Hill family reunion timeline
Atlanta, Georgia
The first Robert and Eliza Hill reunion was held in Atlanta, Georgia. The reunion was the accomplishment of Alethea Boone, the chairperson. The reunion featured a visit to the Martin Luther king Center. A tour of the city and the first dinner dance made an interesting weekend.
8/10/1990
Oakland, California
Oakland California was the venue and E. Joe Turner was the chairperson. The boat cruise around the San Francisco harbor was the main event. The opening event was an old-fashioned picnic where all present got acquainted again
6/23/1992Birmingham, Alabama
Ervin Philemon Hill headed the Birmingham, Alabama reunion. The group took a bus tour back to the homeland in Wilcox County. They visited the gravesite of some of our ancestors and had a picnic near the Alabama River in Millers Ferry. Back in Birmingham, we were introduced to the Square Hill group headed by Bessie Baldwin Drane. This group was added the original reunion family members.
6/20/1994Detroit, Michigan
The John Freeman Wall museum of the underground railroad was the highlight of the trip to Canada, which is located across the river from Detroit, Michigan where the reunion was held at the Detroit Renaissance Center. Betty Towner headed the group, which featured an African night. Pictures of each family group were taken, a cookbook of family recipes was created, and a professional video of the weekend was recorded and made available.
8/8/1996Cleveland, Ohio
The place was Cleveland, Ohio and the visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was the highlight. Deborah Hill did an outstanding job of hosting with a small crew for support. Lunch at the Cleveland waterfront and a family talent show was outstanding.
7/16/1998Birmingham, AL
The planned trip to Atlanta failed to get off the ground and the event was cancelled. A small group of planners met in Detroit to try to save the family reunion tradition. At this meeting, the current format of electing national officers was developed. The bylaws were also created at this time. Posey Williams, Jr. was selected to be the first president. The group decided to have a mini-reunion in November in Birmingham. The Birmingham mini-reunion was headed by Philemon Hill and the Birmingham group.
11/24/2000Las Vegas, Nevada
The Suncoast Hotel and Resort was the location for the first reunion under the new format. Fred Baldwin was the chairperson who planned a trip to Hoover Dam and the Las Vegas Strip. The first honors banquet was held for members and family relatives who had notable achievements
6/20/2002Washington, D.C.
Bobby Hill led us to Washington D.C., the venue for our seventh reunion. Because of the large number of historic sites, we had two days of tours in D.C. to take in the capital, the mall, and most of the historic monuments.
6/15/2004Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The Casino boat “Cruise to nowhere” was the highlight of the reunion hosted by Juanita and Norbert Williams. The reunion was held for the second time at an Embassy Suites Hotel. Awards were presented to family members who had attended all reunions or nearly all reunions. The group asked the president to contact formally active family members who had stopped attending . Some family members took a trip to the shopping center while more adventurous members went fishing.
Learn More6/15/2006Rochester, New York- Nigeria Falls
The Hill Family Reunion was held in Rochester, NY July 17-20, 2008 at the Clarion Riverside Hotel. On Friday morning we had our biannual business meeting. In the afternoon, we joined up again to have our poolside picnic that featured a DJ.s. Saturday’s activity was the highlight of the reunion, our family trip to the “infamous” Niagara Falls. Sunday morning we held the Family Memorial Service in memory of those family members who have passed.
7/17/2008Sacramento, California
The reunion in Sacramento, CA in 2010 started with great expectation because it was the 20th year to celebrate the Hill Family coming together. The first African-American mayor of Sacramento, Kevin Johnson, spoke at the formal banquet and the following day everyone cruised down the Sacramento River and later enjoyed a full day at the park filled with a lot of food and fun activities designed especially for the children and adults who were willing to indulge. We ended on Sunday with a short memorial service and everyone said to each other ... “I’ll see you at the next reunion in 2012!”
7/15/2010Atlanta, Georgia
The Atlanta Planning Committee stood strong and put on a memorable reunion despite the sudden death of planning committee chairman, Posey Williams, Jr. Several family members who had not been in attendance for a number of years participated, and we connected with others for the first time. Our activities included a trip to the Georgia Aquarium and a visit to The Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.
Learn More7/19/2012New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans was our first attempt at planning a reunion where there were no relatives living in the city. The family went on a city tour through New Orleans that was very educational and inspiring. It included the French Quarter, the above-ground cemeteries, and a visit to the Ninth Ward that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Our family fun night with karaoke highlighted family members’ vocal talent. The night of the banquet featured beautiful and interesting masks as the judges decided which masks would receive special recognition in various categories. Several awards were presented to family members for areas of achievement or recognition for service. The night ended with many groups and individual pictures that were taken with and without masks.
Learn More7/17/2014Memphis, Tennessee
The reunion of 2016 in Memphis was historic in nature and included many fun activities. This was the second time the committee planned a reunion with no known relative currently living in the city. Several new family members attended this year for the first time. We visited the historic Civil Rights Museum on our first tour and ended the day with a moving memorial service and family participating in games and activities. The second tour on Saturday included the city and Beale Street. The banquet ended with a video presentation of highlights and pictures of each reunion over the past 26 years and various awards presented to family members. A detailed 2-CD set of all activities was recorded and available to family as well as pictures.
Learn More7/15/2016