1962 – Spring ’22 Class Letter
To the Class of 1962,
Although our class is currently without a Class Agent, I, Dan Behring, am reaching out to all of you. Some of you may remember me as Sledge, Stanley Sledgenowski, a role I played in a talent show during freshmen orientation week so many years ago. I am encouraging you all to join me on-campus for Alumni Weekend, June 23-26, 2022. 60 years! Can you believe that!? I would like to have some company.
Where has the time gone? Each one of us can answer that question if we spend a few minutes reflecting. We have come a long way and done a lot of things along the journey we have been blessed to be able to take. Some of you have probably read the story about all of us starting out on a train ride, uncertain where we are going and uncertain when we will get off. Well, all of you getting this note are still on the train ride, and I hope you will add a tourist stop along the way in Ripon for Alumni Weekend and our 60th Reunion Celebration this summer. Let’s celebrate our lives together on the train ride we shared back from 1958 to 1962.
Now I know some of you are already thinking, why would I want to do that? I understand. Most of us are pretty much strangers and so it would be easy to say. Well, I can think of a couple of reasons to visit campus in June:
-
Capture some of the good memories of 60 years ago
-
Check in on how everyone looks
-
Thank each other for the shared memories
-
Remember those of us who got off the train early
-
Check up on old flames and friends
-
Meet the new College leadership and make sure the College is in good hands
-
Walk around and see yourself then and feel gratitude
-
Capture energy to continue the train ride for new destinations
Now I also know that some of you may be thinking this is going to be a hassle. As we age, a lot of things seem more difficult. Travel, packing, getting out of normal routines, health issues to take care of, more than we would like to admit, become barriers. Well, stand tall, take it head on and say “I’m not going to give up, I’m not going to give up,” and plan the adventure.
Our 60th Reunion celebration will be held on Saturday evening, June 25, 2022, but there are plenty of activities scheduled throughout the weekend for the Class of 1962 to enjoy.
The details of the weekend are still coming together, but here is what I know:
-
Friday, June 24 – Weiske Golf Scramble, Campus Tours/Classes, Prairie Walk, Awards Dinner, Alumni-Faculty-Staff Social
-
Saturday, June 25 – Class March, State of the College, Greek Socials, That Was Then, Golden R Reunion, All Alumni Party
As events firm up, the College will bring you up-to-date about schedules, registration, and safety protocols.
-
To help you plan for attending Alumni Weekend 2022, make your lodging reservations early with these resources: Heidel House (Green Lake, 920.807.0300) and Cobblestone Suites (Ripon, 920.748.5500) both have room blocks, but you must call for the Alumni Weekend rate.
-
Other area lodging information can be found at http://www.ripon.edu/lodging/.
-
Online registration for the Reunion and on-campus lodging will be available April 1 at alumni.ripon.edu.
I promised myself that I would not get as involved for this reunion as I did for our 50th, and after Carol Pickhardt Fancher got off the train, I resisted taking on what she did so well. But, I will work it out with the College so that we will have a special gathering room for at least Friday and Saturday just for our class. The 60th deserves some special consideration.
Here is what I need from you: Bring any memorabilia you have that you can share with the rest of us. If you are like me you are trying to find some place for stuff you have. If you have some memorabilia that was special for you, bring it along and share it with others, maybe the archives will be interested in adding it to their collection. We will have tables for displays.
My partner of 60 years, Nancy (Steeno), also a member of our class, and I are planning on arriving June 23 and will be on campus on the 24th and 25th. Please consider joining us. Stay on the train and grab a short tourist stop at a place that meant so much to us and where we stopped before. Let’s do it again.
I would love to hear from you if you plan on joining Nancy and me on campus for the 60th Reunion Celebration in June – [email protected]. To make it easy, just say “I plan on being there.”
Hope to see you!
Dan Behring
(231) 889-5402
