The AIHS 1996 Reunion

The Afcent International High School 1996 Reunion was held August 23-25, 1996, in Washington DC. About 30 alumni came, some with spouses and children - it made for a riotous time!

Friday night everyone gathered in the Sports Bar at the Hyatt Arlington. Many, many times the phrase "Oh my God, it's so-and-so!" was heard :-). Food and drinks were consumed, "I can't believe it!" was uttered, children's pictures were shown, and the hum of catching up roared through the bar. Partying went on until way late at night (later for some than for others, huh Rhett and Scott?), along with a prank wake-up call for everyone associated with the reunion (and we're all going to remember it and get the pranksters back at the next one!)

Saturday morning began entirely too early after the night before with a tour of the White House (very cool). After that was a "free roam" of Washington - most folks roamed around the Mall, went to museums, and generally explored (except for those folks who live around Washington, who slept in.) Saturday evening kicked off with a get-together in the Hospitality Suite, where mementoes were enjoyed, T-shirts were passed out, and a drink was hoisted in Hugh's memory. Then the crowd wandered on over to the Capitol City Bar and Grill, singing Spitting Image's Chicken Song rather loudly in the metro on the way (and causing oh-so-many strange looks from the DCites - must have been odd for them to look at us so strangely!). Again, much beer was consumed (very good stuff, BTW!) and a prix fixe dinner was enjoyed. (Mmm, bratwurst!) Pics were shot, and the waitstaff was extremely patient. Afterwards, about half the crowd headed back to the hotel, while the other half hit Polly Ester's, a 70s club in the area. (Shake your groove thing!)

Sunday morning welcomed many parents, spouses, and children to the Reunion Brunch Buffet. (I wasn't there - anyone who was got any comments for this?)

All in all, an enjoyable weekend was had by all, all the way around! It was too short by far, that's for sure.

Memoriam for Hugh Cox

Hugh Cox III was a member of the Class of '86. After graduation, he went to college on an AFROTC scholarship, graduating in 1990. Once commissioned, he became an instructor pilot for the Air Force in Texas, and was married earlier this year. In a tragic accident in early July of this year, he and his wife were killed in an aircraft crash. In memoriam, the Class of '86 is planting a tree in their memory on the AFCENT campus in the spring of 1997. Doug DeBacker, who was the sponsor for our class, is organizing this back in the Netherlands. Donations will be collected for the tree throughout the fall and spring. Please send donations (any amount is fine) to Denise Smith Simon, 10169 South Alexa Lane, Littleton CO 80124.

At this time, the next reunion is planned for 2001. All alumni are welcome - it will be more of an AIHS Grand Reunion than a class-specific one. It would be great to see folks from all years! Suggestions for locations are being taken - mail Ruth or Rhett with suggestions.

An Alumni Newsletter is being worked on for future distribution. We're looking at having feature articles, a brief update on alumni, and a mailing list as possible content. Watch this space for more info!