Old friends to reunite at Reunions, P-rade

Tents are raised, and so are spirits at university.

By: David Campbell
   Tents are raised and so are spirits at Princeton University as the Ivy League school’s annual P-rade and Reunions celebrations draw near.
   Events for registered Reunions participants will kick off Thursday and run through the following Sunday.
   The highlight, as always, will be the annual P-rade through the campus, which begins with the traditional ringing of the Nassau Hall bell at 2 p.m. on May 28.
   The P-rade will enter the university through FitzRandolph Gate at Nassau and Witherspoon streets, and will wend its way through the campus and end at the Poe-Pardee fields.
   Also scheduled for Reunions Weekend are performances by groups including Quipfire!, Theatre Intime and the Triangle Club; a full roster of lavish receptions, student-alumni arch sings, forums, departmental open houses; and, of course, a fireworks display.
   The University Orchestra will present its annual lawn concert at 8 p.m. May 28 on Finney and Campbell fields, and the fireworks will follow at 9:15 p.m.
   Some 20,000 people — alumni and their families — are expected on campus through the weekend for Reunions activities, Princeton said.
   According to Adrienne Rubin, associate director of the Alumni Council at Princeton and a member of the university’s Class of 1988, alumni volunteers have been working from 18 months to a year in advance to prepare for their particular class reunions.
   The tents and signs are now up for the participating graduating classes’ Reunion Weekend celebrations. Ms. Rubin said more than 100 tents have been erected, constituting about 183,000 square feet of canopy.
   She said the oldest class expected to be represented this year is that of 1925 — two gentlemen from that class are expected to take part in the P-rade.
   She said the 80th Reunion will be represented in an "old guard" area. Ms. Rubin said the 75th Reunion crowd is expected to be pretty active, and said the 70th promises to be "very active," noting that their volunteers have arranged to have 13 vintage cars as part of their P-rade presence.
   Ms. Rubin said the P-rade itself is expected to draw 20,000 participants and to last about three hours.
   She said she is looking forward to taking part in the 17th Reunion, which she said is expected to draw 70 to 100 of her classmates.
   "I love it," she continued. "It’s the celebration of the power of a community. There’s nothing more enjoyable than to see old friends from years ago suddenly recognize each other from across the courtyard."
   She said Reunions Weekend is about reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.
   It’s about family, too, she said.
   "It’s wonderful to see the kids," Ms. Rubin said. "We’ve had people meet at Reunions and later get married."
   She said the 1st Reunion, which comprises last year’s graduates of Princeton, is expected to draw more than 700 alumni. The 2nd Reunion is expected to draw about 300, she said.
   Ms. Rubin said Princeton’s Reunions are somewhat unique among universities in that they are held every year for every class, with major reunions every five years — reunions at other schools are typically held every five and 10 years, she said.
   Another element that sets Princeton’s celebrations apart is the integral involvement of volunteers. She said that almost 300 major committee members have been working with Princeton’s staff and personnel to organize class reunions this year, with classes selecting their own themes, costumes, beverage choices, bands and P-rade floats.
   "Really, it’s the coordination of efforts of hundreds of people," Ms. Rubin said. "Our purpose is to support those efforts."
   She said that Princeton staff in her office, as well as at dining services, grounds, public safety, housing and others, have been working with the volunteers to prepare for Reunions Weekend. Students are playing an integral role, also. Ms. Rubin said Princeton has close to 1,200 student workers and entertainers taking part this year.
   Reunions Weekend is also the lead-up to graduation ceremonies at Princeton.
   The Baccalaureate service will take place at 2 p.m. May 29 in the Princeton University Chapel. The speaker will be author Toni Morrison, the Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities at Princeton.
   The Class Day ceremony for seniors is set for 10:30 a.m. May 30 on Cannon Green, or in Jadwin Gym in case of severe weather. The speaker will be comedian Chevy Chase.
   Princeton’s 258th Commencement ceremony is slated for 11 a.m. May 31 on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall. Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman will preside over the event and address the graduates. Several honorary degrees traditionally are conferred, but names are not announced until that day.
   Admission to all events is by ticket only.