The Chairwoman’s Corner
My name is Stephanie Claytor. I am the new Chairwoman of the Board of Directors. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the daughter of the former chairperson, Darrell C. Claytor. I want to thank the family for pushing me to take on this challenging endeavor.
I’m proud to say I’ve been attending family reunions since I was one month old and have not missed one yet. It is always a pleasure to chat with elders and hang out with cousins my age. I was especially grateful to receive the Dr. Mary Claytor Scholarship in 2006.
In my short time as chairwoman, I have built our family website and am pleased to say that www.ReynoldsClaytorFamily.com is up and running. I also created an email newsletter account using MailChimp and a family email address (ReynoldsClaytorFamily@gmail.com). Please feel free to write in to ask questions about upcoming reunions, and to let us know about your immediate family member’s achievements. We also want to hear about our family members who are ill or have passed on. This will make it easier for us to feature our family members and their achievements in future newsletters or to add family members to our prayer lists.
Our 2018, Long Beach, CA reunion was historic. It was beautiful to see so many family members trek across the country to be there. Not many people can say 150 of their family members took a picture together in front of the Beverly Hills sign. WE can! The hotel was exquisite and in a great location. Our day long tour of Los Angeles took us to Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood. And, our dinner included a photo booth for the first time.
Those fun pictures are still on my refrigerator. We had a great time! I can’t wait to make even more memories with the family in the summer of 2020 at our next reunion in the Washington D.C. area.
We as a Board want these reunions to continue on as long as we can, but we need your help in that effort. Primarily, we need family members attending to pay their registration fees earlier so that we are able to cover our arrangements with hotels and catering. Another way to help is by paying family dues, which are $25.
In this year without a reunion, we hope you’ll send the family a donation. Whether it be for a scholarship or for reunion support. The family greatly appreciates it. We’ve included a donation form in this newsletter, for those of you wishing to send a donation by mail. No amount is too small, because if 100 family members sent $20, the $2000 donated would help cushion us for the future, or pay two scholarships. We have even set up a Paypal account, connected directly to the family’s bank account to make donating easier. Simply go to www.paypal.com and put in the family’s email address, (ReynoldsClaytorFamily@gmail.com), as the recipient.
Right now the family’s reserves are lower than they have been in some time, which does not leave us in the best position as we prepare to pay deposits for future reunions and give out scholarships. Hotel costs have gone up, but our registration fees have remained relatively stable for the last decade at least. Any donation that you are able to give is needed and appreciated so that we can continue to have the same type of reunions to which we have grown accustomed.
Thanks for your support family! Let’s make Washington DC 2020 a reunion to remember. If you have any concerns or announcements, please send to the board by emailing ReynoldsClaytorfamily@gmail.com
The Reynolds/Claytor Family Reunion, Inc. is sponsoring the Dr. Mary Claytor Scholarship for family members who are graduating seniors in high school. Applicants must be students graduating in December 2018 or in Spring 2019. The following scholarship amounts, totaling $2,000, are available: $1000 for a student accepted in a four (4) year college or university program or $500 for a student accepted in a two (2) year college program.
Since 2002 when the scholarship program commenced, we have awarded 31 one thousand dollars scholarships and one $500 scholarship to members of our family. Your continuing financial support is encouraged.
An application may be obtained by going to the Reynolds/Claytor family Facebook group(https://www.facebook.com/groups/2321388052/), or sending a request via email to Christen Newson, at christen.dyane@gmail.com.
Completed applications must be sent to Christen Newson by June 1, 2019.
2018 Mary Claytor Scholar Recipients
Simone Burnett of Hamilton, OH is one of our 2018 recipients of the Dr. Mary Claytor Scholarship. She is the of Mia Burnett and Brian Burnett, and the great-granddaughter of Goldie Mae Ritchie (Virginia Kaleidoscope p. 282). She is a 2018 alumna of Cincinnati Country Day School with a 3.21 GPA. Simone’s Extracurricular activities included the Hunger Relief Club, Diversity Club, competitive dance, and track. She is currently majoring in Dance and Business that The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. She describes her first year experience as “phenomenal”. She writes us, “I was able to exceed my predetermined goals, and made new friends and connections in and outside the university. I have recently been invited to represent The Ohio State University in a tour group to Brazil spring semester of 2020, and joined the Collegiate Scholars Honor Society in 2019.
