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GREETINGS
Fellow Schoolmates, Classmates, Teachers, Staff and Friends,
As Chairman of the Committee to reunite Valena C. Jones School, (better known as VCJ), I would like to take this opportunity to extend the warmest welcome from all of us here at home. We sincerely hope that this reunion will bring back some of those fond memories we all have of our friends and days gone by.
All cf our committee members have gone to great lengths to make this occasion very special for you, so please don?t hesitate to ask any of them for assistance throughout this event. We are indeed very happy to have you home again.
The theme for this occasion is ?We Shall Rise Again to the Ties That Bind Us Together.? Wre thought this very appropriate in saying that this event will hopefully tie us together as a family of ?Tigers? once again. We also hope that this tie will form a bond, which will bind us forever in years to come. As we all know from our early childhood, friends in school were genuine friends. We shared everything. We laughed together, played together, and shared each other?s pain. In those years, there w'as no such thing as ego trips, we were friends. So during this reunion, we would like for you to jump in, relax, and scream as loud as you want when you see those genuine friends you shared your early experiences with at VCJ.
W?e would also like to remember those that we have lost since we have been apart. Many of them played a very significant part in our development.
At this time, please join me in thanking the City of Bay St. Louis, Mayor Eddie Favre. Chief of Police, Frank McNeil, and all of the City Officials for their help and support in extending a very warm welcome to all of us sharing in this event.
Before closing, I would like to thank and congratulate the people that helped put this event together. Their hard work and dedication is very much appreciated and will be remembered always. Thomas Farve, Chairman, Zettie Farve, Yvonne Holmes, Earlena Washington, Joe Farve, Larry Wilkerson, Gladys Dedeaux, Mary Weaver, and Mary Whavers.
Here?s hoping each and everyone will have a wonderful and enjoyable stay with us and always remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Through this venture, we sincerely hope all of us will have gained strength through ?We Shall Rise Again to the Ties That Bind Us Together.?
Sincerely,
Thomas Farve Committee Chairman