We were back home again. We celebrated ourselves and our heritage in the birthplace of our most recent descendants. We had relatives visiting from Cincinnati, OH; Detroit, MI; Chicago, IL, and Atlanta, GA. We enjoyed three days of activities, from July 14-16, 1989.

One of the most exciting things to come out of this reunion was “Generations,” (see below) a 40-page family newspaper. It chronicled the history of the family, with photographs and stories of our past and present. The front of the newspaper bore a family tree outlined in red with the names of Green and Rebecca Howard on the trunk and their children’s names on the branches. That tree has become our trademark family tree.

The newspaper contained a history with photos from the reunions dating back to 1980, biographies of Green and Rebecca and each of their children, tributes to family members, stories about entrepreneurs in the family, a family portrait from the 1988 reunion and news about family members. There were also tons of ads with photos from family and friends giving honor to the Howards.

The newspaper was produced by Ella Haynes, play-daughter of Abbie Lee Howard, daughter of Alonzo; and Sherry L. Howard and Christine Howard, daughter of Abbie Lee. They were members of the Macon family. The content was culled from memories of the children of our ancestors and archival records.

The reaction to the newspaper was very positive: We got compliments from family members as well as people outside the family who raved about it. The paper came from the heart, and it will serve as a significant memento for each of us and future generations.

More than 100 family members participated in the reunion. On Friday night, we had dinner at the Macon Hilton Hotel and then played bingo, with prizes given. In the final game, several family members played for money, with participants contributing cash to the pot.

On Saturday, we drove in a caravan to Lake Lanier Island near Atlanta for a picnic. We had a near-tragedy on the way to Lake Lanier. A driver who was not in our caravan almost hit one of our vehicles.

The Macon group had rented a pavilion that gave us a beautiful view of the lake and came with prepared food. No cooking for us! Many of us rode buses to the amusement area where we enjoyed water sports.

The park was enchanting, lush with greenery and wide, open space. Some members noted that it would be a great place to live, with all of its spaciousness.

Near nightfall, we headed back to Macon to enjoy and commune with each other.

On Sunday, we worshipped at Bibb Mount. Zion Baptist Church, our ancestral church home. The Rev. Walter L. Howard Sr. of Detroit, MI, son of Guss Howard, gave remarks. A choral group of family members, with Walter L. Howard Jr. of Detroit on the piano, sang.

Our reunion dinner was held at the Hilton, with the Rev. Christopher Tard, Bibb Mount Zion’s pastor, as the speaker. Several special awards were given.

We agreed to have the 1990 reunion in Chicago.