The Hun School of Princeton’s annual Alumni Weekend festivities may have been postponed because of COVID-19, but that did not stop the Class of 1970 from connecting—at least virtually.
It had been 50 years since some of the 21 classmates and three faculty members had seen each other, but the conversation flowed as if it were yesterday, according to information provided by The Hun School.
Dr. David Diamond was set to receive the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award, but instead of celebrating in person, he was cheered on by 20 of his classmates through Zoom, according to the statement. He shared news of what he has been doing the last five decades, both professionally and personally.
In turn, each of the alumni shared highlights of their post-Hun life—lives shaped by careers in medicine, business, banking and other professions, as well as marriages, divorces, children and grandchildren, according to the statement.
“This has been a rewarding day to see all my classmates,” Mike Maguire, who served as a member of the Reunion Committee, said in the statement. “For some, it has been 50 years since I’ve seen them, and some not, but it’s wonderful to see everyone. I never know how much you all meant to me until years later. You were all instrumental in making me the man I am today.”
As reunion banter often does, the conversation soon turned to fond memories spent in the classroom and on the athletic field. Michael Rossi pointed out that Spider (Mike Maguire) “made everybody play better. We had a great run.” Stephen Peters joked that Jack Bader has been one of his best friends since the summer of 1966 when both had to attend summer school. Al Berger attended dental school at Georgetown University and ran into Don Marazzo, who was studying at the Georgetown Medical School, according to the statement.
Plenty of good-natured ribbing also took place. Barry Group thanked former faculty member Sandy Bing and former Headmaster Jim Byer for “letting him stay.” Sam Gidding, now a pediatric cardiologist, had three questions for the former faculty attending the call; Gidding asked Bing if he needed a haircut, asked Byer if he would get thrown out for drinking wine on the Zoom call, and told former faculty member Dave Leete that he was scarred for life by getting cut from the basketball team his senior year, according to the statement.
Perhaps the biggest reveal came from Ed Haas, who finally came clean that he was the one who glued all of the doors shut in Carter Hall, according to the statement.
While the virtual setting was a departure from the traditional on campus celebration, it was equally meaningful, especially when the time came for Marc Shapiro and Davida Keefe to share their stories: Shapiro was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2015 and has been waging a brave fight ever since, while Keefe is currently undergoing chemotherapy, according to the statement.
The group is planning to meet next year at Rossi’s Bar & Grill on the Thursday night before Alumni Weekend and see each other again—this time in person.