Dear Class Members,

Reunions are approaching and it will soon be time again to join with other '71er's and renew old friendships, start new ones (yes, there’s still time to do that!), revel in good food

and music, and celebrate a unique event - Princeton Reunions 2026, our 55th. Due to the amount of detail that goes into a major Reunion event and the time it takes the University to build that into the registration website, many classes, including ours, won’t be opening registration until January. In the interim, I want to give you a more expanded peak into what to expect this year, unveil registration categories and costs, and address some housing and other questions.

The theme for our 55th Reunion is “Sustaining THE Wild Life,” which pays a tip of the hat to our never diminished youthful exuberance while at the same time acknowledging one of the foremost crises of our times. This also aligns with the University’s intense efforts at sustainability, while keeping our iconic Joe Cool tiger on the motorcycle brand. (Thank you to Bill Armiger for spearheading the theme and logo efforts). The Planning Committee has been mindful to consider sustainable options in all our decisions. The full list of committee members is in our just-launched digital yearbook under the heading Class Officers/Reunion Chairs on the yearbook homepage or at this link.

Our Planning Committee has been working to ensure that the 55th Reunion promises to  offer a broad array of activities at our own HQ site and at a variety of venues across the Princeton University campus.  As we age (just a tad), Reunions become more meaningful, so this is an event you won't want to miss.

From Thursday to Sunday, we have a jam-packed schedule. Over the past few months I’ve sent out some teaser emails, and here are additional highlights for our 55th.

Highlights of past Reunions and 55th entertainment. Click on image to expand.

Starting Off

We kick off Reunions on Thursday with the bedrock of any great Reunions: food and music. Meet and greet while you enjoy a Class BBQ. During the BBQ we’ll be entertained by Mikki Zip, a young country singer we met at the Class mini-Reunion in Nashville (an aspiring singer, she was our guide at the Grand Ole Opry). After the BBQ we’ll follow with dancing, swaying and singing to “Dancing Dreams,” an ABBA cover group. Here is a good place to acknowledge the work of ’71 empresario Stu Rickerson in arranging the three nighttime bands, and Ginger Pitney and Jill Brooks in picking the caterers and menu selections.

Rise and shine Friday for a day of Alumni-Faculty Forums, more food and more music.  But, as they say on late-night TV, wait, there’s more! In addition to the University-sponsored alumni-faculty panels (with representation by 1971 to be announced), we’ll have two Class-sponsored forums that feature classmates from 1971. The first, on Friday morning will address the topic of presidential power. Moderated by legal scholar Luther Munford it will feature Paul Colburn, Kevin Baine and Phil Bobbitt. All are old-hands in the world of DC politics or constitutional law. The afternoon’s Class-sponsored event is a lecture and film presentation by Rich Neill, 1971’s answer to Ken Burns, on how media matters and can make a difference.

Friday night is the Class dinner, catered by The Golden Carrot, featuring something for every palate. The Class meeting will take place during dinner and will include selection of our leadership for the next 5-year cycle. As in years’ past, we’ll be serenaded by The Tigerlilies. After dinner, we’ll be entertained by the ever popular Liquid Pleasure.

The Big Day

Saturday is often the highlight of Reunions, featuring the one and only P-rade. But before this celebration of all things orange and black we will hold a memorial service to honor classmates who can no longer join us. As a special treat, Mark Swanson will be playing the University Chapel organ at the service, which will be led by Dennis Macaleer and Greg Winsky with additional music from Ben Tousley. After the service, we’ll hold the last of our Class-sponsored lectures, as Tom Connell keeps us in a spiritual mood with a travelogue of his two hikes along the Camino de Santiago. Come dressed in your 1971 finery as the Class photo will come next, on the steps of Clio Hall after Tom’s presentation, followed by lunch and the P-rade. Leading us in high-stepping fashion will be The Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps, a dynamic group found by P-rade leader Laird Hayes. Henry Barkhorn is having new signs for us to carry.

