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Alumni, friends and family members turn out in record numbers for Reunion 2010

More than 1,150 alumni, friends and family members - a record number - were on campus for Reunion weekend June 4-6.

View a slideshow.

Check out the photobooth shots by Anne Reno Geddes '93 and see class photos from Saturday night dinners.

Alumni whose class years end in ´0 or ´5 enjoyed class dinners and receptions, music and dancing, panels led by both classmates and professors and a keynote speech by Dana Hartman Freyer ´65.

Freyer founded Global Partnership for Afghanistan in 2002 to help men and women in rural Afghanistan develop profitable businesses and sustainable incomes. "Our challenge is to figure out how to use our precious assets to build a better world, both locally and globally," she said.

The theme was "green" this year, and several ecologically-focused events, talks and discussions featured alumni and faculty speakers. A student-led tour gave an inside look at the College´s wind turbine measuring system, Sprout! and more.

Speakers urged listeners to act, saying even small steps can have big results. "This sounds like a lot. It is a lot," Carolyn Holleran ´60 said after she described in detail the construction of her LEED-certified, eco-friendly home in Pennsylvania. "But there are many, many, many, many things that can be done that are small."

On Saturday, graduates turned out for the annual alumni parade, which featured balloons, class banners, the Connecticut College camel - and Jessie Anderson ´55 dressed as the tree of knowledge from the College´s seal.

Convocation followed the parade, during which President Leo I. Higdon, Jr. provided an update on the College´s momentum.

The momentum is due to the investment made possible by the Campaign for Connecticut College, Higdon said. "We would not be in the position we are in today without the Campaign - without your support," he added.

Seven alumni were honored during the weekend with awards recognizing their achievements. Judith Ammerman ´60 was awarded the College Medal, the College´s highest honor.

The Class of 2005 had a strong showing at their first Reunion. As Mary Bushnell ´05 and Laura Rosenshine ´05 enjoyed the New England Lobster Bake Friday night, they talked about how excited they were to see their classmates. "It kind of feels like we haven´t left," Bushnell said.

Members of the Class of 1960 were the guests of honor at this year´s Sykes Society Luncheon. The keynote speaker, Professor Cynthia Enloe ´60, spoke about the lives of women in Iraq.

"Often times we think about just the war we´ve been following, not the war they´re experiencing," she said.

Merion (Joey) Ferris Ritter ´35 and Sabrina Burr Sanders ´35 both came back to celebrate their 75th Reunion. Ritter said she never misses it and still enjoys seeing the campus and taking a walk in the Arboretum. "I think of how lucky I was," she said.



June 10, 2010