Reunion

I spent the weekend attending my 50^th college reunion, along with 94 other members of the Kenyon College class of 1976. I had the fun of being on the reunion committee, working with a solid college reunion team and some classmates I got to know much better over the 18 months of planning.

Observations:

1.  While the campus has changed much in the past fifty years, buildings, offerings, technology: the vibe of the place remains in tack. Specifically, the tone of the academic and extracurricular experience, research, curiosity, and the sense of a community that works to care for one another, while maintaining standards of behavior and expectations that set a high bar and shape the individual.

2.  The experience of seeing people you have not seen in that time, and both knew or only knew of, and matching notes was terrific. One hopes the commitment to stay in touch will be stronger than when we graduated.

3.  Fifty years go quickly. Does that guy in the mirror look as old as my classmates? The answer is Yes and then some. We spoke of kids and grandkids, we talked of careers, hometowns, interests, memories, and hopes. What struck me is that our common experience at Kenyon led to as wide a range of paths as one can imagine, but in every story, there was the spark of an interesting life.

4.  Perspective. Some thirty classmates passed before the 50^th reunion. All way too early and some very early. One gets the sense of the window of time and the need to spend it wisely and with intention.

5.  Finally, that the future, with all its challenges, from the environment, AI, political unrest, poverty, conflicts, wars, and a list that we can all acknowledge, depends on individuals with solid values, curiosity, courage, solid academic and real-world experience, who can rise and

meet the challenges of an ever-changing world. Individuals who will put grandchildren over greed, all grandchildren, and answer the call to service.

That call took root fifty years ago, and listening to my classmates' stories, I can say the call to service has been well answered. I take even greater comfort in the fact that the current graduates from that green hill in Gambier, Ohio, and those who will follow, will continue the same journey that starts on the middle path.