Reunion 2019: Welcome Back Alumni!
Elmira, NY (06/20/2019) — By: Justin G Gillule '19, 2019 Reunion Executive Committee
Elmira College Reunion begins today! This annual event is a time for our wonderful alumni to reminisce about their time here at EC. For the Class of 1969, their time here 50 years ago saw unprecedented change in both the College and in society. In honor of their 50th Reunion, we would like to highlight some of the major occurrences from their time at EC.
The construction of the Campus Center, Twin Towers, and the Gannett-Tripp Learning Center (now the Gannett-Tripp Library) brought new aesthetics to EC's beautiful campus.
The '69s also had some notable events and milestones, including a visit from then-New York Senator Robert "Bobby" Kennedy in 1966, and the first performance on color television by an EC musical group, the Mirachords, on Easter Sunday in 1968.
The 1960s was a decade of student demonstrations and cultural changes across America. EC was not exempt from these trends, and our proud '69s were a part of several pro- and anti-Vietnam demonstrations, including the March 2, 1968 Vietnam Bake-In to support the Marine Corps 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment (over 12,000 cookies in under 5 hours!), as well as the April 24, 1968 Vietnam Teach-In event to educate students and the Elmira community about the war in Vietnam.
Lastly, the 69s were present for some of the most impactful policy changes in the history of Elmira College. An influential new curriculum began in Term 1 of 1967 that still resonates with the liberal arts-focused curriculum Elmira uses today! The following years, 1968-1969, saw a rise in student activism, especially by the Student Association, which in 1969 convinced administration to lift many of the stringent curfew and visitation rules that had long been applied to the women of EC. It was also in January 1969 that the College announced EC would become co-ed. Although the '69s would not experience a co-ed campus, they were certainly involved in dialogues with the rest of the campus community after the decision was announced.
Please join us at Reunion 2019, June 20 to June 23, to celebrate the history and friendships formed here at EC!
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Jennifer L. Swain, 607-735-1894, jswain@elmira.eduShare this Story
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