Class Reunion Planning: Locating Classmates

In Class Reunion Planning: Reunion Committee, you'll find tips on creating a class reunion planning committee and  a sample agenda for your class reunion committee’s first meeting. In this article, you'll find suggestions for ways to begin locating classmates.

The whole point of a class reunion is to reunite, and you can’t do that without your classmates. To ensure you find as many people as possible before the class reunion, start locating classmates early, perhaps even a year prior to the event. This will also help spread the word that a class reunion is being planned.

Create a Master List

Before you begin searching for your classmates, you need to make a list of everyone you’re trying to locate. Create a master list of classmates’ names using the yearbook from your senior year. Another good reference, if you still have a copy, is your high school graduation program, which should contain a list of everyone who graduated with you. If you can’t locate either a yearbook or a program, contact your high school to see if the registrar or school secretary can provide you with a list of your classmates.

Start a spreadsheet so that you can keep all the information you find on people in one place. You can also use it later as a database for class reunion promotional mailings. Your spreadsheet might include each classmate’s: last name, maiden name, first name, postal address, phone number and e-mail address. It’s also a good idea to have a notes section for each classmate in which you can enter leads or tips you need to follow up on.

Once you enter all your classmates’ names in your spreadsheet, fill in the contact information for the people with whom you’ve stayed in contact. In this age of e-mail, it’s easier to stay in touch with old friends, so start by contacting any classmates in your e-mail address book to ask them for their current contact information.

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