'71 Reunites Under Sunny Skies!

By Howard Zien, Class Treasurer

Photo credits: Myrna Stanczak s71, Princeton Reunions Facebook page

[Click here for the complete photo album of the 43rd Reunion]

Think back to the four years you spent on Campus and imagine a day so brilliantly sunny, yet cool, in the high sixties or low seventies. Picture the brilliant sunlight filling the campus and paying its respect to the magnificent trees strategically located throughout the campus, seeming at once an act of random chance and at the same time careful strategic planning.

Now add 50 to 75 or your Classmates, spouses, friends, children, and an increasing and growing contingent of grandchildren. 

Picture Class events, barbecues, lunches, dinners so expertly planned that you need not feel the slightest bit of pressure or anxiety about organizing events for your immediate family or circle of friends. If only our undergraduate days were so free of pressure and anxiety.

Add the Princeton Band making its appearance from time to time with the fight song so festive, comfortable and familiar.

Multiply the contingent from our Class by 100 to accommodate other classes which represent major and minor reunions--30,000 attendees in all.

Cross Nassau Street and stroll among the commercial storefronts. Some the same and many with different names from our day, more hip, more relevant. In 40 years time, many of these will be supplanted by others with names we cannot even imagine. I don't recall the ubiquitous Starbucks in our day, do you? Hint: Starbucks was founded on March 30,1971.

Come to think of it, I don't recall using Google either. How much easier would our thesis research have been.

At night, visit a dozen reunion sites with bands to suit the ears and eardrums of their respective generations.

When you do all of these things, you will be joining me and your Classmates at our recently completed 43rd reunion.

Friday Night Barbecue. The reunion kicked off with a Class barbecue in Hamilton Courtyard. Do you remember where Hamilton Couryard is? If not check out the interactive University map.

Thanks to our Reunion Chair Jack Hittson, the barbecue was fabulous and very relaxing. This was the first official reunion greeting for most of us. How perfect to meet in such a informal and peaceful setting.

After dinner, Classmates and our guests joined in the dancing or retired to our rooms to rest for the next day's festivities.

Saturday Class Lunch. Our lunch was hosted at Henry House (see map) adjacent to Nassau Hall. The lunch began officially at 11:30am, but I arrived early. Shortly thereafter, the food arrived from D'Angelo's deli in town, once again impeccably organized by Jack Hittson. Almost immediately, a curious, daring and famished squirrel strafed the various serving platters at surprisingly short range. I remember we used to watch Rocky Squirrel on TV, but I don't recall graduating with one, so I made every effort to convince the squirrel to seek lunch elsewhere. It turns out persistence was one of its other noticeable character traits. Maybe he was a member of our Class after all. However, as dozens of Classmates arrived, I guess he was suitably discouraged and decided to visit some other class that was not checking credentials as carefully as we.

Lunch was delicious and a good thing. As many of us get older, the wear and tear of the P-rade on our knees and feet is undeniable. But as those of you who have marched in the P-rade before, it is a labor of love.

Class Dinner. The Class reception and dinner took place at Prospect House. We had 50 attendees for dinner, which is something of a record. We look forward to an even larger crowd next year, which may necessitate our changing rooms. But this it the kind of problem we love to have.

After dinner, the Class officers each made brief remarks:

VP Kirk Liddell emphasized the importance of regional events. We had 8 or 10 of them this past year and look forward to even more next year. There will be a major regional event in San Diego in September. We would love to schedule events in Dallas, Atlanta and San Francisco in addition to repeat events in Miami, DC, Boston and Chicago to name a few. Any Classmates who want to spearhead an event, please contact Kirk.

Secretary Mark Swanson encouraged all to continue to provide content for PAW and the website

I as Treasurer pointed out that members of our Class can be organized into the following four groups:

My goal as treasurer is to increase the headcount in the green box and decrease that in the pink box.

Technology Chair and Webmaster Alan Usas urged all to use the Class website as a focused form of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all in one. Add content, visit it to learn about and contact Classmates. The Class website princeton71.org is our campus away from the campus. Like college or reunions, we must participate to keep it relevant.

President Podie Lynch thanked everyone for attending and her executive team members for their outstanding efforts during the year. She looks forward for an even larger turnout next year and encourages all to participate in planning for our 45th reunion two years hence.

Evening Fireworks. Did I mention that gorgeous sunny days give way to brilliant clear nights. As a resident of New York City, I had no idea there were so many stars. I guess the NYC Council ordered them to be dimmed as a way to reduce municipal energy consumption.

In any event, the by now traditional but always stupendous, fireworks display declared an emphatic end to a memorable reunion weekend.

If this brief article gives you a small feel for the magical feelings shared by all and reminded you in any way of your undergraduate days, you owe it to yourself and your Cassmates to join us next year.

Hope to see you then.

[Click here for the complete photo album of the 43rd Reunion]

Signed in or spotted at the 43rd were: ALLMAN, ARBISSER, ARMIGER, BENSON, BERG, BLACKBURN, CHAMBERLAIN, CIESLAK, LEN COLEMAN, CORCORAN, DIFEDELE, DREYFUSS, FITZGERALD, FLANIGAN, GOOD, HENKLEMAN, JACK HESS, WALLY HESS, HITTSON, HOLOSZYC, HUARD, LEPORE, LIDDELL, LAWRENCE LINDSEY, LOWENSTEIN, LYNCH, MAZO, SANDY MCADOO, MCCARTER, MEADOWS, OBERTUBBESING, OLLWERTHER, PEREL, PIKE, PITNEY, POTTS, SCOTT ROGERS, SCHANKLER, SENCHESAK, SLOCUM, SNOW, STANCZAK, SUNG, SWANSON, TEGARDEN, USAS, WALSH, and ZIEN.