I don't know what the original planned number was going to be, but it was something more than the 480 from 1997 and less than 700.

It was the phone problem - with the 12th incoming line ringing into a private residence that caused HL to make more space.

(For those who didn't know the story, the private residence number began ringing about 5 am and continued. That upset the fellow and he started either A) answering the phone and saying that the reunion had been cancelled by Harbour Lights because Bill Younger had died in a motorcycle accident the previous night. or B) saying he was "Bill Younger Jr." and saying it was full. or C) Putting a message on his answering machine that the Reunion had been cancelled and to call back Monday for details.)

When I got that "I'm Bill Younger Jr.", I challenged him and he hung up. So I faxed a message to HL telling them what was happening.

Their decision was that if a collector told them sometime in the following 2-3 days that they had been the victim of this fellow, they would do their best to get them into the reunion. They tried to get the Westin to give them more rooms - no deal, even though there were rooms available. They did get about 50 rooms at the Biltmore and referred those 'day-attendees' to other hotels after those 50 were filled.

Harbour Lights had a 'rehersal' to see how long it would take to register people by phone and had Pacific Bell check their phone lines to make sure they would each roll-over to the next line.

Pacific Bell was the culprit on the phone system, but wouldn't acknowledge it in writing. In any case Harbour Lights accepted responsibility, in effect, by accepting more than the original planned number of attendees.

A week or two before the Reunion, there were a few cancellations and some from the waiting list replaced those.