Reaching Out Across the Miles

30 July 2024

Welcome to the Final Issue of Our Class of ’74 Reunion Newsletter

George Clabon poem

When the Class of ’74 arrived on campus June 13, each of us brought 50 years of personal history to share with each other. What surprised us was how impactful experiencing our milestone reunion would be as it unfolded throughout our time together. We delighted in re-engaging with roommates and friends. We reconnected with classmates. We shared meals with favorite faculty members. We contributed to Carleton’s oral history project. We acknowledged our classmates’ outstanding achievements. We celebrated the generosity of the Class of ’74 by delivering our record-breaking gift to the College. We played games and danced joyfully to Terry and the T-Birds. We contemplated the challenge and the future of freedom of expression in college classrooms. We heard classmates recount key moments in their journeys along their own Long and Winding Roads. We honored the memories of departed friends, tearfully, with music and poetry during a service of remembrance in the Japanese garden. And finally, we departed from each other surrounded by the gentle strains of the Beatles’ The Long and Winding Road.

We owe a debt of gratitude to our classmates who joined the Reunion Committee in April, 2022 to set in motion the creation of a remarkable weekend on campus. Committee members dedicated their time, talent and energy to promote our June gathering with newsletters, telephone calls, notes and letters. They assembled an astounding collection of biographies. They contributed their best ideas to fashion a homecoming for us that was both enjoyable and memorable. They encouraged us, with the able assistance of Carleton staff, to explore ways to participate in assuring the future excellence of the College through our contributions.

Already, we are looking forward to our 55th Reunion. For those of you who shared our 50th and also for those of you who were unable to attend, we invite you to stay connected, revitalize your friendships and join us in 2029!

– 50th Reunion Committee Co-Chairs: Pam Luecke, John McCracken, Jean Thiel

974 post reunion word cloud
Words used to describe this year’s Reunion from the class of ’74

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