The University of Delaware Messenger

Classes mark special reunion milestones

Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

Reunion leaders include, standing from left: Galicano Inguito, 1985 class gift chair; Holly Malek Bryk, 1985 programming chair; Audrey Helfman, 1985 committee member; Heather Wilson Barnstead, 2000 committee member; Shanté Stargell Hastings, 2000 programming chair; Christine Lawson Schultz, 2000M class gift chair; Thomas L. Gutshall, 1960 class gift chair; Chelsea A. Berdolt and Harry W. Shenton IV, 2010 senior class gift co-chairs; and seated: Melanie L. Mitchell, 2005 programming chair, and Catherine I. Daigle, 2005 member. Not pictured are G. Richard Price, 1960 programming chair; William L. Payne Jr., 1960 communications chair; and Calvin L. Smith Jr., 2005 class gift chair.

ALUMNI | Alumni of all ages returned to campus to enjoy Forum & Reunion Weekend 2010, but the event was even more special for the classes celebrating their 5-, 10-, 25- and 50-year reunions. On Saturday evening, June 5, members of each class gathered to reconnect with one another and relive their college days.

Each of the reunion celebrations was specific to the members’ experiences at UD and represented their time as students. From jamming with Rockett 88 at the Deer Park Tavern to a happy hour at Kate’s, groups celebrated in their own ways.

The University and the offices of Alumni Relations and Development express their appreciation to the 2010 Reunion Committee members for dedicating their time, talent and treasure over the past year to make their reunions a success and helping to pave the way for future reunion classes.

The reunion committees were formed in September 2009 with the help of Alumni Relations and University Development. After months of planning, hundreds of phone calls and special considerations, more than 460 alumni from those classes came back to celebrate the University today.

One volunteer member, Carol Sinkinson McLain, EH ‘60, says she enjoyed being on her reunion committee.

“We talked with and made plans with people who had been such an important part of my life, and we stepped right in and took up where we left off,” she says.

The reunion classes also played a key role at Saturday morning’s Town Hall meeting, during which President Pat Harker shared his vision for the University, highlighting such initiatives as the planned Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory, enhancements to athletics and recreational facilities and the future of the former Chrysler Assembly Plant site. Such initiatives will become a reality through the support of alumni and the community.

At the start of the meeting, representatives from the reunion class committees, as well as members of the 2010 Senior Class Gift Committee, presented their donations to the University. Thanks to the dedication of the reunion committees, each class exceeded its goal for a combined gift of $427,640—a testament to the generosity of alumni who not only are linked to UD’s past but also are helping to lead the institution into the future.