50th Reunion Newsletter

A closing note of thanks from your e-newsletter staff!

Thank you to everyone who was able to come–it was wonderful to see so many of you. 

We give accolades and a huge thank-you to Carleton’s staff (both those we know and those behind the scenes) and to the student helpers for their tireless work of preparation and coordination.

To those who contributed to the Bio Book, allowing everyone to catch up whether present at or absent from Reunion, another big thank-you!

To all the members of our class who coordinated events, provided entertainment, or contributed in any way to our wonderful weekend, a final, rousing “thank you!” 

Thanks to the work of the Program Committee, our weekend was filled with engaging and memorable events, and we’re able to share via the following links some of the photos, videos, and presentations from those events.

Seven classmates were selected by the Alumni Association Awards Committee to receive Alumni Association Awards for distinguished achievement and exceptional service: Chris Hansen ’69, Distinguished Achievement, Evelyn Howell ’69, Distinguished Achievement, Helene Johnson ’69, Exceptional Service, Candace Kohl ’69, Distinguished Achievement, Leo Lum ’69, Exceptional Service, Carl Pray ’69, Distinguished Achievement, and William Truog ’69, Distinguished Achievement.

Read more about each of these classmates.

Thank you very much to everyone who contributed so generously to our 50th Reunion gift. At Reunion Convocation, we were proud to present our 50th Reunion gift to the College. As you’ll recall, we directed a portion of our class gift to support Carleton’s new science center and to name the Class of 1969 Makerspace, believing that creativity, collaboration, and entrepreneurship are essential to a liberal arts education. Together, our class contributions to the Makerspace were matched dollar for dollar by members of Carleton’s Board of Trustees, resulting in more than $2 million for the facility, which opens to students next fall!

We look forward to being together with you and more than 130 other 1969ers in just a few short weeks! As thoughts turn to packing, travel, and arriving in Northfield, here are a few answers to questions that may be on your minds.

Our heart-felt THANK YOU to all those who’ve already stepped forward to join in our 50th Reunion gift efforts! We are delighted to announce that we have surpassed our initial goal of 55% of our class participating this year.

Many of us haven’t seen each other for decades.  Whether we crossed paths at Carleton or not, we share a common bond.  We are excited that 23 classmates are planning to attend their first Carleton Reunion at our 50^th!  We’ve asked a few of them to share their thoughts:  Read statements from Tom Marriott, Michael Freehling, and Barry Umansky.

We asked our 50^th Reunion Staff Team to share their recommendations for places to be sure to visit during Reunion weekend – and we couldn’t stop at just 10. The following is a list of new, renewed, whimsical, and favorite spaces on campus – check them out while you’re here!

1. Scoville Hall Restoration – From Carleton’s first library to impressing a first impression on prospective students, our new home for Admissions is worth seeing.

2. Weitz Center for Creativity – Originally the 1910 home of Northfield High School, the 2011 and 2017 renovations have preserved the 100-year-old heritage of a 21st-century facility.

3. Lilac Hill and Cowling Arboretum – Together with President Cowling, D. Blake ‘Stewsie’ Stewart helped define the character of the campus grounds for over 50 years. Stewsie created Lilac Hill and began plantings of evergreens that created a visual edge between the farmland to the north, and the campus. Restoration of Lilac Hill is ongoing, and has been helped along by goat-assisted buckthorn removal.  Click here to see the next Top 8 things to see on campus.

On Sunday, June 23 at 8:00 a.m., we will gather in Carleton’s Japanese Garden of Quiet Listening to honor and remember classmates who are no longer with us. Music, readings, and a sharing of names will be part of this interfaith service, coordinated by Anne Cheney and involving the Reunion Jazz Ensemble (Paul Dragsten, Susan Dettmann Wegner, John Linner, and John Wallace), the Reunion Chamber Players (Suzanne Stevens, Susan Dettmann Wegner, Anne Cheney, Kevin Schilling), and vocalist Steve Savitzky. Helene (Reichgott) Johnson, Jim Kodera, Burt Saxon, and Tom Weaver will share readings from various traditions, and Terence Farrell, Candace Kohl, Marie Matsen, and John Wu will lead the reading of names of departed classmates.

If you are unable to join us or would like to share a memory in advance, please visit the In Memoriam page on our class website. Friends of John Swanson, who passed away in January, may also be interested to learn that a fund been established in his memory to support a summer internship for a Carleton student at the Minnesota Orchestra this summer. Memorials may be directed to the John Swanson Internship, Carleton College, One North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057, or online at go.carleton.edu/give.

Time for one more final 69-Second Survey. It’s another chance to remember (or not!), to share, and to learn interesting factoids about our classmates! Let’s get a great Class of ′69 response!