From Grammar School Class Room, to Zoom Room, 61-Years Later

With a little imagination and creativity, Zoom makes the otherwise impossible, possible.

In 1989, Richard Erschik was flying back to Chicago from Los Angeles. He always said “I get my best ideas when I’m flying or driving” and he happened to realize during the flight that it was 30-years since he graduated from St Alphonsus grammar school on the North side of Chicago.

He wondered for a moment where all of his classmates might all be, and he got the idea to find out. How? He organized a 30-year class reunion.

Exhaustive phone calls, letters, post cards, and word of mouth, identified about 60% of his class of 1959 who all met at a local Chicago restaurant for what turned out to be both emotional and rewarding.

In 2009, he repeated the process for their 50th reunion, shown in the photograph including the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado that he rented as a reminder to the class of their 1959 era.

Fast forward 11-years to 2020, now 61-years after their 1959 graduation, in the middle of a world-wide pandemic of the COVID-19 virus, meeting in person would be impossible.

However, again while driving in South Florida he thought, why not do it again? “Since I’m now retired from my 40-year career in the trade show industry, and I teach baby-boomers and seniors how to use iPhones, iPads, and Zoom video chatting technology, why not have a 61-year class reunion on Zoom?”

Even though the population was wearing face masks and following the 6ft separation rule of social-distancing, there would be no risk of contracting or spreading the virus. There would be no budget breaking travel, hotel expenses, or restaurants. Everyone could meet in a Zoom room, and if they didn’t know how to use Zoom, he could teach them. So that’s exactly what he did.

He used the list from the past two reunions and began contacting class mates again, who were now in their mid-70’s.

While many were found to have moved and/or sadly passed, he found 15 of his 1959 grammar school class, 9 of whom logged into Zoom for what resulted in an emotional and fun 1-hour, and 51-minute time of their lives, in their own Zoom Room reminiscent of the old TV show, Hollywood Squares.

Attendees were from all over the country including Santa Rosa, CA, South Florida, MI, WI, CO, and GA. A few were still in the Chicago area.

“This time, thanks to today’s technology, the challenge of organizing the reunion was the easiest” Richard said. “I already had their e-mails and found a few on Facebook. So, all I did was contact everyone again by e-mail and send them a Zoom invitation for the reunion at 5:00pm EST on June 7, 2020 exactly 61-years to the day from our graduation on June 7, 1959.”

All they had to do was click on the Zoom link in their e-mail at the prescribed time, and there they were. Together again. All in one place, from all over the country, onscreen.

Reminiscing among friends and old (so to speak) classmates is a wonderful thing to experience, and reminders of the past are comforting.

Following about 30-minutes of some very interesting verbal and visual catching up, Richard shared-his-computer-screen and took everyone through a Power Point presentation he developed. It consisted of memory jogging trivia questions about people, places, and things relating to movies, TV shows, and music of their era. He even popped-up an onscreen pole of multiple-choice questions that further jogged memories.

“Everyone had a ball and some admittedly shed tears when he had Roy Rogers and Dale Evans sing Happy Trails to You, from a linked YouTube channel, as the reunion came to a close with the Zoom screen fading to black.”

Richard Erschik’s creative use of Zoom is just one example of how you can bring people together today with technology.

Dislocated families can meet online using Zoom. Business associates from all over the world can meet online using Zoom. Buyers and sellers can meet online using Zoom. Detailed instructions can be demonstrated online using Zoom.

Learn how at www.TechTutorUSA.com