Photos by Wallace Black, Sarah McCoy
More than 1,000 alumni from classes ending in 4s and 9s and their families returned to Hartford June 6–9 to spend time ’neath the elms at Trinity College’s Reunion Weekend.
All-Reunion festivities included a Saturday night dance party, and each class enjoyed its own slate of activities, including visits to the Wadsworth Atheneum and bar trivia in Vernon Social. In addition, alumni were able to mingle with Bantams of different generations at events including the LGBTQ+ and Friends Reception, the Alumni Row and 50th Henley Anniversary Celebration, and “A Conversation with the President,” featuring Trinity President Joanne Berger-Sweeney and Eric Estes ’91, the incoming president of the newly renamed Trinity College Alumni Association. The brothers of Delta Phi also joined together for the dedication of a plaque in memory of the fraternity’s beloved cook, Emma Kirkley.
A special event this year, the panel discussion “The Dangers of Fake News: How to Detect It and How to Debunk It,” included three distinguished alumni and one Trinity parent from the journalism industry. Bill Marimow ’69, vice president and director of strategic development for The Philadelphia Inquirer; Steve Chawkins ’69, retired newspaper reporter, columnist, and editor; Andrew Julien P’19, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Hartford Courant; and Helen Ubiñas M’09, columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, addressed current issues in journalism. Marimow, the panel moderator and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, cautioned the audience to “read broadly, read deeply, and read skeptically.”
The Half-Century Club festivities marked the enduring commitment that alumni celebrating their 50th Reunion have to one another and to Trinity. The Class of 1969 raised more than $2.5 million for the college since its last official gathering five years ago and exceeded Reunion records for yearbook submissions, sharing stories of life since graduating from Trinity. The Class of 1969 also set a new record for 50th Reunion attendance with 93 classmates registered and on campus.
Congratulations to Our 2019 Reunion Award Winners
THE EIGENBRODT CUP
Michael D. Loberg ’69, P’00
PAUL E. RAETHER ’68 ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Erik Bloomquist ’14
ALUMNI MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE
Donna F. Haghighat ’89
Frank Kirkpatrick ’64
Douglas M. Macdonald ’89
Danae Goldberg McKenzie ’09
THE GARY MCQUAID AWARD
Rhoden Monrose ’09
THE KATHLEEN O’CONNOR BOELHOUWER ’85 ALUMNI INITIATIVE AWARD
Crisanne M. Colgan M’74
OUTSTANDING CLASS SECRETARY AWARD
Alden R. Gordon ’69
To see more photos from Reunion, please visit our Flickr gallery.