Charlotte A. M. Gallagher class of 1974 charlotte.gallagher@yahoo.com

September 20, 2007

My thoughts on the reunion…

After a year of anticipation and great work on Mary's part, the reunion was here, and I was on my way to Philadelphia. [July 20-22, 2007. Read more.] The drive up from DC took really no time at all; I never realized that Philie was just that close. Mary's directions were perfect, the only tricky part was merging left immediately once I got into the city. And, what a great surprise and delight that the hotel (and convenient parking garage) was in the middle of everything.

I arrived with a friend who had not been to Philie for many years late in the afternoon on Friday. We checked in, got our bearings, and went out exploring the immediate area so that we would know what to do put on the top of our sightseeing or activities' list for Saturday. By the time we found the gelatto shop, it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for the ice breaker.

As part of the earlier years of the class of 1974, I must admit to knowing only a few classmates and usually a very small few at reunions. However, having been to two in Crystal City, I came to know a few more classmates. So, attending the ice breaker was not too daunting, and the food was really top rate. Mrs. Warren's 4th grade had a good showing; Linda, Lynette, and Jonathon. (Did I forget anyone?) And, I am especially grateful for the display of yearbooks. My mother's picture appears in the 1964 book, and I don't ever remember seeing that photo of her. It was startling! And, it was great to see how the 4th grade progressed and succeeded over the past 41 years. Cheers to Mrs. Warren's 4th grade!

On Saturday we opted to stay close to the hotel in the historic district and visit the Colonial sites. The choice was perfect! We could do as much as we wanted knowing that we could repair to the hotel and refreshment whenever we needed. But the weather was fantastic so we stayed out and just walked and walked. I will venture out to Pat's or Geno's Cheese Steak on the next trip as I see it yearly on the PBS Sandwich Show and really wanted to fit a sandwich into the Saturday schedule. I hear others did and want to know, was it worth the taxi ride?

Dinner was delicious! Although the DC area has many Indian restaurants, the last one I tried was a disappointment. Mary's choice was fabulous! The food was just great. And, I had a chance to talk in depth to a number of people and understand what they and their families are doing now. Again, I really enjoyed understanding where we were and here we are now.

We are a peculiar bunch of alumni, connected by each other as this reunion was about us and our shared memories. We carry AIS/AES with us, and our reunions are spiritual, familial, and not geographical. For a girl creating her own hometown on a daily basis, I am grateful to the Class of 1974 for being my hometown.

The next reunion is in Alexandria, Virginia, just 20 minutes from where I am now. Let's keep up the momentum and have a 1974 reunion within the reunion. And, let's start working on the rest of our classmates now. By 2009 we might just get them to come.

Thanks again to Mary for her dedication to our class!

Charlotte

August 22, 2007

Thanks, Lee and Lynette, for the Indian national anthem. When I returned from Delhi, I thought it peculiar not to stand at attention to sing at least one national anthem at the end of a movie. Oh well...

By the way, I clicked the link for AIS/AES and saw the report on the deconstruction and new construction of the high school. Although I understand the need for more rooms and facilities, I did really love the look of the place. I should have made a better effort to visit while it remained close to memory.

Tah.

Charlotte

July 14, 2005

My brother Jay and sister Mary are Class of 73 and 76, respectively. My father was re-assigned from the embassy to Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne, New Jersey, in May 1966, and we spent the next four year (grades 5 through 8 for me) at St. Henry School in Bayonne, New Jersey. I had to overcome culture shock at first, but I eventually won a partial tuition scholarship to high school. My father decided to join the U.S. Civil Service and move to Pennsylvania where I attended Camp Hill High School.

In 1974, I entered the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and then transferred to the College for theology during my sophomore year. I also worked at the School of Languages and Linguistics, which reminded me SO MUCH of AIS/AES with its mix of people, cultures, languages, and activities. In 1978, I graduated with a BA in Theology and a minor in German and went off to Ireland (UCD) to read a 12th Century Late Latin Life of Saint Patrick. When finances became too low even for me, that is, down to US $90, and not being an EU national (no “green card”), I found myself back in D.C. in 1982.

Friends from GU found me a temp job (three-week contract) in telecommunications which turned into a full-time job. After three years, I was headhunted to join a defense contractor and spent the next four years on numerous contracts with many firms. I went back to GU for several professional certificates (database management and editing/publishing) and then was recruited at a wedding to join the FBI.

I spent 10 years in a number of positions from acquisition to security to intelligence. While at the FBI, I attended the Joint Military Intelligence College. At the same time, I started to volunteer for animal rescue groups (more dogs than cats) and became a full-time manager of a dog-cat orphanage in Northern Virginia (yep, two full-time “jobs” plus school).

Life was certainly busy. By the summer of 2000, I was ready to start my own company, Course Correction Strategies, specializing in revitalizing and re-engineering non-profits, small companies or smaller divisions of large companies, and individuals (everyone needs a mission statement). My largest contract is with the Joint Military Intelligence College Foundation where if it’s done, I do it, to include editing the Journal. I also teach Strategic Planning for HSU (the Humane Society of the US University ONLINE) and work on political campaigns in Virginia. And, I was just offered a book project on Saint Patrick.

I live in Springfield, Virginia, and at one time I had four dogs (the fifth being a recovering patient or temporary placement while waiting for a new home. The latter category is how I got the fourth dog, Tina. She recovered and stayed on as the in-charge dog.) Emma, a retired racing greyhound aged 12, is now an only dog.

I’m delighted that the Class of 1974 is still connected and connecting by means of the AIS/AES Website and the Reunions.

Charlotte

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