RPI Class of '53 50th Reunion

A Last Minute Message From the Alumni Office

The countdown is on! One week to go until Reunion 2003 is in full swing at Rensselaer. The faculty, staff and students at RPI anxiously await your return to campus beginning June 12 through June 15.

There are a couple of items all of us in Alumni Relations would like you to remember when you arrive:

Be sure to come to the Heffner Alumni House first! Our friendly staff will have your reunion packets with all the tickets, nametags, maps and programs that you will need for Reunion. Heffner Alumni House is located at 1301 Peoples Avenue.

An often asked question is what should I wear? Every event is casual except for the Saturday night Class Dinners at the Desmond Hotel. Please plan on a suit for the men and a cocktail dress or nice pants suit for the gals.

Pardon our appearance as RPI and the Capital Region grow! Wait until you see the area around Academy Hall (Old School 14). A new Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies building is rising to the sky and that means the area past the foot bridge to College Avenue is under major construction and renovation. It will be impossible to drive on 15th Street past the foot-bridge so be sure to park on the other side of campus when possible and walk or use our free shuttle to get you around.

Be sure to allow extra time for your commute to The Desmond and the hotels in the Latham area as the roadways around Troy are being improved.

Finally, there are some special events that you should plan to attend:

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson will deliver the 2003 State of the Institute Address on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in Darrin Communications Center 308 which will immediately follow the Annual Meeting of the Rensselaer Alumni Association.
“A Winning Solution in the Fight Against AIDS – The Trimeris Story”. Dani Bolognesi ’63, Jeff Lipton ’63, and Jesse Treu ’68, all celebrating Reunion, will speak about their company, Trimeris, and their exciting new drug discovery in the fight against AIDS. It will take place Friday 10 a.m. in the Darrin Communications Center 318.
Join your class dinner at The Desmond Hotel on Saturday June 14 beginning at 6:00 p.m.

The Office of Alumni Relations and the Rensselaer Alumni Association look forward to seeing you at Reunion 2003! If you have any questions please call the Alumni Office at (518) 276-6205.

Received June 9, 2003

Latest News

As of May 22, 2003

Register now!

Don't delay. On-line registration is easy. In about a week your name will appear on the list of those in our class who have registered.

Our class 50 year gift is very important.

For a message about it and to see our progress, click here.

As of Friday May 2, 2003

It's time to register and reserve rooms!

The reunion information packet was mailed on schedule - around April 20. All of you should have received it by now. If not, email Kathy Kinsey.

We are told that online registration is working smoothly. To see a list of who has registered, click here. (If you recently registered and don't see your name on that list, we're told that it can take up to a week for names to get on this list.)

The rooms reserved at special rates at the Desmond Hotel are going fast. As of this date they are still available. Be sure to tell them you are attending our reunion.

You'll be getting an information packet with badges, maps and more at the Heffner Alumni House. It should be your first stop on campus. To learn how to find Heffner House, click here.

In a recent conference call the Reunion Committee set the theme for the reunion: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

On-line reunion registration is now available. To access it and for help in making hotel/motel reservations, see our new Action page.

In early February the Reunion Committee firmed up the schedule of events, now posted on our Schedule page.

Our list of classmates saying they plan to come keeps growing. Also growing is our list of classmates we don't know how to reach. Please help us find them.

Our 50th Reunion Class Gift goal is $500,000. To see our progress, click here.

We've enlarged this web site and added a Memories section.

The Reunion Committee

As of February 1, members of the committee are:

Reunion Chairman - Bob Hatch

Vice Chairman - John Lavery

Committee Members

Sam Wait (Class President)
Jim Ferguson (Class Vice President)
Bill Moller (Class Vice President)
Harvey Bingham
Al Birks
Bill Fairbanks
Art Goldstein
Gordon Kilby
John Majane
Richard Schoenhardt
Peter Seidner
Leonard Teitelbaum

To contact a committee member, click here.

For suggestions for these web pages, email our webmaster, Arnie Berger.

Planning Committee Formed

To begin planning the 50th reunion of the class of '53, your Reunion Committee met twice in 2002 - in July and November.

It created subcommittees and reviewed activities of past reunions. A guest speaker, Stan Lash, '51, described highlights of their 50th reunion.

The Approach
The "Approach", rebuilt in 1999

Date for Reunion Set

Dates were set for the Class of '53 reunion - Thursday June 12 through Sunday June 15, 2003. Save these dates.

The Featured Events

Some important parts of our 50th reunion will be:

Rensselaer Campus Activities:
Tours of Campus
Parade of the Classes
Picnic
Meet with Classmates and their Spouses
Rensselaer Technology Park Tour - visit successful incubator companies
Class Banquet at Wolfert's Roost in Albany - a really fine place to gather.
Induction Into the Rensselaer 50 Year Club
- A special event and dinner in our honor!

For a more detailed and more current schedule, click here.

Informing Members

The committee approved a motion that a letter be mailed to class members to get a tentative list of those planning to attend the reunion. The letter was sent in December with a questionnaire soliciting suggestions for the reunion. The next mailing, with a complete registration packet, will be sent around April 1, 2003.

Some Suggestions Submitted:

Knowing who will be there so old friends can "Hang Out"
Block out time when classmates can informally get together and reminisce - such as a picnic on Friday afternoon with available libations.
Arrange for the Model railroad to be open and running - its something to see!
Hold a reception and dinner.
Schedule visits to Fraternity Houses.
Book a block of accommodations (or reserve the entire hotel) for class members.
Discuss changes (and plans) on campus.
Supply a list of '53 attendees by departments.
No long-winded/boring speakers!
No interest in having the reunion dinner on campus - select a convenient and "classy" place for the reception and dinner.
Use Yearbook photos for ID tags - Use large letters so we can read the names.
Take a class photo and include it in the cost of the reunion, so everyone will get one.
Distribute a tape/CD of the glee club songs; Have glee club members lead a few songs. (See our Memories page.)
Establish a memorial identifying those who are deceased.
Make camping and living in the dorms an option to help reduce the cost for those interested. Can a list of RV parks and camp sites be identified?
Prepare funny, "jazzy" steps and "play" in the parade, include uniforms, capes (bad guys) and or hats.
Return the Pup or the Bachelor - Sam M has both.
Establish a committee to take photos.
Follow up with a short article reviewing the Reunion. Photos of people, where events were held, the parade, etc. Something we can put in our class books and reminisce about when we grow old!

Keep your ideas coming. The Reunion Committee will review and incorporate accordingly.

Sign-up for this grand event!!

About a third of your classmates have already said "YES". (To see who plans to attend, click here.) To add your name to this large and growing list, send an email to class President Sam Wait.

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