All Together Now: Alumni Weekend brings out the Jumbo spirit

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Winners from the class giving awards show off their trophies.

June 5, 2008--There is no dress rehearsal for a reunion, and even despite a year of planning, staff and volunteers greet the incoming tide of alumni with crossed fingers and whispered prayers for sun. This year there was little cause for worry.

More than 2,500 alumni from Arts, Sciences & Engineering came back to the Hill from May 15 to 18. Highlights included Tufts Night at Pops, this year featuring the music of Leonard Bernstein. The imaginative “nightclub” of Cirque d’Elephant, the all-alumni party on Friday night, was energized with performance art (“living” statues and dancing butterflies) and student talent (dance troupes and singing groups) as well as a jazz ensemble and dancing.

Alumni with an appetite for learning found provocative fare at the Super Seminars, while well-attended individual class celebrations proved that the Jumbo party spirit just doesn’t quit. New programming this year also drew good crowds, including a “Jumbo Love” reception for Tufts couples, and several special interest group receptions.

“We’re always improving on Alumni Weekend,” says Tom Williams, A92, senior associate director of alumni relations, and liaison with the TUAA Alumni Weekend Committee. “But frankly, this year hit all the high notes--great weather, great alumni, great programming. It certainly raises the bar for 2009.”

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