"Relax and Reunite"
by Joan VanderNaald Egenes '58

As I return for my 50th class reunion in June 2008, Grinnell College will celebrate 162 years of excellence in liberal arts education. The 'Reunion Experience' has changed and improved tremendously since 1958. Alumni now return to a beautifully updated campus, with several new facilities: the Athletic and Fitness Center, Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, the Noyce Science Center, Burling Library, four new residence halls on East Campus, and the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center where students, faculty, staff, and alumni can meet. Also, the new College-operated Pioneer Bookstore in downtown Grinnell sells a hybrid of College and local merchandise. Have you taken a tour of the campus and town lately?

Everywhere we go, we alumni intuitively search for other Grinnellians who have had an experience similar to ours. Attending Grinnell College has helped us connect to one another over a lifetime, may have given us a competitive edge in our lifelong job search, and will help us to with alumni. I remember being hired as a teacher simply because I had attended Grinnell College, which is known for its high educational standards. When I arrived in South Carolina to construct a home in Sun City Hilton Head, I was invited to a birthday celebration and dinner by a member of the class of 1956. A few months later, I discovered that another Grinnellian from the class of 1959 was building a home just two lots away. It is obvious that the well-rounded, high quality experiences we had as students at the College will serve us well as we connect and reconnect throughout our lives.

When I returned to the campus for the Alumni College and Reunion this past spring, I was impressed by friendly, helpful students on campus, delicious gourmet meals, and watching alumni have fun in a relaxing, vacation-like atmosphere. I enjoyed hearing new as well as favorite professors lecture on current research and timely topics and most of all, watching entire families have a good time together! There is no experience quite like Alumni College and Reunion! You have to be on campus to fully appreciate the "Grinnell Experience."Attending Reunion is a great way to reunite with your classmates and make new alumni friends. I had such a good time in 2007, I am hoping to return every year from now on. Relax! Reconnect! It is all here at Grinnell College! You will not want to miss out--come and enjoy!!