The 2007 WHEW Reunion Highlights
Well, family if you missed the WHEW 30th Anniversary Reunion you missed the best one ever!! We had a blast . . .Kudos to Mary Upshaw, Uncle Ray and the entire reunion committee for coordinating a great event. Close to 200 family and invited guess attended our family banquet. Following are some of the highlights of the reunion, but they really don’t do it justice. Please visit the photo album to see some of the great shots of the event and feel
free to upload some of your photos too.
The Welcome and Meet and Greet
We were warmly welcomed at the “Meet & Greet” in grand style. The artistic rendering used on the personalize nametags just blew me away. This artwork which set the theme for the reunion because it included photos of our present and past family members. And to top this off, we received a souvenir tote bags with the WHEW Logo. Great food and a slide presentation of family photos were just the right touch to kick off this festive occasion.
Family Picnic
In true WHEW style we had a “down home” picnic. My favorite was the fried fish!! I ate to my hearts content. As you can guess Tuskegee is H_ O_ T in the summer, but the reunion committee had it hooked up! We had four huge fans strategically placed to keep folks as cool as possible - - and plenty of good food, cool beverages and entertainment to keep everyone happy. Did
I mention we were located on scenic Tuskegee Lake? If you wanted to fish there were rods and bait on hand. Activities for the kids included a blow up jumping pit, an old fashion hay ride and a talent contest. I got to comment on the talent contest - - hats off to Ashanti Gaydon, Olivia Anderson, Ebony Boyd, Endya Boyd, and Tre’ Boyd for absolutely turning out the talent show with their awesome dance routine. And of course “the grown and sexy” crew had a chance to do the Cha Cha Slide and the Electric Slide.
That evening we were treated to a trip to the Victoryland and Quincy’s 777 where we were given the VIP treatment! Great drinks and food helped to create a party like atmosphere. Some of us even made a contribution to the charity bingo slot machines - - you know I had to donate to the local economy!
Business Meeting
We had a good turn out for the family business meeting. Key points of the meeting included the election of three new committee chairpersons - - Gabrielle Price, Education/Scholarship Committee; Tonya Ahmed, Reunion Committee; Kim McClean, Nominating Committee. Mitzi Brown is serving as the host of the 2008 Reunion which will be held in Orlando, FL. The minutes of the meeting will soon be posted on the WHEW Family Crest page of this website.
Banquet
The WHEW Reunion Banquet is truly the crown jewel of the family reunion. The WHEW honoree for 2007 was none other than our family patriarch, head man in charge- - Uncle Ray – Willie Whitehead, Sr.! When we honor Uncle Ray, a.k.a. “Sarge” the folks come out in a big way. Mayor Johnny Ford, was our keynote speaker and provided an inspiring speech. Special guests included Mr. Gray, famous Civil Rights Attorney, and Mr. and Mrs. Milton McGregor, Owner of VictoryLand and Quincy’s 777 Casino. We dined well and thanks to the reunion committee we were well entertained by local songsters which included family member Jamal Upshaw.
What’s a family reunion without congratulating our family stars . . . the WHEW children and young adults!! Awards were presented to Crystal Bryant, graduate of Georgia State who earned a Bachelors degree in Psychology, along with a host of children who were recognized for their academic achievements. Many adult family members were also applauded and recognized for their personal achievements. Cousin Willie Whitehead, Jr. presented his annual Courage Awards to family who demonstrated courage in handling life’s difficult situations. My apology for not being able to provide a full list of those acknowledged. Please send me an e-mail with their names and achievements and I will post them on our website.