2024 DFA REUNION
Amherst, MA
June 28, 29
On Friday, June 28th, several members took advantage of a tour of the Masonic Hall (Pacific Lodge) on Main Street, a short walk west of the Dickinson Museum. One of our cousins from the 1800’s, Capt. Walter Mason Dickinson, was prominently involved with this lodge in its early days and we viewed a plaque in his memory during our tour of the two levels of the building.
Our Friday dinner was held at the Valentine Hall special dining room on the Amherst College campus. We had been in that location for our 2008 reunion. The college food service has always been one of our favorite caterers and they didn’t let us down this year.
Forty-four attended the Friday dinner and there were sixty-four at the Saturday reunion which was also held in Valentine Hall. On Saturday morning a continental breakfast was available early, and later we enjoyed a short talk given by Megan Ramsey, manager of collections for the Emily Dickinson Museum. She talked about the many objects, artifacts, etc. which the museum owns and showed slides of some of the items that once belonged to the Dickinson family.
After a delicious lunch, President Ken Dickinson called the annual meeting of the DFA to order. Scholarship chair Lisa Butler announced that this year’s winner of the DFA scholarship was Riley Arenberg who will be attending Amherst College. Following the meeting we welcomed our featured presentation, “The Celticification of Emily Dickinson” performed by a group known as the Wilde Irish Women. This was a musical setting of several of Emily Dickinson’s poems incorporated in a performance which featured the role of Margaret Maher in the Dickinson household. She was a maid and cook for the family, but also a close friend and confidant of Emily’s. The performance was cleverly constructed, excellently performed and thoroughly delightful!
The tours, the meals, the presentations, and the chance to converse with cousins and renew acquaintances all added up to a very enjoyable and successful reunion. We look forward now to the 2025 reunion in Wethersfield, Connecticut.