celebrate! Alumni Weekend 2004

During one weekend each summer, the Ripon College campus is one of the happiest places on Earth. Each year hundreds of alumni return to their alma mater and not one of them do so without a smile. They return to celebrate memories. They return to celebrate old friends and to make new ones. They return to relive the past and to reenergize themselves for the future. Even the most casual of observers can’t help but be caught up in the magic — can’t help but smile.

The College understands the importance of its alumni memories and dedicates a “That Was Then…” session, a special hour each alumni weekend, for the airing and sharing of tales tall and small. As in years past, Sue Angell Schmidt ’80 stirred the pot and the stories bubbled to the surface. Those stories spilled over throughout the entire weekend, and probably into the trips home and beyond. Still forward progress continues, and President David Joyce, during “This is Now…,” shared what his administration is doing today to ensure happy Ripon memories continue to be made for years to come.

If Joyce was a bit out of breath, it was the result of his participation in the annual poker bicycle ride. Alumni weekend also provides ample opportunities to stretch the legs and the mind. Several events, including the bike ride, the golf open, the 5K Fun Run/Walk and the All-Alumni March, gave alumni a chance to move their bodies. Meanwhile, events like the leadership studies and Students Talking About Respect (STAR) programs were designed to keep the brain cells active. “A Walk on the Prairie,” an adventure through the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy guided by Skip Wittler, professor of biology, was a popular exercise for both brain and body.

Unique celebrations this year included the centennial anniversary of the founding of Alpha Gamma Theta/Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Lyle House ladies and Johnson Hall girls came together to mark the occasion with tea and — what else? — plenty of smiles.

With the juxtaposition of ceremonies Sunday morning, alumni reflected on who has been lost — honoring the departed during the service of remembrance — and what has been gained — tabulating the class gifts that help ensure the college’s future during the celebration breakfast. If there is a sadness associated with Alumni Weekend, it is found in the remorse for those not present and in the realization that the happy weekend cannot last forever. r