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(Also see About Us and About This Web Site.)

--Permission is granted to use this material in whole or in excerpt (or simply the ideas) as long as you credit "Tom Ninkovich, author of Family Reunion Handbook."

-- As I think of new topics, I occasionally add to this page. Scroll down for more info.

To the Media:

Yes, I know -- you're on a deadline. But deadlines vary. If it's 5 p.m. this afternoon, then you'll have to get the info off this website.

BUT IF YOU HAVE TIME, I'd like to FedEx you my 2 books on family reunions (Family Reunion Handbook and Fun & Games for Family Gatherings). If you'd like to receive these books, please e-mail me your FedEx business address (include your name and phone number). Just click HERE to e-mail. (For those of you not in the media: Please do not ask for free material.)

Or you can leave a phone message at (559) 855-2101. But e-mail is quicker because I'm on the road a lot (researching reunions, of course), and I get my e-mail messages every day.

For those of you in a hurry, here's some quick help:

• Check "the Top 3 Tips for Any Family Reunion." From a writer's point of view, the interesting tips are #2 (Show the Kids a Good Time) and #3 (Tell the Family Story). Pages could be written on these topics. See below for a brief treatment on the last topic.
  
  
• See "Reunion Demographics," below.
  
  
• Interested in a sociological point of view on family reunions? See the Foreword of Family Reunion Handbook, written by Dr. Ione Vargus of Temple University. Click HERE for the Foreword.
  
  
• For a bit of lay philosophy about family reunions, try the Intro of Family Reunion Handbook. Click HERE for the Intro.
  
  
• For an African-American perspective, talk with Dr. Ione Vargus of the Family Reunion Institute (Temple University). Her phone number is (215) 204-6244 (that's a message number). Or e-mail her at vargus@vm.temple.edu
  
  
• See "About Us" which explains about Reunion Research.
  
  
• See "Other Resources" which is a long list, accumulated over 17 years, of resources for reunion planners. This is a unique listing and is the most popular page on this website.
  
  
• See "Our Products" for a listing of what I sell. My 2 books are described there. Also, some other books and our famous personalized reunion crossword puzzle.
  
  
• I was recently asked by National Geographic Traveler to send them a "Top 10 List" of my favorite family reunion sites within the U.S. I don't want to post this list right here because I might be accused of favoritism. However, I will e-mail it to you. Ask for the "Top 10 List of Family Reunion Sites." Click HERE to e-mail me. Also see "Reunion Sites" on this website.
  
  
• Need to talk with a real family reunion planner? For phone numbers of family reunion planners, see the Directory of Family Associations by E. Bentley. Published by Genealogical Publishing (800) 296-6687. You can find this book in most libraries. Several thousand family associations and family reunion groups are listed. To find the reunion groups (as opposed to the associations), choose the names with "reunion" in the title. For example: "Smith Family Reunion" instead of "Smith Family Association." Then from that list, find the ones with phone numbers listed (they don't all list their phone numbers).
  

That covers the basics. For more information, scroll down.

Good luck with your article or project.

Tom Ninkovich
Reunion Research
E-mail: mail@reuniontips.com

From here on is miscellaneous reunion information that I add to occasionally. Scroll down.

REUNIONS ON THE INCREASE?

Last year, 90% of the writers who contacted me wanted me to tell them that reunions are on the increase. I would dearly love to be able to say this. After all, I have as much vested interest in reunions as anyone. However, the truth is that no one knows this for sure. I assure you that no one has done an official survey or poll of this question. And if one has recently been done, I know that they don't have the past numbers to compare against.

So "experts" make what they consider "educated guesses." For example, if you talk with the YMCA of the Rockies, they will tell you that reunions have been on the increase at their property in the last 20 or 30 years. No doubt this is true. However, what's not taken into consideration is the fact that "family" and "family reunions" have gotten more "free ink" in the last 15 years than in any other time in history. We're talking a factor of ten-fold. And much of this "free ink" points directly to great places to have reunions. One article in the NY Times could easily get another 50 reunions to any property that is named. But it doesn't necessarily follow that reunions are on the increase. It simply means that more reunions are happening at interesting places.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but reunion demographics happens to be a special interest of mine. And if I let a few numbers or statistics "slide," there goes my reputation. A demographer with a bad rep should try some other business.