Kayin Ade Christopher Claytor of Shaker Heights, OH, is a recipient of the 2018 Dr. Mary Claytor Scholarship. He is the son of Wendell C. Claytor and Leslie A. Claytor, and he is the grandson of Richard Carey Claytor (Virginia Kaleidoscope p.183). He is a 2018 alumnus of Shaker Heights High School and graduated with a 3.54 GPA. His extra-curricular activities included Varsity Golf, Minority Achievement Committee (MAC) Scholars, Delta Epsilon Phi National German Honors Society, tutoring, and working as a lifeguard. Kayin was awarded the MVP award on his golf team. He is about to complete his first year at Miami University studying Finance in the Farmer School of Business, ranked within the top 50 of public universities. He describes his firstyear experience as being “nothing short of amazing.” He is on the Asset Management Committee for First Miami, the student-run credit union, and is a member of the Business Student Advisory Council, the Multicultural Business Association, and the National Association of Black Accountants.
Kyla Williams of Graham, NC is a recipient of the Dr. Mary Claytor Scholarship. She is the great-granddaughter of Viola Claytor Williams (Virginia Kaleidoscope p. 137). She is a 2018 alumna of Southern HighSchool in Graham, NC with a 3.18 GPA. Kyla’s extracurricular activities included running track, later managing the team, and serving on the “Dream Team” club for athletes encouraging others to not be influenced by mind-altering substances. During her senior year, Kyla was a member of DECA in order to further connect what she desires to do at her future. She is majoring in Business Administration at Alamance Community College in Graham, NC.
Robert Williams, of Atlanta, GA is a 2018 recipient of the Dr. Mary Claytor Scholarship. He is the son of Allyson Williams and Michael Joseph Williams (Virginia Kaleidoscope p. 283).Robert graduated from Chamblee Charger High School with a 3.33 GPA. His extracurricular activities included piano,marching band, Boy Scouts of America where he was honored as a Life Scout, and a participant in the magnet school program. Robert also received the “Golden Shoe”award in marching band for his superior marching technique. Robert has been greatly enjoying his time at the University of Missouri, where he is studying Journalism. He writes us, “I’ve been working with some incredible faculty and staff membersto stand out in a very competitive program.” This past fall, Robert was able to travel with the football and women’s basketball teams as a part of Marching Mizzou. “Thank you for all of your love and support! I hope to use what you’ve given me to make you all proud!”
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Hello Reynolds-Claytor Family!
It is a pleasure to write you all again! I look forward to seeing you all in Washington D.C. next Summer. The dates are Thursday July 2nd through Sunday July 5th 2020. I will keep my letter short and sweet this time as we are busy on the Board and have a lot of information to disperse.
As we move forward, we would like to digitize our newsletter as much as possible. This saves us time and cuts costs tremendously. Ideally, if family members have access to email, we would email the newsletter in the odd-numbered years and mail hard copies only in the spring before the reunion. If family members do not have access to email, we will still mail each newsletter to ensure we are delivering information to everyone.
In Long Beach, CA, we elected some new officers. As you read above, Stephanie Claytor is our new Chair. Armin Hoes is our Vice Chair. Dianne Johnson is serving as Treasurer. And Tanika Martin is our Recording Secretary. I was re-elected to serve as Corresponding Secretary. Clarence T. Martin remains our Sargent-at-Arms.
Tanika Martin, and I have been reaching out via email to a number of family members to find their preference. We appreciate those who have replied to us already. Those who we have not been able to communicate via email may receive a phone call in the coming months to confirm your contact information and communication preferences (email vs. USPS).
Regardless of if you are able to make a donation, you can update your contact information and communication preferences using the donation form below.
Please note that with our new Treasurer, we also have a new P.O. Box address on the donation form, below.
It is truly a pleasure to serve you! God Bless You and I look forward to seeing you all soon!
- Ifeolu A.C. Claytor
Ifeolu.ac.claytor@hotmail.com
2019 DONATION FORM
Your generous support of our Family Reunion is greatly appreciated. For our reunion to last another
40+ years, we need to attract young families and make our reunions more affordable. If you are
unable to attend the family reunions, please consider making a 2020 Reunion Support donation. All
donations will be acknowledged.
Name _________________________________________
2020 Reunion Support __________________
Scholarship Fund __________________
Total Amount __________________
Address
____________________________________________
Send to: Reynolds/Claytor Family Reunion, Inc.
P.O. Box 458
Oak Forest, IL 60452-0458
OR send via paypal.com using email address reynoldsclaytorfamily@gmail.com to send to the family. (This method does encounter a small fee)
Your Email Address:
Please make check payable to: Reynolds/Claytor Family Reunion, Inc.
Please send one check for your total contributions, donations, and dues.
What are your Communication Preferences? (Please Circle one)
E-Mail/Online ONLY
USPS ONLY
USPS Only during Reunion years
This communication preference information can also be provided electronically to reynoldsclaytorfamily@gmail.com