RAH-RAH-REUNION!
October 2000 gathering breaks records for attendance and volunteers

Reunion 2000--as the slogan for the College's largest-ever gathering of alumni put it-was "at the heart of Sesquicentennial," and future reunions promise to keep the spirit of Sesquicentennial pumping for some time to come.

Mary Jo Ferr, director of Sesquicentennial and Reunion Operations for Alumni Relations and Development, says the success of Sesquicentennial and, in particular, the record-breaking success of Reunion 2000, has provided a model for upcoming annual College celebrations.

"Reunion 2000 was a centerpiece of Sesquicentennial," Ferr says. "And it was such a great success due to the dedicated leaders and volunteers who worked hard to make it a memorable occasion.

"We hope to build on the momentum and make every reunion a 'mini-Sesqui,' if you will," Ferr says. By all measures, Reunion 2000 was as big a success as Sesquicentennial Weekend itself. A total of 19 classes, from the 5th to the 65th reunions, and including those joining in cluster reunions for the early 1950s and for the Classes of '73, '74, and '75 were feted during the four-day celebration.

In all, 2,200 alumni and their guests attended reunion events during the weekend.

Nearly 650 volunteers worked on 35 different committees for more than a year, helping to break all records for attendance and volunteers.

"Those two factors-attendance and volunteers-are the real measure of how successful Reunion 2000 was," Ferr notes. "Volunteers planned class dinners, called classmates from home, wrote notes, helped design and write publications and communications, as well as planned the individual class fundraising efforts.

"To be able to see that kind of generosity and passionate commitment toward the College was overwhelming," Ferr says.

In addition to the four days of panel discussions, lectures, and educational programming that were the hallmark of Sesquicentennial Weekend, Reunion 2000 participants enjoyed class dinners, class receptions, and other activities.

On Friday night, classmates gathered for dinners at such on-campus locations as the Wilson Quadrangle, the Frederick Douglass Dining Center, the newly remodeled Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center, the Meliora Ballroom, and the freshly restored Great Hall in Rush Rhees Library, and at off-campus locations such as the Country Club of Rochester, Spring House, and the Lodge at Woodcliff.

Greek alumni hosted their classmates and all Sesqui participants at "SesquiFest," an outdoor food and music festival on the Fraternity Quad. And varsity alumni were treated to a VIP tour of the Goergen Center and were special guests at the panel discussion on "150 Years of Sports."

Virginia O'Toole '50 said having the chance to meet and talk to current students added a special touch to Reunion 2000.

"The young people mixed with the older generation so well," O'Toole said. "They went out of their way to help the older guests and were always willing to stop and answer questions."

The reviews of other reunion-goers were equally ecstatic.

"It was great to be back in Rochester and on campus," said Gary Connolly '90. "The changes in our alma mater were amazing. The University has never looked better. It was great to see old friends and reminisce about our years there. It was certainly a very special weekend!"

Such glowing comments have inspired staff at the Fairbank Alumni House to ensure that all reunions achieve the standard set by Sesquicentennial Weekend.

"Sesqui was a fantastic success," said Bob Bartlett, associate dean for Alumni Relations and Development. "But it's just the beginning, in many ways, in shaping future reunions and in re-energizing the relationship between alumni and the College."

"We hope to capture the best of celebrating a milestone like the University's 150th birthday-the deep-rooted connection that graduates have for what Rochester has meant in their lives-and re-create it each fall for alumni as well as for students, faculty, and staff," Bartlett says.

In addition to the volunteers, Ferr credits the College and University administration for making Reunion 2000 a success, citing President Jackson, Dean of the College Faculty Thomas LeBlanc, and Dean of the College William Scott Green for their early and ongoing support.

"They stood behind us right from the start and gave us the resources we needed to make this a celebration like no other in the University's history," Ferr says.

"Both internally and externally, we had leaders who set a tone of 'nothing but the best,' " she says.

In particular, Ferr noted the work of Joe Mack '55 (see page 51), national chairman of Sesquicentennial and a member of the Board of Trustees; Susan McManus Rea '70, a member of the Trustees' Council of the College; and Trustees Ed Hajim '58 and Larry Bloch '75.

"We had 22 governing board members who really stepped up to the plate on this," Ferr says. "You can have the mandate and you can have the resources, but without the leadership and the help of all the volunteers, you can't make an event like Reunion 2000 a success."

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