They came from Wilmington, Dover, Seaford, Milford, Rehoboth, and Lewes, Del., from Annapolis, Elkton, Frederick and Baltimore, Md., from West Chester, Pa., and from Washington, D.C. In all, 200 University of Delaware alumni gathered in Baltimore to enjoy dinner and a ball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Alumni in attendance ranged from graduates of 50 years ago to those who earned their degrees just last spring.
Stanley Lemon, EG ’49, a retired electrical engineer from Annapolis, brought his wife, Angela, and friends, Bob and Joan Santin, whose daughter, Elizabeth Angela Santin, is a 1980 UD graduate of the College of Business and Economics. It was the first time they attended an alumni event, Lemon said.
Michael Tudor, BE ’92, of Falls Church, Va., and Mike Hahn, AS ’90, of Dover, Del., gathered with a group of friends from Delaware, Maryland and Washington, D.C. "We’re devoted alumni," said Hahn. "We attend all of the alumni events in Baltimore or D.C., to see old friends and meet new people."
Michele Short, AG ’83, of Cockeysville, Md., a sales representative for the largest food service company in the U.S., came to network with potential customers. "Being affiliated with the University really helps open doors," she said.
Others, like Beth Puffenberger, CHEP ’98, of Newark, Del., and Katie Nietubicz, CHEP ’97, of Havre de Grace, Md., are simply baseball fans. The former UD women’s soccer team members came to watch the game and visit with friend and teammate, Julie Mastromonaco, BE ’96, of Wilmington, Del.
And, a whole busload of baseball fans traveled from southern Delaware to watch the Orioles beat the Texas Rangers by a score of 1–0. Gary Simpson, AG ’69, ’72M, assistant director of alumni and University relations, said the group of 48 included retirees, young alumni and community members who heard about the trip and asked to join in on the fun.
But, for chemists Charles Bradley, AS ’86PhD, and Patricia Bradley, AS ’81,’87PhD, of Reistertown, Md., the event was a much-needed opportunity to leave their three kids at home with a sitter and enjoy an evening out. "Without the University of Delaware, we’d have no social life!" joked Charles. The couple is expecting their fourth child, but plans to make UD alumni events a regular part (if not the only part) of the Bradley social calendar.
–Sharon Roat, AS ’87