Our 60th Reunion came and went last September, with 14 of us making the trip to Orono for three days of food, drink, presentations, campus tours, and an official class meeting.
Although a few who signed up weren’t able to make it, representing the Class of 1965 were Bruce Bayuk, Lisbeth Wiley Chapman, John (Jake Jacubowycz) Gordon, Patricia Hayden Herrick, Rendle Jones, Charles Little, Jane Tompkins Miller ’90G, Michael Miller, Edward Schultz, Stanley Sloan, Susan Rush Walsh, Elwyn Wooster, and yours truly. Also in attendance was Jim Rudman, who earned his master’s degree in 1965.
At the opening dinner September 11, we learned our class ranked first in total giving to the university over the last six years, with classmates contributing $7,182,282. Since graduation, we ranked second with gifts totaling $12,246,564.
Among the many places to visit on Thursday and Friday was a Lord Hall exhibit of the works of the late Prof. Vincent Hartgen, head of the art department when we were at UMaine. It reminded me of the art sales he held while we were there, with prints, sketches, and paintings by faculty and noted Maine artists, all priced within our reach to further our appreciation of art. I have one of his watercolors, “Schoodic Afterspray,” showing his unique interpretation of the sea spraying into the air as waves break over the rocky coast at Schoodic Point. It hangs in my living room.
We held a business meeting for about an hour on Friday afternoon, September 12, in a conference room in Buchanan Alumni House (unlike our 50th Reunion, this time we had no need for the much larger dining room!). In the absence of our other class officers, as secretary, I conducted the meeting! After introducing ourselves (quite an accomplished group!), we took a look at our class financials with an eye to the future. Considering our Class of 1965 Scholarship Fund, held by the University of Maine Foundation, and our Class Reunion Fund, held by the Alumni Association, we voted to transfer $2,000 from our reunion fund to our scholarship fund, which we endowed in 1995. That leaves a little over $5,000 in our reunion fund — and some decisions to make about future reunions: What do we want them to be? Traditional, in Orono? Class dinners at another location? Something else? We also voted on a date to close the reunion fund: 2040, when most of us will be about 97. At that point, we presumably would vote to transfer any remaining balance to our scholarship fund.
Our scholarship fund balance as of the Reunion was $43,995 (market value of $59,300). Dee Gardiner ’89 of the UMaine Foundation advised us that if the class were to raise an additional $8,000 toward our scholarship fund, the Foundation would add $2,000. As of September, our fund had awarded $21,692 in scholarships to deserving students.
We also learned that some classes are changing the direction of their scholarship funds, redirecting scholarships to non-traditional students, for example, who are age 24 or older and starting or resuming their college educations. These highly motivated students are among the top students academically at the university; because many are juggling classes with work and family obligations, in many cases they have the greatest need for financial assistance. Our Senior Alumni group, of which I’m a member, awards scholarships annually to these students. We took no vote on this, but it’s certainly something to think about.
Speaking for your class officers, I encourage you to let us know your thoughts on these issues. Easiest way might be to just email me — and in the process, please tell me a little about your life since Orono — I’m always looking for input to this column!
Until next time.