Dearest Family,

I hope that this message finds you in good health and spirits. I am honored to have been given the reigns of the Reunion Committee from Barbara Gant, who did a wonderful job with the 2006 family reunion. As planning for our next gathering in August of 2008 gets into full swing, it is important for me to communicate how excited I am about bringing all of us together to strengthen family ties, and at the same time, to create an opportunity for learning.

To this end, the 2008 Fletcher Family Reunion will be held August 1 - 3 in Sweet Briar, Virginia at the Florence Elston Inn and Conference Center (http://www.sbc.edu/elstoninn). We will have the ability to use beautiful facilities and state of the art equipment while there to enhance our experience, and to bring technology into the chronicling of our family’s history. It's proximity to the slave cemetery where many of our ancestors are buried will also ensure that our time together that weekend provides new opportunities to learn about Fletcher ancestors—the names of another generation of which have recently been identified.

I’ve just returned from a weekend in Amherst/Sweet Briar visiting with Jasper (Eddie) Fletcher. While there, he and I met with Sweet Briar College President, Dr. Elizabeth Muhlenfeld (http://www.sbc.edu/president/betsy.html) and Professor Lynn Rainville to learn more about 19th century family history, to share information about our reunion plans, and to discuss ways to strengthen the relationship between the College and Fletcher descendants. It was a productive trip, and I particularly enjoyed touring the original plantation house, the museum, and the slave cemetery on campus. Both Dr. Muhlenfeld and Dr. Rainville were enthusiastic and gracious, and I look forward to our next opportunity to meet.

The 6-hour trip to Amherst County was my first trip there in a few years and it was truly wonderful. The link below will lead you to an album of some of the pictures taken that weekend. http://picasaweb.google.com/bethanypace/AncestryTripToAmherstCountyVirginia

In closing, I know that God's hand is guiding our steps in the planning of the next reunion, and I rest in the knowledge that it will be exactly as He intends. Please continue to visit the reunion website at www.fletcher-reunion.blogspot.com for information and updates between now and next August and know that I can always be reached at (410) 838-2067 or bethanypace@gmail.com.

Warmly,
Bethany (Fletcher) Pace (Granddaughter of Jennie Louis Fletcher)
Fletcher Reunion Coordinator