After the P-rade, amble a short distance back to the Scully quad HQ to start our reception and dinner, followed by the sounds of Gary Rolands and The LandSharks. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Jimmy Buffet themed dinner without margaritas, thanks to our bar/beverage meisters Jack McNab, Chuck Brodbeck and Geoff Smith. After dinner you can make your way via a short walk to Palmer Stadium for the Princeton Orchestra concert followed by the spectacular Reunions fireworks, which can also be viewed from Poe Field adjacent to the Scully HQ.

Don’t rush off after the fireworks however, as on Sunday we’ll have a farewell (really a “it’s not goodbye but see you later”) brunch, held at Cap & Gown. The music will be a bit mellower as we hope to be entertained by jazz saxophonist Max Abrams ’99.

This is just a partial line-up as we hope to add new surprises to the weekend over the next few month. Check the Reunions schedule that will be periodically updated.

Book Drive/Service Project

Our Class Service Project for our 55th Reunion in 2026 aligns with our theme of “Sustaining the Wild Life.” We are asking classmates to purchase and donate books on climate change, biodiversity and/or environmental science to be distributed to school and public libraries in underserved New Jersey communities that might otherwise find it difficult to secure the resources to purchase them. If you would like to participate, you’ll have 3 ways to do so: (1) bring a book to the Reunion from our curated list of award-winning or notable books, (2) purchase and ship a book to David Schankler, who has led this project, or (3) make a monetary donation, say $20, which we’ll use to purchase a book. We’ll have full details when registration opens.

Housing

The Class has arranged for two types of housing options. The first type is dormitory room blocks at Scully, Bloomberg and Wild Halls. These dorms have A/C, are adjacent to the HQ site, and linens are provided. We haven’t received our allocation from the University yet, but anticipate that we’ll have 60 beds on campus.

The second Class housing option is a block of rooms at the Erdman Conference Center at the Princeton Theological Seminary. This is an approximate 15-20 minute walk to campus. Free parking is available.

You’ll be able to sign up for either campus or Erdman rooms as part of the registration process.  Since sign up will be first come, first serve, please register promptly and sign up and pay for the number of beds you want when you register. The sign up will be for 3 nights (Thursday through Saturday) with no partial bookings. Beds are restricted to individuals registered for Reunions.

Reunion Fee Schedule

We’re encouraging all classmates to attend all three days of Reunions, so the fee schedule is designed accordingly. Our Reunion Fee Schedule can be viewed here.

Registrants for the full three days will be treated to a selection of swag selected through the efforts of Tom Stubbs, Laird Hayes and Bill Armiger. Note that unlike an off-year Reunion, Class members may are not limited to a single guest registration. There will be room for the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of '71!

Registration

When our 55th Reunion registration opens, we will be using a University system to sign up, choose options, and make payment. It's the same system we used for our 50th/51st Reunion in 2022. You'll need to have your TigerNet username and password available to register. Note that this not the same as your Class website username and password. If you have forgotten your TigerNet login or don't have one, now is a good time to make sure you have the access you'll need. Instructions for TigerNet can be found at this University webpage. Scroll down to the heading "How to create or recover your Tigernet account access or get help" and click on it to view the information. There you'll also find an email address to use if you have any problems.

While you are logged in to TigerNet, you might want to take look at the newly design Alumni Directory. Click the link at the top of the page. There you can search for alumni in any class. You may want to check and update your profile: click My Homepage, then My Profile to make changes. Unlike the old directory, personal contact information is hidden by default from view by others.

More information will be available in the weeks ahead as we add to the Reunions calendar. Be on the lookout for registration to begin in January. You can always find the latest information on Class events on our website homepage, princeton71.org. University Reunions information will be posted here when available.

While I have your attention, those who missed the informative and engaging Class virtual forum, “Tariffs, Trade Negotiations and Presidential Power,” on December 4 can watch the recording on the Class website. Login to princeton71.org and then select “Class virtual forum recording” under the EVENTS heading near the top of the page. There you will find recordings of all 9 forums we have held to date.

See you all soon,

Jeff Hammond '71
55th Reunion Chair
reunions@princeton71.org

Coming Class of 1971 Events

See the Class website for more information.