WA Reunion Handbook

Ok, I'll do it. Where do I start?

How to find classmates?

Several reunion planners have had success in locating "lost" classmates by using a combination of the following. Have you had other success in locating people that you'd like to share?

• Use your class network - provide a list of people that you are still trying to locate in your mailings. Often people will be in touch with each other but not with the school.
• Family networks - Wasatch has a history of families who attended. Try locating siblings or parents to get current contact information. The WA Alumni Office may be able to provide addresses and/or phone numbers for these people if you can provide a name or year of graduation.
• Phone calls - your initial contact list from the WA Alumni Office will provide phone numbers for some people. Try calling them. Maybe they have contact information for others.
• Emails - sending emails is a time and cost effective way to stay in touch with people. Some web sites (like www.classmates.com) allow reunion organizers free access to their class for email purposes. Once you have the email address encourage the person to keep you updated on changes. Wasatch also has an alumni page that allows people the opportunity to share news as well as their email address (www.wacad.org - click on Alumni News/Tiger Tracker).
• Networking - you never know who you'll meet in a variety of settings: work, social, fitness, interviews, and travel to name a few. It never hurts to talk about your Wasatch experience and many times you'll meet someone who knows someone that went there!
• Old yearbooks/parents addresses - Find someone who has access to yearbooks from all 4 years. Often people attended school and did not graduate with the class but still have an affinity for WA. The yearbooks may provide addresses of parents who still have the same address.
• Use technology - use some of the on-line resources like www.classmates.com and various "white pages" web sites. One reunion organizer had great success by using Yahoo and Alta Vista search engines. Once he found a potential classmate he sent them a letter telling them who he was looking for along with a self-addressed stamped envelop. He asked them to respond even if they were not the person he was looking for. This works best when looking for unusual names or if you have some idea of the city where the person is living.
• The WA Alumni Office will mail letters for you and reimburse you for telephone calls. Or you can keep track of your expenses and use them as a tax deduction if you itemize.