Thousands of alumni return to campus for Reunion 2001

Photo by Peyton Hoge

This year's Reunion Weekend marked the first time in years undergraduate alumni gathered formally other than on Memorial Day Weekend. Next year, it will change again when alumni from classes ending in "2" and "7" join the "Quinqs" during Homecoming Weekend in October 2002.

More than 2,300 alumni and guests celebrated a very successful Reunion 2001 the weekend of June 1-2. Reuniting alumni included 10 undergraduate classes ending in "1" and "6," plus the Quinqs -- alumni who graduated 50 years or more ago.

In honor of the occasion, Fred and Claudia Lummis, general chairs of Reunion 2001 and both from the Class of 1976, presented a check to Chancellor Gordon Gee for $14,165,774. The check represented gifts and five-year pledges by 2,275 alumni to benefit all parts of the University. It exceeded the reunion fund-raising goal by more than $1 million. More than 1,600 Quinqs contributed an additional $12.7 million in gifts, pledges and bequests. Those figures are expected to increase by the end of the fiscal year on June 30, according to Nancy C. Dimond, director of undergraduate reunions.

This year the University broke its long-standing tradition of holding the undergraduate reunion on Memorial Day Weekend. Next year, the date will change again, when undergraduate alumni from classes ending in "2" and "7" join graduates of the University's professional schools to celebrate reunion during Homecoming Weekend in October 2002.

Alumni came from as far away as Europe, Australia and Thailand for Reunion 2001. Nashvillian Combs Fort, from the Class of '33, was the most senior alumnus in attendance. Steve Riven, from the Class of '60, a Nashville attorney, was installed as the new president of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association. About 500 members of the Class of '51 formally joined the Quinq Society at a special dinner Saturday night.

In his first address to a Vanderbilt undergraduate reunion, the Chancellor told alumni "you are all stars." He noted that the University "serves as a marker of continuity" and offered a vision of Vanderbilt as "the new American university where we strive to make the best, better."

While acknowledging that fund-raising is important in achieving the goals of the University, Gee also stated, "We need to be about friend-raising, not fund-raising. If we have lots of friends, we'll never have to worry about funds."

This reunion was also a first for Professor Nicholas Zeppos in his new role as vice chancellor for institutional planning and advancement. While addressing the Alumni Association Board, Zeppos talked about the role alumni played in recruiting him to a faculty position in the Law School.

"I had never before seen a university in which the alumni, faculty and students were so strongly invested in the life of the institution," he said. "I decided right then that I wanted to be a part of a university that could inspire such loyalty and dedication from its members."

About 30 faculty members participated in reunion, renewing acquaintances with their former students. Faculty from Peabody, the Engineering School, and the College of Arts and Science led seminars ranging from poetry to politics to robotics. Other seminars were led by alumni such as Jack Oliver, from the Class of '91, deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee, who provided an insider's view of the 2000 presidential election.

Behind the Scenes

Reunion 2001 was a huge logistical undertaking involving several hundred faculty and staff. According to IPA's Office of Special Events, the weekend included more than 50 events, from school luncheons, to faculty seminars, class specific parties and a gala luncheon and dinner-dance for all attendees. Hundreds of Vanderbilt employees worked during the weekend, and as many as 75 student workers were also hired for the event.

Six different bands and two deejays provided music for the celebration, and one florist created 450 flower arrangements. Fifteen caterers provided 3,500 meals for alumni, who also consumed 9,200 soft drinks and 1,600 pounds of ice.

-- Joanne Beckham