--Tom Ninkovich

REUNION DEMOGRAPHICS

Here are some reunion demographics that I have derived over the years:

Number of reunions per year in the U.S.:
Family: 200,000
School: 150,000
Military: 6,000

Average attendance per reunion:
Family: 40
School: 180
Military: 100

Number of attendees per year:
Family: 8,000,000
School: 27,000,000
Military: 600,000

80% of family reunions are organized by women over the age of 40.

--If these numbers are reproduced in any form, please credit "Tom Ninkovich, author of Family Reunion Handbook."

WRONG TIMING FOR MOST ARTICLES ON REUNIONS

90% of the articles on reunions come out from June to August. This is okay if you're giving tips on how to attend a reunion or on games to play. But if it's about how to PLAN a reunion, you're about 6 months too late.

I know, I know. Your editor makes the assignments. Give him/her a copy of this rant. Maybe next year your newspaper or magazine will be ahead of the game. Here are some stats on the subject:

10% of reunions start planning in September or October (of the year before).
80% start in January or February.
10% start too late (later than March).

MOST IMPORTANT ANGLE: REUNIONS TELL THE FAMILY STORY

Family reunions exist to tell the family story. Plain and simple. After interviewing over 3500 reunion planners over 28 years, this is the most basic statement I can make about family reunions.

There is a pychological need for all of us to tell our story -- at least eventually. That's the whole idea behind memoirs and autobiographies. Families have the same need. These family stories give shape to our existance. They tell us where we've been and, if we pay close attention, where we're headed. They have value far beyond what most of us realize.

Family stories are being told everywhere at a family reunion, whether we notice or not, and whether we try or not. There's a "story" in the way a person looks, in the turn of a cheek, in the timbre of a voice, in expressions and interests, in conversation. However, most reunion planners go a step further, just to be sure. They put out scrapbooks, old photos, heirlooms, and other memorabilia. And don't forget the old recipes. Ethnic food, dress, and music can tell volumes.

For more on this "stories" angle, see the 2nd Intro in Family Reunion Handbook. Click HERE.

--Permission is granted to use this material in whole or in excerpt (or simply the idea) as long as you credit "Tom Ninkovich, author of Family Reunion Handbook."

CREDENTIALS OF TOM NINKOVICH

He has collected information on reunions since 1971, has interviewed over 3500 reunion planners, and has written 3 books on the subject of reunion planning. They are:

Family Reunion Handbook (1998), 254 pages, $14.95.
Reunion Handbook: for School & Military Reunions (1988), (out of print).
Military Reunion Handbook (1991), (out of print).

He also publishes:

Fun & Games for Family Gatherings, 134 pages, $12.95.
Directory of Reunion Sites (free in the back of Family Reunion Handbook).

He was also the spokesperson for the Dow Handiwrap family reunion ad campaign in 1993 and consulted for the Corning Glassware Family Reunion Contest in Family Circle.

He was featured on Talk of the Nation, NPR Radio, on Aug. 6, 1998.

MEDIA SHOW-OFF LIST

Since 1993 Reunion Research has been mentioned in, or has contributed to, the following publications:

Life Magazine
Family Circle (twice)
McCall's Extra Edition
Kiplinger's Retirement Report
AAA's Home & Away Magazine
American Demographics
Chicago Tribune (5 times)
Chicago Sun-Times
Newsday
Washington Post
Miami Herald (and about 8 other Knight-Ridder Newspapers)
Los Angeles Daily News
Wall Street Journal
The Portland Oregonian
Orange County Register
New York Times (Betsy Wade: Practical Traveler)
Dollars and $ense Magazine (Spring 1997)
Emporia Gazette, Emporia, KS
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Women's Day (July 1997)
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Denver Post
Detroit Free Press

Since May 1998:

Tulsa World (7-12-98)
Cincinnati Enquirer (8-20-98)
New York Times Magazine (8-30-98)
Moneysworth (Feb. 1999)
Better & Better Magazine (Fall 1998)
Wichita Eagle (5-28-98)
Marin Independent Journal (8-29-98)
Dayton Daily News (6-27-98)
The Washington Post (7-3-98)
Christian Science Monitor (6-24-98)
Friendly Exchange (Summer 1998)
Mature Outlook (June 1998)
USA Today (Laura Bly)

On Aug. 6, 1998, Tom Ninkovich was featured on Talk of the Nation, NPR Radio.

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