Months of planning and outreach culminated in a celebratory weekend on campus Oct. 16-18.
The continued success of Elon’s reunion program was on full display Oct. 16-18 as more than 800 alumni returned to campus to celebrate reunions during Homecoming 2015.
Festivities began Friday, Oct. 16, as each class presented checks for total funds raised to President Leo M. Lambert before the Welcome Home Reception & Opening Ceremony. In total, alumni celebrating reunions contributed more than $882,000 to the university and more than 130 alumni volunteered to coordinate fundraising efforts.
The class of 1965 marked its 50th reunion by achieving 42 percent participation and raising $26,259 for Elon. Class members were inducted as Golden Alumni at a special brunch on Saturday, Oct. 17, and also hosted a reception, dinner and other weekend events. President Emeritus J. Earl Danieley ’46 was an honored guest at many of the events.
More than 30 members of the class of 2005 returned to celebrate their 10th reunion, which included a special gathering at the Oak House Friday night. “The reunion was a great way to connect back into Elon,” said Chris Morse ’05, who served as committee chair for the reunion. “It gave us a chance to help support a place that still means so much to all of us. Life gets busy now, so it’s events like these that help remind us to take time to remember and appreciate how special our Elon experiences were.”
The classes of 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1995 hosted an alumni celebration at the Lighthouse with more than 140 alumni in attendance. Bryan James ’95, committee chair for the 20th reunion, called the event “a great way to remember the old days with old friends.”
James also reflected on his role as a class reunion volunteer. “One of the unique challenges about serving on the Homecoming committee is connecting the dots for fellow alumni between giving and the value of your diploma,” James said. “Reaching out for the school so many years after graduating was more rewarding than I expected it to be and gave me a great chance to connect or reconnect with classmates.”
Elon is currently recruiting volunteers to help with Homecoming 2016. Visit the class reunions website for a list of groups celebrating a milestone reunion and contact classreunions@elon.edu if you would like to volunteer.