Our 2020 Heritage League Annual Reunion is Virtual

We hope this finds you well and coping with this very challenging pandemic. Since 1987, The Heritage League has held a convention each year at an interesting physical place. All members are always invited to participate. Along with socializing and educational programs, we hold our required Annual Member Meeting, where the Executive Committee gives its annual reports, and in odd-numbered years, members vote in officers for two-year terms.

2020 Annual Member Reunion

Saturday, October 3, 2020
1:00 pm (Eastern)
Noon (Central)
11:00 am (Mountain)
10:00 am (Pacific)

This year, we will have a “virtual reunion'” using Zoom online and you are invited to participate. This unusual year presents a new opportunity for your participation without needing to travel, sparing you the considerable time and money commitment. Your 2020 Heritage League Reunion Committee aims to offer an exciting event that will educate while entertaining.

Program Schedule

Note: The following times are Eastern.

• 1:00
  Zoom ‘conference room’ opens
  The Reunion doors open. Come on in, get settled, and ask any questions about the event.

• 1:15
  Welcome and Introductions
  Meet your hosts, and have a chance for short conversations with others in the group.

• 1:30—2:00
  Veterans Panel
  Brief accounts from WWII veterans, each telling us about a specific “thing we should know,” which most people do not. Veterans will address questions you submit in advance, regarding a specific thing you have always wondered about, but never found an answer for. The chosen queries will be of general interest, focusing on the personal experience of Second Air Division men in combat, in support roles, in training, and at ease.

• 2:05–2:50
  Annual Member Meeting
  President Marybeth Dyer and Heritage League officers will report on recent and future activities and the health of the organization. Active members will vote for approval of the Minutes of the last annual meeting published in the Heritage Herald #68, page 19.

• 2:55–3:30
  Guided Tour of a bomb group base in England
  Using lots of “then-and-now” photos and maps, Brian Mahoney and active “on the ground” explorer Ivan Barnard, using the remnants of the 467th BG’s Rackheath station, will show you how to explore and experience. Ongoing “digs” and restorations will “take you there” and probably whet your appetite to go to your airfield, over the internet for now and in rural Norfolk itself as soon as conditions allow.

FAQs regarding Zoom virtual meetings

• Are there ways I can be more involved in this program?
  Yes! Please consider submitting a question to be answered by the Veterans Panel at the beginning of the program. Is there something you have always wondered about the Second Air Division experience of ground or combat personnel?
  Please submit your thoughtful question to us at heritageleagueinfo@gmail.com. We are looking for questions that are not usually answered in the books and documentaries you have seen, and will be of interest to others. If your question is one of the selections, you may even be asked to present it directly to the panel.

• Can I participate without a computer?
  You can participate by phone but to fully enjoy seeing events and follow “then and now” visuals of the base tour, you need an internet-connected computer.
  Another possibility: if you let us know by September 18th, we will help look for other League members in your area who would be willing to host the Zoom meeting. Naturally, it’s between you and them to address COVID issues and other details.

• How will our virtual reunion work?
  There are two ways to attend: you can get both video and audio through your computer, or you can call by phone for the audio portion. See the next sections for instructions.

Ways to access the meeting

Attend the meeting on the computer

Meeting ID: 248 032 0762

If you haven’t used Zoom before, use the following procedure. If you already have the Zoom client software, join in the normal way, and use the Meeting ID.

1. Go to https://www.zoom.us/
2. Look for the Join a Meeting button.
   See (a) in the diagram below.
3. In the next screen (b), insert the Meeting ID shown above.
4. Click Join.

You will be greeted in the “waiting room,” then admitted to the meeting.

Attend the meeting by phone

1. Call one of the numbers below close to your location.
2. When asked, enter the Meeting ID: 248 032 0762.
   You do not need a participant ID: just press # when asked.

Phone numbers:
+1 346 248 7799 (Houston)
+1 301 715 8592 (Germantown, MD)
+1 669 900 6833 (San Jose, CA)
+1 312 626 6799 (Chicago)
+1 253 215 8782 (Tacoma, WA)
+1 929 436 2866 (New York)

Questions?

We hope our online meeting will work very well! While we have years of experience conducting Executive Committee business over the internet, bringing the members together this way is a first for us, so we ask your patience. Even if things return to normal, we are likely to have online offerings in the future, so refining the process will benefit us all.

For help before the meeting, we invite you to join a practice meeting or email us.

Participate in a practice meeting

Practice session date: Thursday, September 24, 2020, starting at 7 pm EDT.

Get used to Zoom by connecting to a practice session. Follow the procedure above for connecting to Zoom.

Email us

You can also email us at heritageleagueinfo@gmail.com or fill in our contact form.

We are quite excited about this virtual reunion and hope that all members will be able to join in.

Your 2020 Reunion Committee,