My Perkins School Reunions
By Bob Branco
In the year 2000, 23 years after I graduated from Perkins School for the Blind, I had a brainstorm about reuniting all my friends from that era. I was very curious to know how everyone was doing, so I decided to plan a dinner in a Boston restaurant where former Perkins students would get together, catch up on old news and remember old times. I even invited some of the teachers who taught us back then. I chose Boston as the location for the reunion because it was centrally located for anyone who needed to travel a long distance. The dinner was very successful. As many as 26 former students and guests sat at a very long table, making it a very friendly and homey environment.
Being that the reunion was a success, I decided to do it again the following year, and even more former Perkins students and their guests attended. Eventually, I decided to plan three events each year: the Spring dinner in May, a picnic in August, and a Holiday party in November. All three events have the same theme, friends from Perkins reuniting.
When our annual picnics were at Perkins, we occasionally toured the campus so that we could recognize the changes that were made in the past several decades. Many students who attended the school 40 years ago are surprised that certain land marks are no longer there, while newer and more accessible features were constructed for those students who are in wheelchairs.
Those who attend my Perkins School reunions are not all from my class or my era. Several students from the 1960’s attend, while many former students from the 1980’s and 90’s take part as well. It is a real pleasure planning these reunions and to see everyone there. We all have a terrific time, and many past friendships have been revived.
I am having my next event on Saturday, August 26, a picnic at Danehy Park in Cambridge, Massachusetts . If you are a former Perkins student, and would like to go, please contact me for further details. My email address is bobbranco93@gmail.com, and my phone number is 508-994-4972.
