July 7, 2004: Features

Reunions 2004

Photographs by Ricardo Barros and Frank Wojciechowski

The 25th reunion brings a feeling like no other, according to Diane Warner Hasling ’79, one of her class’s reunion chairs this year. But the thrill of the spotlight also comes with new expectations. “President Tilghman told us [at the 25th-reunion dinner] we’ve gone from young alumni to alumni leaders,” Hasling said after the P-rade, smiling. “We asked if we could be young alumni for one more day.”

Reunions Weekend, May 27—30, provided a chance for alumni from all classes to recapture younger days and reconnect with classmates. More than 18,000 registered alumni, family members, and guests returned to Old Nassau for the annual celebration combining camaraderie and nostalgia with lifelong learning.

This year’s reuners attended the alumni-faculty forums in record numbers, with about 2,800 people in the audiences for 16 panel discussions on Friday and Saturday. An examination of “The Role of the U.S. in the New World Order,” moderated by Anne-Marie Slaughter ’80, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School, was among the most popular, drawing about 600 people. Alumni crammed into a journalism session, standing around the walls and spilling out the door, as Newsweek’s Middle East bureau chief, Joshua Hammer ’79, described his experiences reporting in Iraq. Reuners also filled lecture halls to hear Princeton professors discuss the search for life on other planets, learn about the launch of a new strategic plan for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and ask questions and voice opinions at President Tilghman’s annual town-hall meeting.

Notable alumni returned for major reunions, including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ’54, who had plenty of hands to shake at his class dinner Friday night. “He’s been under a lot of pressure lately,” said Somers Steelman ’54, one of Rumsfeld’s Princeton roommates. “It was nice to see him get a good reception.” Senate majority leader William H. Frist ’74 came back for his 30th and helped to carry his class banner in the P-rade.

A brilliant blue sky bolstered Saturday’s celebrations, which began with a medieval fair for children in McCosh Courtyard, and the Princeton band’s Fred Fox ’39 Memorial Concert on Cannon Green. At the Old Guard luncheon, 99-year-old Leonard Ernst ’25 again won the silver cane awarded to the oldest returning alumnus. President Tilghman presented a Princeton umbrella to classmate Malcolm Warnock ’25, who is three and a half months younger than Ernst. Sheila Armstrong, the 92-year-old widow of Edward Armstrong, Class of 1904, rode in the P-rade wearing a 1904 reunion jacket on loan from Ed Rinehart ’42, whose father, Bob, was a member of the class.

The Class of 1979 became the first class to enter Poe-Pardee Field through the Triumphant P-rade Arch at the new undergraduate “ellipse” dormitory, an arch that the class has informally adopted as its own. At the reviewing stand, the 17-year cicadas got a few locomotives from the reuners, who seemed to appreciate a tiger-striped species that periodically congregates in great numbers around sources of music. Alumni did their best to drown out the cicada song with their own tunes, from the calliope playing “Going Back to Nassau Hall” that accompanied the Class of 1944, to the cover band on a flatbed truck that turned out Allman Brothers tracks for the Class of 1969.

P-rade placards poked fun at campus issues (’79’s “I fought grade inflation at Campus Club”), age (’47’s “Kiss me quick while I’m still conscious”) and popular culture (’59’s “It’s Barbie’s 45th, too”), and after the P-rade, tent parties went well into the night after a sparkling display of fireworks. The Class of 2004 soaked in the festivities, enjoying the chance to leave campus with a taste of Princeton’s enduring alumni traditions. “Instead of being kicked out,” said Yana Lantsberg ’04, “it’s nice to be welcomed into the next stage.”

By B.T.

Reunions 2004

“TANKHS” FOR THE MEMORIES From left, Robbie Fazen Marchant, Greg Roth (in back, holding sign), Dawn Wrona Eby, Paul Rhyu, and Bill Eby show off ’89’s Egyptian theme. EASY RIDER Al George ’59 *64, a Cornell professor, rode his motorcycle from Ithaca to the P-rade. Grandson Zac Ekdahl is along for the ride. ALL SMILES Bill Robbins ’34 makes it back for his 70th. TWO SCORE FOR ’64 Ogbemi Ola Omatete ’64 makes a record for posterity.

LEADING IT ALL Leonard Ernst ’25, who received the silver cane for the oldest returning alumnus, at the head of the P-rade, with David Page ’07. OLD FRIENDS Donald Rumsfeld ’54, second from right, makes a quick appearance with old pals, from left, Prewitt Turner ’54, Joe Castle ’54, and Dick Stevens ’54 . READY FOR ANYTHING Dapper ’39ers Fred Snyder, left, and Ernie Dale at their 65th. THREE DAYS OF PEACE & MUSIC Alan Pavilanis ’69 and his wife, Rasa, share love beads with the crowd. IT’S ALL RELATIVE Steve Lamb ’44, left, and John Denison ’44 consider the rising cost of a Princeton education. FIFTY YEARS LATER Reuning ’54ers are still walking tall. BRAND-NEW ALUM Christina Shim ’04 awaits her chance to join the P-rade. BANNER YEAR Back for his 30th, Bill Frist ’74 carries the class banner.

CINCO DE NASSAU: Ken Lee ’99, right, leads his class in a fifth-reunion cheer. Greg Engel ’99, left, and Isaac Boxx ’99, center, join in. A.P.G.A. PRIDE Graduate alumni in Reunions garb celebrate in style. ALL BETS ARE ON To celebrate its 10th, the Class of 1994 adopts a “class Vegas” theme, with men donning orange ruffled shirts. FRIENDLY ADVICE Herb Davis and his wife, Rufus, mark the return of ’49.   Amid the festivities, a somber talk First Lieutenant Matthew Scherrer ’01, Captain Evan Schwimmer ’00, and Captain Daniel Reilly ’00 discuss their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan at an R.O.T.C. event. ON PATROL Dressed as lifeguards, ’84 reuners get applause. PHOTO TIME for ’79: Former roommates Steven Tishman ’79, stretched out up in front, and Paul Patrello ’79, sitting next to Tishman, get prime spots in their 20th-reunion class picture.