By Keith Davis

	Good food, good music, softball, volleyball, wine tastings, a picnic, a lake cruise, local walking tours — there are a lot of reasons to attend an Ithaca College reunion. Eve Homburger ’77, though, may have had the best reason of all: "Ithaca’s a great school, and reunions are a great way to keep in touch," said the mental health counselor from Orlando, Florida. "I come back here every year to see my former professors and my friends." Then she added, tongue firmly planted in cheek, "I also came back to play tennis and find a cute, single, 40-year-old tennis player. Ann Landers said go back to your college reunions — you never know what might happen." Just ask Kit Carner and Charlie Baker, who graduated in 1941 and went their separate ways. The former classmates ran into each other again at their 40th reunion, after both their spouses had died. "We were married within the year and have been coming back to every reunion since then," said Kit Baker, who lives near Durham, New York. "In fact, after that, all my widowed friends are going back to their college reunions, too." The theme this year was "Blue and Gold, New and Old," and between May 29 and June 1 more than 900 alumni and friends found new ways, as well as traditional ones, to connect to their alma mater. Since this was the last reunion that James J. Whalen would attend as president, returning alumni had a unique opportunity to pose with him for a group photo.
	They also had a chance to attend "Reunion College 101" and hear Whalen’s update on the state of the College (see page 6). He cited increased enrollment, a debt service he called "highly manageable," and methods of cost containment that, combined with scholarships, loans, and government grants, keep Ithaca affordable. Other things that were new this year were an all-alumni concert and an international buffet dinner. In addition, friends, former students, and former players of legendary coach Doris Kostrinsky were on hand to see Upper Terrace Field renamed in her honor. A lot of the tried-and-true activities centered around sports as well — a tennis clinic, softball games, a sand volleyball tournament, alumni crew row, and the Fourth Annual Butterfield Scholarship Golf Tournament. Alumni could also visit a local winery, tour the MacKenzie-Childs pottery studios, take a walking tour of downtown Ithaca, and hear professor emeritus John Harcourt’s entertaining and informative history of the College. "We want people to come back to the College so they can relive their collegiate memories, remember why they came here in the first place, and feel good about the time they spent here," said Lynne Williams, assistant director for campus alumni activities. "That’s why we have these reunions, and that’s why people keep coming back."