The first time we officially saw the inside of the stadium was Friday night of Orientation Week. The Guides and Goons marched their orange beanie clad Frosh into the stadium to meet Coach Schwartzwalder and to teach us placard cheering and some cheers. The lights were on and the grass was an amazingly bright green. It was like a movie and very, very big time college!
One dark, late November Saturday afternoon the football team won an away game and SU got a bowl bid. Some cheerleaders who had not made the trip quickly organized an impromptu parade and we marched downtown. When we reached South Salina Street --oops!-- there was another parade coming at us. Instead of mayhem, we moved over to one side of the street and they moved over to the other. We all exchanged greetings as we passed. Football glory days or not, take the opportunity to go to the SU vs. Rhode Island football game Saturday afternoon. To order tickets in the reserved block for our class, go to suathletics.com/groupoffers, click on the promo code 61ALUM.
Were you enjoying a really good jazz concert at Drumlins when suddenly Sammy Davis, Jr. burst in, sat at the drums, and jammed with the group. The concert changed from good to electric.
Remember the WHAP! the old, wooden seats in Crouse Auditorium made as they "self-closed" in a hurry? Even if you were not a music major, your relationship with Crouse started with the Big Chum-Little Chum Show and may have continued with choral and orchestral concerts and senior organ recitals. Who knew that the Crouse organ was world class? Well the name of the aud has changed to Setnor, the seats have been replaced with quiet comfort, but the organ has been beautifully maintained and is still glorious. Hear for yourself at a special-for-us organ concert on Saturday afternoon.
Hey! How about that Hemingway short story we studied in Freshman English about a married couple on a safari in Africa. (Oh sure you remember -- not all of us were exempt by virtue of smarts.) The instructor asked a guy in class, who obviously had not read the assignment, what was unusual about the story. After he fumbled around for a bit, coming up with some trivialities, the instructor prompted again: how about the fact that the wife killed her husband? "Yeah, that's another thing that doesn't usually happen."
- How shocked we were when the Russians launched Sputnik in our Freshman year and how excited we were at the first US space flight just a few weeks before we graduated.
- Dr. Rayback's great history course where every test started with Draw a map of New York State and on it locate the following….
- The Psych professor who had the most amazing voice that blended into the walls.
- The Economics professor who threw chalk to wake us up in Eight-O'Clocks.
- The Drama professor who really did give double cuts the day before vacations.
- The snowstorm in our freshman year that all but obliterated the snow sculptures for Winter Weekend and forced the university to cancel classes for the first day of the "spring" semester.
Several academic-related programs have been arranged for our special weekend, including: Election 2012; an art walking tour and a gallery talk; open houses at WAER, the DO, and ROTC. For more details and to view the schedule of events, visit alumni.syr.edu and click on Senior Alumni Weekend and be sure to check for last minute additions or changes when you arrive at the Registration and Hospitality center when you arrive Friday morning. Two significant changes to our reunion are our 1961 Golden Anniversary Dinner originally scheduled for Saturday evening will now be held on Friday evening at 6 p.m. in the Life Sciences Complex and the 1961 50th Kickoff Cocktail Party will be held on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. in the Schine Student Center, Panasci Lounge.
If you were in Chapel Choir, you'll remember going dowtown to sing Christmas carols at a TV studio for the Will and Baumer Candle Hour. Mr. Poister saying he couldn't tell us how to sing 'cause he was a keyboard man. Staying a few extra days after finals one year to sing a memorized (yes!) concert for kum bak, ended by the Battle Hymn of the Republic with enough loving electricity in the men's gym to give us all goose bumps. Be prepared for a nostalgia attack at the distinctive "sound of the room" when you attend Chapel on Sunday morning.
In the Spring of 1961 we sat on the Chapel steps and watched the annual ROTC drill. A young graduate student, carrying her baby, weaved her way through the troops as an anti-war protest. As a class we remained innocent and enthusiastic about the future, not knowing her protest was foreshadowing more than a decade of traumatic national events.
After 50 years of the wear and tear of life, wouldn't it be nice to feel some of that innocence and enthusiasm again by talking to classmates who also remember. Your reunion committee is looking forward to reliving those campus days with you again during our 50th reunion, September 9-11. Remember to visit the Senior Alumni Weekend site at alumni.syr.edu or contact Alumni Relations at 800.SUALUMS (782.5857) or sualumni@syr.edu if you have any questions.
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