Published in Reunions Magazine, Summer 2001

Internet keeps Class of ‘82 connected
by Chris Carrel
For most people high school reunions occur every ten years. Participants travel to re-connect for an evening, then return home and lose contact with classmates for another decade. Thanks to the Internet, the high school reunion is being redefined; at least for 1982 graduates of Decatur High School in Federal Way, Washington.

Through a web site created by Decatur alumnus Kim (Giskin) Sedlacek, old classmates are re-connecting daily, reaching out from their homes to meet in cyberspace.

The Class of 1982 web site (www.geocities.com/timjon.geo/) covers many area high schools. It features lists of classmates' e-mail addresses, photos of high school days, current photos, their families and a message board. Decatur grads can search for old friends, send e-mail, leave bulletin board messages, announce babies, new businesses and important life events.

"It’s fun to just look through it," says Decatur grad Jay Anonson. "The page makes me think about faces, names and places I’ve not thought about in a long time." Ironically, the web site grew from Sedlacek's frustration using the Internet to locate classmates. Six years after the Class of 1982's first reunion, Sedlacek was wondering what happened to high school friends. On the Internet she found web sites for locating classmates but only a few Decatur alumni were listed and the sites charged for listings. Sedlacek knew she could do better. The Boeing administrative assistant had already designed several award-winning web sites, including one for her three-year-old daughter Alli. [Alli's Busy World www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/1006, is listed in Internet Family Fun as one of the top children's web sites.] A modest version of the Decatur web site premiered in November 1998. Sedlacek found 10 alumni at Boeing and got permission to list their e-mail addresses. The list grew quickly as word spread. Everyone shared e-mails with Sedlacek. She tracked down others on the Internet and by phone gathering nearly 80 e-mail addresses by June.

E-mail allows easy communication between grads, says Sedlacek. "With our busy schedules, phone calls aren't always convenient," she says. Most of us have young kids and both parents are working. There's very little time. We can't always visit friends like when we were younger." Classmates no longer living in the area can stay in touch, like 1981 Decatur grad Keith Bragg who communicates with classmates from his Tasmanian home — on the other side of the planet.

Although the web site began with a Decatur focus, 1982 graduates of Federal Way and Thomas Jefferson High Schools are also welcome. A smattering of e-mail addresses from other high schools are on the web site, and Sedlacek hopes to add more. Cyber-connections have spurred personal relationships. Fifty web site patrons recently held a "mini-reunion" at Federal Way's Scoreboard Tavern. Other small reunions are being planned.

"There are a bunch of little things planned," says Sedlacek, thanks to the web site. She reports that cyber- and mini-reunions led to romance for a few single alumni. As the web site's popularity grows, more content is added. The site now includes links to classmates’ personal web sites, business and personal announcements and an extensive photo gallery. Adding pictures was the brainchild of 1982 Federal Way grad Terri (Sabotka) Latta, who discovered the web site browsing the Internet. She added photos from a collection of pictures she'd taken during high school. Soon, Latta and Sedlacek began adding current photos of alumni, their families and a mini-reunion. "We get so pumped when we get a new address to add to the list, or a new photo," says Latta. "It's becoming an obsession."

With this healthy obsession and the interest it’s generating, the Class of 1982 web site seems destined to continue growing. That's good news for 1982 grads who wonder whatever happened to old high school pals. Now they don't have to wait for the 2002 class reunion to find out. "So many of us have lost touch," says Federal Way High School grad Sheri (Moreira) Vogt. "This is such a simple way to say hello."

About the author
Chris Carrel is a lifelong Federal Way, Washington, resident and graduate of Decatur's Class of 1982. He found out about the web site when Kim Sedlacek tracked him down.