Yale College graduates returned to their alma mater in record numbers during this year's reunion weekends.
The Yale College Reunion programs on May 25-28 and June 1-4 set an all-time attendance record that exceeded the average of the last 12 years by 28%, according to the Association of Yale Alumni (AYA), which sponsored the reunions.
Altogether, 3,504 alumni and their guests (a total of 6,130 individuals) took part in this year's program, as compared to the annual average of 2,770 alumni (4,780 total attendees) since 1988.
Feeding the reunion crowds required tons of shrimp and 700 cases of wine, among pounds of other provender. Housing them filled 2,347 beds on the campus and 1,093 hotel rooms (2,186 beds) for two nights. And transporting them around the city and campus took 10,000 shuttle miles.
Among the assembled alumni were members of the Class of 1950, Yale's largest class ever, who celebrated their 50th reunion. Of the 1,292 living members of 1950, over one-third (448 or 34.7%) returned for the milestone event -- making it an "unprecedented" 50th reunion attendance, according to AYA officials.
In addition, 474 members (38%) of the Class of 1995 gathered for the first time since their graduation. This marked the third year in a row that the youngest reunion class had more members in attendance than any other.
Also swelling the reunion ranks were the Classes of 1945 and 1945W, which both had their 55th reunions this year. The overlapping designations came about during World War II when Yale changed its academic schedule to eliminate summer vacations. The class that began its first year of study during July of 1942 was dubbed 1945W to distinguish it from the one that had started at Yale the previous fall and was already known as the Class of 1945. The two classes have a close affiliation and take turns hosting each other at reunion receptions.
Yale College classes converge for formal reunions every five years, but all alumni are welcome to attend the AYA's annual program. The oldest alumni in attendance this year were Paul Goldstein '25 and G. Harold Langer '27S.
While the classmates reminisce, they can also learn about what Yale College is like today through panels with President Richard C. Levin and other top administrators; lectures by prominent faculty; and "A Morning at Yale" courses and workshops on topics ranging from the stock market to glee club singing to Yale athletics today.
Two new reunion programs debuted this year -- "Camp Bulldog," a childcare program for "Yale Kids" aged 14 months to 14 years old, which was created in partnership with Bright Horizons Solutions; and a "Family Festival" featuring assorted carnival goodies and games as well as a make-your-own-dinosaur workshop presented by the Peabody Museum.
For the fourth year in a row, returning alumni learned about Yale's online services and the University's web presence at the AYA Technology Fair, which featured representatives from IBM and Apple along with their latest products. "Wines of Yale" tastings, tours and receptions rounded out the weekend programs.
It required the efforts of hundreds of current University students (as clerks, bartenders and servers) and Yale employees to keep the reunions running smoothly, according to Jeff Brenzel, director of the AYA.
"Nothing about this year's program was more extraordinary than the work of our campus partners," says Brenzel. "An unusual range and number of Yale personnel and departments collaborated and sacrificed on behalf of the alumni: from Alumni Services and RIS who produce the promotional mailings, to the college deans and masters who graciously open the colleges to the alumni, to dozens of faculty and administrative speakers and presenters, to Accounts Payable and Student Employment for financial services."
Equally critical, he notes, are the departments that remain "on call" during the weekend, including Yale electricians, Fire Marshall, Media Services, Traffic Receiving & Stores, Grounds Maintenance, Telecommunications, the Security Office and Yale Parking. In addition, the Yale Police and University Health Services are "absolutely critical in the rare cases of emergency," he adds.
"And finally," Brenzel says, "we are utterly indebted to Yale's Dining Services and Custodial Services, who not only went beyond the call of duty on hundreds of occasions throughout both weekends, but reached overall for a level of service and presentation that showed alumni Yale at its very best."
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