After a two-and-a-half year hiatus, alumni returned to campus this fall for reunions. They were welcomed by a very different school from the one where they had studied. New dorms such as Redlich, Flinn, and Edelman have replaced Bissell, athletics now take place in the Mars Athletic Center rather than Monahan, the new Katherine M. Elfers Music wing looks over the lake, and a fully operational farm provides new opportunities for today’s students.
Over the weekends of September 23-25, October 7-9, and October 14-16, over 150 alumni returned to campus for reunion programming. On the first weekend, the classes of 1967 and 1972 gathered, on the second, the classes of 1960, 1961, 1975, and 1976, and on the third, the classes of 1955, 1956, 1990, and 1999.
Alumni attended classes, all-school meetings, student-led tours, and sports games. They heard from student and faculty panelists about changes in the school and visited the Fairfield Farm, where they saw firsthand the school’s FFEAT program.
The return to campus also offered a chance to look back at their past. Alumni were given their personal files from 50 years ago, which contained transcripts, teachers’ comments, and letters from parents and colleges. Ms. Rosemary Davis, archivist and records manager, who organized this activity, said, “The tradition of looking at the student files at the 50th reunion is always a very personal thing to witness. This group was particularly touched by their college recommendations, which were very personal and thoughtful. It is always very moving for alumni to see their parents’ handwriting or their mother’s stationery. I think it brings back their original Hotchkiss experience in a very tangible and meaningful way.”
Normally, there would be two reunion weekends per year: one in the fall for the class celebrating its 50th Reunion, and one in the spring for other classes celebrating different milestones. However, due to COVID-19, several of those reunions were canceled last spring. Therefore, this fall, smaller rescheduled reunions were added in addition to the regular 50th Reunion.
Looking towards the spring, Ms. Rachel Rodgers, assistant director of alumni relations, said, “Next on the docket is June Reunion…for all alumni classes ending in -3 and -8. We still have a handful of classes waiting for their canceled reunions to be rescheduled and we’re working to figure out the best time and place to hold those celebrations. Stay tuned!”
