2000 National Reunion Memorable PAGE 1

2000 National Reunion Memorable!

The 16th Annual National Bland Family Reunion was held August 4, 5, 6, 2000, at the Chamberlin Hotel on historic Fort Monroe, Hampton, VA. Total attendance was 52, with 14 states represented.

John W. Bland, Elizabethtown, KY, and Charles L. Bland, Amherst, NY, sponsored the first annual Reunion in 1985, in Elizabethtown. Locations are generally selected in areas that have concentrations of Bland family members. Virginia is the birthplace of the United States, as well as for the Bland family. The history of the Bland Family is interwoven with the history of Virginia.

As this year’s Reunion Committee Chairman, Pat Marsh, Sellersburg, IN, (right center) receives the traveling Sponsor Recognition Plaque from President Pro-tem, Robert Bland (far left) and wife, Ethel, Deland, FL. Pat was assisted in securing the historic Reunion site by Judy Byrum, Chesapeake, VA, a maternal cousin to Charles L. Bland, (far right) who emceed the presentation ceremonies. (All following photos courtesy — Bob Bland)

Reunion attendees were greeted at the registration desk by members of the Reunion Committee, including Bertha Dunn, Topeka, KS, (left), and Lois Taylor, Shelbyville, IN (right). Bertha is the Reunion Committee Chairman for the 2001 Reunion, to be held in St Joseph, MO. Other members of the Reunion Committee are Pat Marsh, John Black, Starkville, MS, Joan Bland, Independence, MO, and Vernon Sellars, Joliet, IL.

David Bland, Independence, MO, (left center) has served during the past year as the Reunion’s Administrative Committee Chairman. The Committee laid the groundwork for preparing a formal organization, which culminated in this first formal meeting of the Board of Directors. Other Administrative Committee members were Virgil Bland, Phoenix, AZ, Pat Marsh, and Genealogist, Charles Bland (right center). Also shown is President Pro-tem Robert Bland (far left) and Richard Parks Bland III (far right).

In August, 1999, in Lancaster, KY, a pre-organizational framework was developed for future Bland National Reunions, and for the advancement of Bland family history. A Board of Directors was selected, including Francis Bland, Paragould, AR, Laverne Bland, Edgerton, MO, Richard Bland, Denver, CO, Robert Bland, Deland, FL, Mildred Hunter, Pleasant Grove, UT, and Edith Lanning, Ocala, FL. The Directors were nominated for staggered terms of office, with two standing for election every two years, beginning in 2001. The two alternates are Pat Marsh and Dee Sellars Joliet, IL.

Friday, August 4, 1:00-5:00 PM, included registration, name tags, sign-up for First Annual Bland Talent Show, genealogy charts, displays, family photo albums, news clippings, visiting, and distribution of Bland golf shirts, in the Merrimac Room. Light refreshments and soft drinks were provided. From 5:00-8:00 PM, several restaurants in the area accommodated our relatives for dinner. At 8:00, we gathered in the Merrimac Room for introductions of each family member. A written Bland ice-breaker game, to determine who could find the specific Bland requested, enabled old-timers and newcomers to become better acquainted.

A Bland Sing-Along, accompanied on the guitar by Steve Bland, Columbia, SC, and on keyboard by Phyllis Michael, Bristol, VA, included several fun songs, highlighted by “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny,” the VA State Song Emeritus, composed by James Allen Bland, who is known as “The Black Stephen Foster,” and to whom over 700 songs are attributed, including, “Oh, Dem Golden Slippers.” A report on his life was given by Charles Bland. The evening included the first Annual Bland Talent Show, emceed by Joan Bland, and included solos, readings, ballads, and genealogy jokes, which provided great entertainment by our illustrious family members. The evening concluded with everyone joining hands and singing, “Blest Be the Tie That Binds”.

(Yet to be posted)