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FEATURES

Reunion Insert

The Class of 1957 got a jump on reunion on Wednesday, May 30, with a reception hosted by Provost Alan Brinkley at President’s House. The 50th anniversary class heard from Professor Henry Graff at breakfast on Thursday, attended a Manhattanville briefing and then enjoyed a cocktail party hosted by Saul Cohen ’57 and Ed Weinstein ’57 at Lincoln Center’s Rose Building. The next two days featured more panels, including “What’s God Got to Do with It?” and “Four Years of Columbia College: Then and Now,” and gala dinners at The Water Club on Friday and Low Rotunda on Saturday — the latter a black-tie event. The big weekend closed on Sunday with brunch and farewell in the Faculty Room of Low Library, with talk of plans for the 55th.

The Classes of 2002, 1997, 1987 and 1982 set attendance records for fifth, 10th, 20th and 25th anniversary classes, respectively, and the Classes of 1962, 1982 and 1987 set records for gifts and pledges to the College’s annual fund for those anniversaries. Dean Austin Quigley, who gave an update on the state of the College on Saturday, June 2, presented the President’s Cup for service to a reunion class to Brian C. Krisberg ’81 as well as a replica of the cup to last year’s recipient, Jerry Sherwin ’55. Krisberg, the Alumni Association president, hosted a panel discussion about the College’s evolution that featured Carlos Muñoz ’57, Michael Gerrard ’72, David Filosa ’82, Kyra Tirana Barry ’87, Laura Lopez ’92 and Courtney Wilkins ’07.

Alumni Reunion Weekend was family-friendly, especially the Camp Columbia children’s activities offered on Saturday, June 2. Saturday’s lunch theme was “Coney Island at Columbia,” with hot dogs, hamburgers and other summer favorites offered in spacious tents on South Field and Furnald Lawn. A balloon-maker and face-painter kept the kids busy when they weren’t bouncing around in air castles and other props. These activities helped the five most recent reunion classes achieve a great turnout, with an average of more than 200 alumni plus guests per class.

About 1,000 young alumni (Classes of 1997– 2007) gathered at the Nokia Theatre on Friday night, June 1, to party, dance and gamble with Columbia Bucks at the James Bond-themed “Casino Royale” party. The Nokia, with its 85-foot Broadway marquee showing off the CCYA logo, was a new locale for this year’s party, one of the highlights of recent Alumni Reunion Weekends. In a room filled with gaming tables and staffed by real dealers, young alumni played blackjack and roulette, with winners taking home Columbia-themed prizes. A DJ spiced up the proceedings with hip-hop and pop music as Columbians ate, drank and danced the night away.

Eleven members of the Class of 1942, the oldest class at Alumni Reunion Weekend, and their guests celebrated their 65th reunion with an elegant lunch on Saturday (top left) that included a visit from Dean Austin Quigley. Class receptions, many hosted by prominent alumni, including Jerry Speyer ’62 (second from top, with President Lee C. Bollinger) and Conrad Lung ’72 (third from top), shared the bill with sample classes, panel discussions, lunches and more formal dinners, providing a rich mix of stimulating discussions and enjoyable entertainment. “The Future of the College” was one panel topic, and one aspect of that future, the proposed new Manhattanville campus, was the subject of several presentations (bottom left) and a Sunday walking tour for the Class of 1962 hosted by one of its members, Board of Trustees Chairman Bill Campbell.

Alumni came from near and far to attend reunion, but nobody traveled farther than Sara Velàsquez ’02, who journeyed nearly 9,000 miles from Wellington, New Zealand, on her first trip home in three years to catch up with classmates at her fifth-year reunion. Velàsquez joined nearly 250 classmates and guests for their class dinner on the evening of Saturday, June 2, which was preceded by an all-class wine-tasting on Low Plaza. The night concluded with the annual Starlight Reception, where alumni from all reunion classes sampled fancy desserts, danced under a tent on Low Plaza and hung out on the steps beneath a starry June sky.

2007 Dean’s Pin Recipients

Dean’s Pins are given to the members of each class’ reunion committee who have demonstrated particular dedication to and involvement in their reunion.

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