From the Director
There is something about a reunion that causes anxiety. Speeding toward Salem on a spectacular sunny morning, we have all had the same thought: I can’t possibly have graduated that long ago.
Don’t worry. This anxiety will pass. As soon as you see the sloping lawns of the Quad, the red-bricked splendor of Eaton Hall, and the majestic cupola of Waller Hall jutting high above the trees, you will realize that Willamette hasn’t really changed. Squirrels still scamper up the trees, and the gurgling Mill Stream still meanders lazily through campus. Seeing the beauty of Willamette again, your angst and denial will be replaced by sweet nostalgia. A rush of memories will flood over you, and you will remember what you were like at 20 — ambitious and confident with a healthy dose of unencumbered optimism. Then, amazingly, you will look around and see students. Lots of them. Literally hundreds of students strolling campus and gazing in wide wonder at all the alumni who have invaded the campus. The 20-year-old faces that now inhabit dear old WU are different from those you remember, but as you return their gaze and retrace your once-familiar steps, you’ll see yourself reflected in these ambitious and confident young adults who are ready to take their degrees and conquer the world. Yes, they are just like you, only younger, and with worse taste in music.
Then it will strike you. We all may have aged, but our time at Willamette is ageless. And this is why we come back to Willamette for reunions. Being back on campus, even for just a few days every few years, makes us feel young again. Being at Willamette connects us to our past and to the shared history of this very special place.
I look forward to seeing you this September!
David Audley ’93
Director of Alumni & Parent Relations