunion 2005

About The Hawthorne School Association

General

The Hawthorne School Association, Inc., is a Massachusetts non-profit corporation founded for "civic, educational, charitable or benevolent services or activities related to The Hawthorne School..."

Some current projects of the Association are:
History

The history of The Hawthorne School itself is told on the Hawthorne website.  After the school closed in 1982, many alumni continued to stay in touch with Sandy and Eleanor, but there was no formal ongoing alumni association.

In late 2001, Dana Sawyer began the Hawthorne School website, using a few megabytes of free web space.  Independantly, John Guard began to contact other alumni about the possibility of a Grand Reunion, as did Bill Lennox and others.  John's effort inspired Rebecca Trumbull, Karen Barrett, Peter Banner, Maury Ringel, and Giorgio Cave to undertake an intensive search for alumni over the next several years.

Working from the original Hawthorne records, Giorgio compiled a list of the names of all known Hawthorne students, faculty, and staff, including years of attendance and any available contact information.  Eventually, this list has grown to over 1500 entries, and has become the Master List of alumni.  Building on the results of earlier searches, Giorgio contacted hundreds of alumni by telephone or postcard to confirm as much contact information as possible.  As alumni sign up with the web site, Giorgio continues to incorporate their information into the Master List.  There are still many alumni for whom we do not have any contact information.

In August 2003, Peggy Diggs and Dana organized a small gathering of Hawthorne alumni (which ironically Peggy was not able to attend) at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, with much appreciated help from Doug Orr.  Sandy and Eleanor were there, and the occasion generated new enthusiasm for a Grand Reunion.  An informal working group consisting of the Orrs, Rebecca, Giorgio, Peter, Maury, Peggy, and Dana (since joined by Molly Warner, Jennifer Woods, Dave Levenson, and Valerie Taylor) began to plan the Grand Reunion.  Several months were spent searching for a suitable location near Washington, D. C., and we were delighted when Sandy and Eleanor found the National 4-H Youth Conference Center.  As negotiations with 4-H began, we soon realized that the Grand Reunion was a serious financial committment which would require the formation of a non-profit corporation.

Maury filed the necessary papers, and The Hawthorne School Association became officially incorporated on April 28, 2004.  Several members of the working group made loans to the Association totalling $4,000, and the Association was able to make a downpayment to 4-H in early May to reserve the Conference Center.  As of March 2005, sufficient money has been raised, primarily through registration fees, to entirely cover the use of the 4-H center.  The reunion was held as planned on August 5 through 7, 2005, with approximately 300 people in attendance.

At a business meeting held on August 7 during the Grand Reunion, decisions were made to elect a Board of Directors for the Association, to seek 501(c)3 tax-exempt status, and to arrange for the preservation and cataloging of the Hawthorne School archives.  Considerable interest was also expressed in actively pursuing the educational goals of the Association.

Donations

Donations to The Hawthorne School Association are greatly appreciated, but are not tax-deductable at this time.  Click here to make a donation.


Last updated August 10, 2005