Catching Up With The Past

“He told us, ‘Don’t bite off more than you can chew,’ but we always had our mouths full,” Brandt says.

Liz Munch Mard ’71, who co-chaired the Reunion Committee for the Class of 1971, praised her fellow committee members, as well as the 1970 Reunion Committee, for helping guide her group through the planning process. Both classes celebrated their Golden Reunion this year because the Class of 1970’s special reunion had to be postponed last year due to the pandemic.

“Our committee worked very hard to reach out to graduates and those who attended but didn’t graduate to come back for our Golden Reunion,” she says. “Each committee member reached out to 25 to 35 people — and some of them communicated personally — and encouraged them to come back to MC, meet their classmates, have some fun and, if they can, participate in giving back to the College.”

Kathleen Reddy-Smith ’71 was one of the committee members and enjoyed catching up with classmates.

“It’s wonderful to see the paths we’ve all taken from Marietta. As the years go on, I see this place as more and more precious,” says Reddy-Smith, a retired diplomat for the U.S. Foreign Service. “I was so grateful that Marietta gave me the tools to serve my country. My liberal arts degree made me more analytic.”

There’s nothing like coming home.

Todd Diedrick ’81 and some of his fellow 1981 graduates took a campus tour during the weekend. Stopping for a moment to listen as the student tour guide talked about the McCoy and Harrison residence halls, Diedrick talked about how much he learned from his Accounting Professor, Dr. Wen-Yu “Frank” Cheng, and how he looked forward to returning to Marietta during his class’s five-year reunions.

“These are my lifelong friends, starting from freshman year in Douglas Putnam and my three years in Parsons to this day,” Diedrick says just before catching up with Chris Dunphy ’81 and Lorna Kingsbury Tofuri ’81.

During the All-Alumni Welcome, held on The Christy Mall, Melissa Adams ’92; her brother, Brian Adams ’94; and his wife, Allison Gallenstein Adams ’96, had a mini-family reunion between Andrews Hall and Irvine Hall.

“I was the first one here,” says Melissa, who majored in Education. “He followed me to college.”

“And I met her here,” says Brian, pointing to Allison. “We were both RAs, and we met at freshman orientation. I was also an Education major, and my wife was the really smart Sports Med major.”

In the midst of the All-Alumni Welcome, President Bill Ruud announced that the College was in the public phase of a historic $100 million comprehensive capital campaign that will fund scholarships, endow professorships, improve the student experience and add a student center in the heart of campus.

Marietta’s Homecoming featured dozens of events for alumni to attend, including the MCAA Awards Ceremony, the Golden Reunion Dinner, Greek reunions, campus tours, academic department open houses, alumni rowing and baseball competitions, a lively concert in The Gathering Place, and, of course, the Homecoming football game and tailgate, as well as the men’s soccer tailgate and game.

“The record-breaking attendance, dozens of events and the launch of our This is the Time campaign created an atmosphere of excitement and celebration, and we hope to continue building on this momentum through regional events over the coming months,” says Dr. Erika Smith, Director of Alumni Relations and Engagement.

Nearby, Mel Neidig Hayes Todd ’70 stood in front of a long table that was filled with photos, Navy Blue & White newsletters, yearbooks and other Marietta memorabilia from her years as an undergraduate. As she flipped through a photo album, friends Nancy Fernald Freed ’70, who transferred to another college but was invited back for her Golden Reunion, and Cheryl Jakubetz Toronyi ’70 joined her at the table.

“Look, there’s Creel [McCormack ’71],” Todd says. “This is so fun. I’m so glad they did this for us.”

Upper Gilman — what used to be known as The Pit — had memorabilia and large cutouts of professors and administrators from the late 1960s and early 1970s. A slideshow of photos from that era also played on screens in The Pit.

“We were supposed to have our 50^th last year, but we were able to persevere, and many of us came back,” Toronyi says. “It was worth it.”

Spread across campus and the city of Marietta were alumni events celebrating current and past Greek fraternities and sororities.

As has become tradition, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity met at the Harmar Tavern for the Art Fordham Pig Roast on Thursday, while the Delta Tau Delta brothers met at the Lafayette Hotel bar.

Chi Omega started Friday morning off with a breakfast that also invited current sisters. The Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Tau Delta, Alpha Sigma Phi and Delta Upsilon fraternities met for evening events on Friday, and the Lambda Chis held a chartering banquet celebrating the return of the chapter’s charter.

Saturday featured open houses and mixers for Sigma Kappa and Alpha Xi Delta alumnae, and that evening, the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Alpha Xis had their own special reunions off campus.

On campus, sisters from the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority gathered in front of their former house, which is now the Office of Admission, for a Meeting on the Porch reunion.

“This is the fourth year we’ve done this at Homecoming,” says Jay Hauck-Bell ’85. “We had an interesting niche on campus. … Our members were passionate about our mission, which was service to children, and we were passionate about giving back.”

The Tri-Sigs also raised money during their mini-reunion to support the maintenance of the porch.

“Our members were strong, independent-minded women, and we loved that about our chapter,” says Mary Studders Korn ’82. “We’ve maintained friendships for our entire lives, and we’ve maintained our sisterhood even though our sorority is no longer here.”

Homecoming is a time to rehash memories with the people who helped make them. For the alumni from the classes of 1970 and 1971, there is more than 50 years’ worth of stories to share and memories to relive.

Standing around a small bistro table during the Golden Reunion Dinner celebrating with the 1970 and 1971 alumni, Marsha Gildersleeve Brown ’70 caught up with friends Kathy Ross Hoffman ’71, Sonny Kelly Davis ’70 and Lynn Cascardo Slavin ’70 — all of whom were members of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority.

“This is the first time I’ve been back since graduating,” Brown says. “I think it’s lovely what the College has done. The campus is beautiful, and I love that the newer buildings still have that same charm. Coming back to campus, you can sense that there is a real sense of community here whether you’re a visitor or an alum.”

Pat Loreno Willis ’70, Chair of the 1970 Reunion Committee, and Liz Munch Mard ’71, Chair of the 1971 Reunion Committee, worked with the College’s Alumni Engagement Office to coordinate the evening’s events.

“Next fall, Marietta College will be celebrating 100 years since the anniversary of the first Homecoming in 1922 — and the tentative dates are October 13-16,” says Director of Alumni Relations Erika Smith. “Given the special anniversary, we believe it will be another unforgettable celebration.”

During the cocktail hour, alumni chatted in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center before sitting down to an elegant dinner. At the entrance of the venue, a panel of yearbook photos with names of classmates who have passed away was displayed.

“This was a very thoughtful way to do this,” says John McCullough ’69, as he noted his wife, Mary Jo Gabardine McCullough ’71, and friend, Kathleen Ruddy Henrichs ’71, were among the alumni who have passed on.

Back at their table, the Alpha Xi sisters Brown, Hoffman, Davis and Slaven reflected on their lifelong connection.

“We have stayed in contact all these years, and our small group travels all over the place for our own reunions,” Davis says. “It feels special after all these years. These are my best friends — still.”