First Strother Family Reunion - 1986
The First Strother Family Reunion was held on September 5-7,1986, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The host hotel was the Sheraton- Fredericksburg Resort & Conference Center. From all across the country, 190 people attended this ground-breaking event to meet cousins, learn more about the Strother Family, and visit historical sites in the Fredericksburg area that are part of the Strother heritage. No definite organizational structure or plans for future events came out of this reunion, but the seed was planted and many attendees expressed interest in future reunions. The program, a copy of which is included here, covered different activities to interest everyone:
- a get-acquainted period and cookout on Friday evening.
- a Seminar on the Strother Family, led by George Fenwick, one of the organizers of the reunion.
- optional tours on Saturday and Sunday to prominent local sites, including Millbank, City of Fredericksburg, Kenmore Manor, Mary Washington House, and Chatham Manor.
- a banquet at the hotel on Saturday evening followed by speakers Dr. Otho Campbell, Associate Professor of History at Mary Washington College, subject: "Virginia: It's Early Settlers and Their Hardships"; and John Frederick Dorman, Editor of THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST, subject: "The Law and Genealogy".
- a business meeting on Sunday morning.
For more information on the activities of the weekend, some later plans for a second reunion, and several people who volunteered for various functions, please check the January 1987 newsletter, the first for the Strother Family.