LAST SUMMER’S GATHERING:  As most of you know, the committee hosted a small “Family Gathering” last July.  People came from as far away as California and the families of six of Archie and Esther’s children were represented.  Since only eleven of the fifteen children have descendants, we thought we did well!

The primary purpose of the “Family Gathering” was to have a “practice run,” to try out some ideas on people outside the committee and see how they would work in the real world.  It was a good thing we did!  We definitely learned some things–especially about how many activities can be (or can’t be!) crammed into a short amount of time.

Every one of the committee members met and learned to know relatives they had never met before–and let me tell you, folks, this family has some really wonderful members in it!  We do not have to go all the way back to the generations of Archie and Esther and their children to find exemplary people–they are among us and I urge all of you to come to “Archie’s Birthday Party” in 2005 and get acquainted with some of them!

July 2004 Van Dyke Gathering, Beatrice Nebraska