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Alumni Invited to Reconnect With Campus, Classmates
Dozens of events planned for Alumni Weekend, Brock is honorary chair
Depending on the era of their graduation, Guelph graduates may come to Alumni Weekend June 20 and 21 to meet friends, reconnect with classmates or network with colleagues. Whatever the generational jargon, the weekend is all about having fun, catching up and finding your way around campus.
Seventy people are registered for 1958 class reunions. Just imagine how things have changed since they graduated. No science complex, Rozanski Hall or Gryphon Dome. The golden-anniversary grads will have stories to tell about the cannon in Branion Plaza, but they may not recognize a renovated Zavitz Hall, and the McLaughlin, MacKinnon and MacNaughton buildings and the University Centre weren't even on the drawing board. The campus was still six years away from university status when the 1958 class filed through War Memorial Hall, so there could be lots of catching up for those who haven't been back.
Alumni Affairs director Jason Moreton says shuttle buses and volunteers will be standing by to help guide the 1,000 expected visitors during Alumni Weekend, and dozens of events are planned to ensure the University's guests have fun.
In addition to traditional Alumni Weekend events and annual alumni association meetings, there will be 27 individual class reunions - ranging from five to 70 years since graduation - and get-togethers for former campus tour guides and peer helpers.
“Alumni Weekend is an important time for the University and its alumni to mark and celebrate the milestones each has achieved,” says Moreton. “It's a time to renew old ties with former classmates, make new friends and learn how the University is changing lives and improving life.”
The honorary chair for Alumni Weekend 2008 is 1958 Ontario Agricultural College graduate Bill Brock. He won't have any trouble finding his way around campus because his graduation was the start of a lifelong commitment to the University as a volunteer and supporter. A former chair of Board of Governors, he has also served as chair of the Heritage Trust and the OAC Advisory Committee. He and his wife, Anne, fund the Brock Scholarship, the University's most prestigious graduate student award.
In recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the University, Brock was named an Honorary Fellow in 1998, received an honorary doctor of laws degree in 2002 and was awarded the Lincoln Alexander Medal of Distinguished Service in 2005.
“Bill's contributions to U of G are invaluable,” says Moreton. “We're thrilled to have such a strong, dedicated and passionate supporter of the University as this year's chair.”
Alumni Weekend festivities begin June 20 at 5 p.m. with a gathering at Alumni House. This will be followed by a Star Party at the MacNaughton Observatory, which will include a brief talk and a tour of the night sky.
Many events are planned for June 21, including the President's Lunch at noon in Peter Clark Hall. The luncheon will pay tribute to alumni celebrating their 50-year anniversary and will recognize the recipients of the U of G Alumni Association's Awards of Excellence.
The Faculty of Environmental Sciences will honour the class of '98 at a celebration beginning at 4 p.m. at the Rutherford Conservatory. Later, all alumni and guests are invited to an alumni reception beginning at 6 p.m. in Creelman Hall. Dinner follows at 7 p.m. At 9 p.m., hits from the 1980s will fill the sound system at a retro pub night at the Brass Taps.
For more information and to register, go to www.alumni.uoguelph.ca or call Ext. 53965.