Spring Check In from Membership Chair Bill Walker

First, thank you to those who completed the mini survey mentioned in my March message. The information that you provided gives us additional insight into the types of class activities that you would like our class to sponsor or conduct.

So, Spring has sprung, now what?? Are you planning (more) vacations, registering for courses at CAU, making plans to meet up with friends and former classmates, or something else? Whatever it is, be sure to relax and have some fun!!

With the myriad of communications that you receive from Cornell, you may wonder which are from your [Notable] Class and which are from other areas of the University. You can always identify our Class of 1974 communications – both electronic and printed – by the unique class logo at the top. So, if you see the logo, read away! The exception is those who have opted for email messages to be sent in plain text format which, by definition, contains no photos, logos or other graphics.

Regarding communications sent from various areas of the University, as far as I can determine, there is currently no university-wide communication schedule or coordination. Our class, however, has developed a preliminary communication schedule for the purpose of coordinating the distribution of all of the messages (printed and electronic) that come to you from our class. We are working toward a more comprehensive schedule that will avoid overloading your inbox with messages from us at any given time – unless, of course you don’t read your email on a regular basis!

I made reference to issues with the renewal and auto-renewal processes in my March message. As a result of my discussions with Alumni Affairs and Development on that topic, the process to address questions and resolve issues has been simplified. All questions pertaining to renewal or auto-renewal, such as your status (e.g., Is it active?) or related problems, should be directed to Kate Freyer via e-mail (kate.freyer@cornell.edu). Questions regarding class membership plans or strategy should continue to come to me.

A list of class members who are ahead of the game by already renewing their 2025-26 class dues can be found here. This list is current as of 4/30/25. If you have subscribed to the auto-renewal process, your name is not yet on this list as this process does not charge your credit card until after the new fiscal year begins on July 1. A few weeks ago, you should have received my April membership letter via postal mail. If you do not wish to use the online process to renew, you may mail in the dues card that was included with the April letter.