Morris '68 alums go high tech for 40th reunion

Morris Area High School Class of 1968 alumni are the first from the Morris area to participate in a class-based reunion Web site: www.morris68.com.

The Morris Reunion Planning Committee consisting of Carla Schmidt Riley, Ardis Luthi Lesmeister, Debbie Eystad Rose, Robert Asmus, Barry Erdahl, Dick Felstul, Dick Smith, Vern Strand, and Paul Watzke have been busy meeting and planning for many months now in preparation for their upcoming 40th Reunion Weekend Celebration in Morris Aug. 8-10.

In the meantime, class members Vicki Ahrens Perri and Mary Webster Pulver have been designing, personalizing, and monitoring a class Web site that they hope will become a "classmate connection center" for years to come.

All classmates from 1968 who have not checked in yet are invited to register, fill out their profile, check out the action-packed reunion events, and reserve their spot for the big event.

A number of classmates are already visiting the site daily to find out who else has come online that they may not have seen or talked to in 20 years -- the last time this class gathered.

Class members can also listen to music from the '50s and '60s while they view slide shows of pictures from their high school yearbooks. Messages can be posted, birthday greetings can be sent, and the Morris Sun Tribune newspaper can even be read with just a click of a button.

Classreport.org hosts www.morris68.com, as well as Web sites for thousands of graduating classes. There is no advertising, no pop-ups, no spam, no registration fees, and no sale of names and addresses to third parties. Sites are administered exclusively by the individual high schools and are totally self-funded through classmate donations. Classes celebrating 5-year and on up to 50-plus year reunions are involved.

The Morris Area High School Class of 1968 has been awarded the seal of "Best Site" on the "Best Class Site" pages at www.classreport.org/bestclasses/.

The success of the site has been a team effort, thanks to '68 classmates who have been going online daily and communicating with each other. At present, the class site is self-funded through 2011.

Visitors from other class years and residents of the Morris area are all "welcome"! Former teachers are especially invited to go online and e-mail Carla Riley if you would be able to join in any of the 40th Reunion Celebration events the Aug. 8-10.