The anticipation of 16 months of waiting to be together again paid off in big ways as storms held off and more than 500 ‘Berg alumni joyfully gathered on campus to celebrate two years of class reunions during Alumni Weekend.
Festivities began Friday as alumni began arriving from around the country. Amid the pandemic in 2020, Heidelberg canceled Alumni Weekend. So, a year later, the university hosted double the reunion class get-togethers.
Alumni celebrating 50th reunions – the classes of ’70 and ’71 – participated in the 20th annual Medallion Club luncheon honoring the golden anniversary of their graduation from Heidelberg. Alumni from those classes presented Classes With Quizzes throughout the weekend.
Saturday kicked off with a dialog with members of the Senior Leadership Team, followed by the annual Remembrance Tree Dedication. President Rob Huntington and Trustee and alumna Beth Long Higgins, ’84 read the names of the 400-plus alumni who have passed away in the past year.
One of the highlights of the weekend was the Alumni Weekend luncheon. At the luncheon, President Rob Huntington announced the conclusion of the 10-year Academic Comprehensive Campaign for Excellence, the single largest and most successful fund-raising initiative in Heidelberg’s history. In all, donors have provided cash gifts and planned estate gifts in the amount of $75.3 million.
The university hosted special events for Greek alumni, athletic alumni and alumni authors and artists. Returning alumni also participated in the dedication of the Archives as well as campus tours.
To conclude the weekend, classes whose graduating year end in 0 and 1 convened for dinner Saturday to celebrate their reunions.