Alumni Reunion Set for July 11 to 13

07/01/2014 

More than 500 alumni and friends will enjoy class get-togethers, parties and other activities on campus and at the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House from Friday, July 11, through Sunday, July 13, during Alumni Reunion 2014.

“We look forward to highlighting all of the new enhancements to campus with our alumni,” said Erin Boylan, associate director for alumni engagement. “Reunion is a great time to learn about the great developments at SUNY Cortland while reinforcing the long history of Red Dragon camaraderie, which is still strong.”

Participants include the Half Century Club, comprised of alumni who graduated more than 50 years ago; the Classes of 1949, 1954, 1959, 1964, 1969, and 1989. The Alumni Association will host its first Cluster Reunion, recognizing the Classes of 1983, 1984 and 1985. Alpha Delta, the featured sorority, will celebrate its sorority reunion with a dinner held at the Parks Alumni House. The featured fraternity, Delta Kappa Beta (1925-1991), will begin its weekend with a welcome party.

Reunion will open Thursday with the Class of 1964 50th Reunion Dinner at the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House. On Friday, the Classes of 1949, 1959 and 1964, as well as Alpha Delta sorority, will enjoy a boat cruise on one of the Finger Lakes.

Friday afternoon the Cortland College Foundation will host a welcome reception at the Parks Alumni House. President Erik J. Bitterbaum will recognize reunion committee members at this event, acknowledging their efforts at encouraging participation amongst their classes.

Saturday’s events include campus tours, a hike of Hoxie Gorge, classes offered by alumni for alumni and tours of the Parks Alumni House.

The SUNY Cortland Alumni Association will present its most prestigious honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award, to three graduates on Saturday, July 12, during the Alumni Reunion 2014 luncheon in Corey Union. The luncheon begins Saturday at noon in the Corey Union Function Room and honors reunion classes and award recipients.

The 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are:

• Karen Collier Flewelling ’64, whose post-retirement humanitarian work takes her around the globe working to provide the less fortunate with clean water, school supplies and education.
• Jerrold Stein ’74, the trend-setting associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Stony Brook University.
• Susan Milstein ’95, a health educator and college professor whose published work on sex education is a guide to many other educators.

Immediately following the luncheon, the fun shifts downtown. For the sixth time, alumni can participate in Cortland Downtown Partnership’s “Taste of Downtown.” Participants will enjoy food and beverage samples from numerous city eateries, listen to musical performances and receive a commemorative wine glass. The Nu Sigma Chi Legacy Fund will again underwrite an All-Greek Reception at the Parks Alumni House.

The Alumni Association will host the Inaugural “Brews and Barbecue” on Saturday evening. The event will feature barbecue fair, a wide selection of New York State craft beers, a photo booth with decades props and music from all eras in the beautiful setting of the Parks Alumni House gardens.

On Sunday, a farewell breakfast for all classes is scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. at the Parks Alumni House. Kappa fraternity will have a farewell breakfast on the front lawn of the Parks Alumni House. The Alpha Delta sisters will enjoy a farewell breakfast in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge. Before departing, Alpha Delta will tour the former sorority house at 24 Stevenson St.

The campus community is encouraged to attend Alumni Reunion 2014. For more information, contact the Alumni Engagement Office at 607-753-2516 or visit the website at cortland.edu/reunion.