January 27, 2020

To the Portsmouth High School Class of 1970:

As the Executive Director of the Pease Development Authority, I welcome all members of the Portsmouth High School Class of 1970 back to the City of Portsmouth in August of 2020 for your 50^th Reunion!

While the Pease Development Authority did not exist in 1970, Pease Air Force Base did and I am sure many of you have ties to and memories of the property that is now the Pease International Tradeport and the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease. As the City of Portsmouth has grown and changed over the past 50 years, so too has Pease since the closure of the Air Force Base in the early 1990’s. The Pease Tradeport is now home to a large number of diverse companies and businesses that employ upwards of 10,000 people in a wide variety of professions. The Pease Golf Course, where I understand some of your Reunion events will be held, is one of the premier golf courses in the region. The Portsmouth International Airport at Pease has demonstrated sustained growth over the years and provides a base for commercial and private air carriers, as well as serving as the home of the New Hampshire Air National Guard and the 133^rd Air Refueling Squadron. In short, Pease serves as a commercial, transportation, and recreational hub for the City of Portsmouth and the entire seacoast region.

Congratulations and welcome back! I encourage you to take a little time to visit Pease when in town this summer!

Sincerely,

David Mullen
Executive Director

Valerie Rochon
President and Chief Collaborator
Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth 500 Market St. 16A
Portsmouth, NH 03801

Dear Portsmouth High School Class of 1970,

It is my honor as President of the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth to welcome you back to the City of Portsmouth for your 50th high school reunion. Congratulations!!

While there have been many changes to the home port of the Clippers since your graduation in 1970, we echo your classmate and our former Mayor Jack Blalock in saying that Portsmouth has retained its small city charm while growing into an economic engine for the Seacoast and the State of New Hampshire.

You may know already that Portsmouth has evolved into a culinary destination – a foodie’s delight – since the days when the Blue Strawberry with Chef James Haller exploded on the restaurant scene in 1970. Continuing the tradition, each year since 2008 the Chamber and sponsors have hosted two Restaurant Weeks featuring up to 50 participating restaurants in Portsmouth and the greater Seacoast (but primarily Portsmouth). We bring to the table those from as far as other countries, to as close as residing within walking distance of downtown. We are incredibly proud of the restaurant scene here, and invite you back Nov. 5 through Nov. 14 to partake in a meal or two as the restaurants show why they attract diners from Boston and Portland and beyond.

In between designated reunion activities, as you reminisce with classmates, please stroll Portsmouth’s streets, browse our boutiques and if you can, stop for coffee at the Market Square mainstay location with its welcoming tables and chairs. Once home to Teddy’s Lunch, and later Breaking New Grounds, it is now home to Tuscan Market -- and still as welcoming a space to Portsmouth natives returning home to create new memories with long-time friends.

Please enjoy your time in Portsmouth, and don’t spend too much time in between your next return home!

Sincerely,

Valerie Rochon
President and Chief Collaborator

To the PHS class of 1970:

As the Mayor of Portsmouth and a former classmate, I want to welcome you back to this great city! I wanted to extend a personal welcome to you all for our 50^th high school reunion on August 7^th and 8^th, 2020. Hard to believe it has been 50 years and we are now entering a new decade.

As many of you have moved to neighboring cities and towns or further away, I know your return to this community will be memorable and beautiful. Portsmouth has become a vibrant destination for many people. Whatever your memories are, you will come back to the familiar and the very different. Certainly, Portsmouth has grown and changed but, has still retained the small city charm you remember.

I have remained here, raised a family and still live in the house where I grew up. I could not be prouder to be the Mayor of this wonderful, diverse and unique city. I hope to personally see you at the 50^th Reunion of the Portsmouth High School class of 1970!

All the best,
Jack Blalock
Class of 1970
Mayor of Portsmouth, N.H.

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Dear Classmates,

The committee began planning for the upcoming 50th reunion well over a year ago. The relatively small group of individuals who research venues, update your contact information, plan the specifics of the weekend, create a budget, coordinate mailings, manage the technology side of things and solicit for raffles come together as a cohesive unit every 5 years even though they may not see each other very often in between reunions. It is similar to planning a wedding every five years and a majority of us have been involved for the past 30 years. We have had classmates float in and out of the committee as their schedules allow and always welcome newcomers. 

This year’s committee has been extra diligent about costs. We understand some of you will travel and require accommodations. Many if not most of us are retired and we realize the phrase “fixed income” is a reality. Since 1990 tickets for our reunions have remained at $35.00 per person. We accomplished that feat with the raffle prizes each year which in turn allowed us to have start up funds in place for the next reunion. 2020 Tickets will be $50.00 per person - still a bargain considering prices of other class reunions in this day and age.

The committee has experienced a pleasant increase in requests for information about the 2020 reunion as well as commitments from classmates who have never been able to attend or who have not attended in recent years. 

We are still trying to locate some classmates and any help you can provide helps the cause. In addition, the guest list is expanding to include not only class advisors, teachers, spouses of deceased classmates who wish to be included and finally, any individual who attended PHS as a member of the Class of 1970 during 1966-1970 regardless of where they transferred to or from.

The “Letters of Welcome” begin in November and will continue through next August from various individuals and classmates. We hope you will take the time to read them. Let us know if you would like to contribute one.

We have a new email address as well as website and we encourage you to view it often as updates and plans for the two evenings are still being designed. If you have an idea you would like to share with the committee about the reunion events, please do not hesitate to reach out to us through the website or the email address. We are always interested in other ideas!

On behalf of our motley crew, we look forward to seeing each and everyone of you who are able to join us in August of 2020!