Reunion Weekend brings alums of all ages home to campus

REUNION 2008

St. Andrew’s welcomed scores of alumni back to campus for the 2008 Reunion, a weekend reminiscing with old friends and reconnecting to a beloved campus, community and School.

The welcoming began on Thursday afternoon with a reception for “Old Guard” pre-1960 graduates. These elders of the alumni body joined Headmaster Tad Roach and faculty members for a dinner in the Warner Gallery, where student artwork adorned the walls.

On Friday morning, alumni with a passion for the putting green met up at the Wild Quail Golf and Country Club for St. Andrew’s 17th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament, where teams of four played scramble format, competing for a range of prizes. Since its inception, this tournament has raised over 200,000 dollars for financial aid at St. Andrew’s.

Back on campus, reunion classes continued to arrive. Some alumni, dazed and delighted, entered Founders Hall for the first time in decades, while others had only been gone for a few years. Recalling their arrival days as teenagers, graduates once again found themselves hauling their weekend luggage into dormitories and nesting into dorm rooms. Fathers and mothers led their sons and daughters on tours of dorms, halls and pathways, pointing out old haunts and reminiscing about their experiences as students. While a few things have changed since the early days –the arts program now occupies its own building, rather than a stuffy multi-purpose room; the health center is no longer on the topmost floor of Founders – core St. Andrean landmarks have remained the same – the front lawn, Founders Hall, the chapel, the dining hall, the pond and the gully all evoked deja vu for returning alums.

A day of checking in and catching up culminated in a crab feast on the front lawn, where old friends clinked glasses and broke shells together as the sun began to set. Younger alums continued to celebrate way past their former bedtimes, refueled by sub sandwiches in the dining hall at midnight.

Saturday morning offered an opportunity to reconnect with the pond and the woods with a barge trip or a cross-country course run. Alums then gathered in Engelhard Hall for a special lecture by Dr. Bulent Atalay ’58. Headmaster Roach introduced this renowned scientist and artist as “a true renaissance man.” Educated at Georgetown, UC-Berkeley, Princeton and Oxford, Dr. Atalay retains a special place in his heart for St. Andrew’s, a place that “helped shape me into who I am today.” In his lecture, Dr. Atalay shared some of his fascinating research on the intersection between art and science, as well as entertaining anecdotes about his life and time at St. Andrew’s. After soliciting signings from former classmates in his weathered St. Andrews yearbook, he autographed copies of his celebrated book, Math and the Mona Lisa, which has appeared in 10 languages since its 2004 publication.

Some spent the sweltering afternoon relaxing, while others revisited the old days with a crew practice on Noxontown Pond.

At 4 pm, alumni reconvened in Engelhard to hear the headmaster’s State of the School. Roach’s words served as a powerful reminder of the pressing need to rally all St. Andreans to give back to the endowment that makes the running of the School possible. “Financial aid is the cornerstone of St. Andrew’s,” he said. “No private school endowment in the country is doing as much work as the St. Andrew’s endowment to subsidize the education of its students.” While the endowments of comparable schools are looked on as insurance, St. Andrew’s endowment is the lifeblood of the School, used each year to provide scholarships and aid to deserving students.

“Our admissions office has never had to turn away a student because his or her family income did not meet a certain standard,” Roach reminded the audience. “The question is really quite simple: Are we willing to provide this exceptional opportunity to future students? Are we going to give back so that others can receive the incredible experience and education that this place has to offer?” Considering the quality of the learning, thinking and growing that goes on at St. Andrew’s, “In giving back to this School, we are in fact investing in the very future of a democracy. We are investing in the future of a rational, discerning, compassionate, voluntary citizenry of the United States.” He ended with a request that committed alumni help convince their classmate to share in the responsibility of sustaining the vital work of the School. “Our job, collectively, is to spread the word.” Mr. Roach presented awards to Reunion classes who had achieved the greatest level of participation in giving or the highest amount in gifts to the School.

Community members then joined alumni in celebrating the dedication of M Dorm to Nan and Simon Mein.

After class pictures and a sit down dinner, guests were treated to an alumni concert featuring a variety of musical styles. Sarah Stivers ’83, who cut her singing teeth in the bistros of Paris, delivered traditional and contemporary standards. Bob Amos ’78 led his band in a repertoire of beautifully crafted folk songs in bluegrass style. His daughter Sarah sang beautiful harmony, and his wife Anne ’78, celebrating her 30th St. Andrew’s Reunion, joined them on stage for a song. The New York based indie rock group Food Will Win the War, led by Rob Ward ’99, closed amidst cheers from Rob’’s classmates. The concert may have ended, but noise continued well into the night, as fireworks on the front lawn were followed by karaoke in the gym courtyard.

The weekend finished fittingly with a Sunday morning memorial service commemorating deceased members of the Reunion classes. Former Chaplain Simon Mein gave the homily, while alumni stepped in to help perform the service.