Postscript

As we enjoyed ourselves at the reunion, we thought of those who could not be with us for reasons of business, family, or health.

A few who hadn’t been at the reunion met classmates afterward who shared tales of the celebration. This postscript features:

Betty Castro; Judith Bodden, née Usher; Ruth Garbutt-Tillett, Vincent Neal, née Gill

Carli Scott; Ester Heusner, née Hernández; Grace Pate, née Balderamos; Joy Tatum-Haylock; Minerva Gordillo de Maldonado; María Scott, née Villanueva; Olivia Coleman, née Quan; Rosilia Ordóñez, née Vega

Derick Gongora, Francis Lino, Rogi Rodríguez

Many classmates who were unable to attend were with us in spirit. After the reunion, Rogi reported:

The very Friday evening you all got together, I sat with my wife Bonnie and streamed some Belize music, then we danced while thinking about you all.

Olivia had planned her first trip to Belize in decades so that she and her husband Iain could attend the reunion. Sadly, the very weekend of the reunion she got so sick that she missed it! The next week, Rosilia ran into Olivia while they both were waiting for a water taxi.

Later in the week, Joy video chatted with Olivia.

 

During the entire reunion weekend, Grace was busy with family activities, so she had to forego the festivities. The next week, she stopped by to see Carli and María and pick up her reunion souvenirs. (It was a very windy day, as you can see from the photo!)

 

Minerva and her husband Guillermo planned to attend the reunion. They stopped in Chetumal on their trip to Belize. They were terribly disappointed the day before the reunion when Guillermo became sick so that they could not continue. A couple weeks after the reunion, Ester visited them in Chetumal. Happily, she found that Guillermo was feeling much better.

 

When Judith returned to Los Angeles a few weeks after the reunion, she arranged to meet Betty and Ruth at Derick’s house so that she could deliver reunion souvenirs to the three of them, who unfortunately missed all the fun.

 

In mid-July, Derick and his wife María hosted a potluck dinner so that classmates could share their reunion experiences. Over a delicious dinner…and for many hours afterward…Judith and Vincent regaled Derick, Francis, Betty, and Ruth with stories of the celebration weekend.