June 2016

On to Celebrating our 55th since 6-6-66

June marks the 55th anniversary of our 6-6-66 graduation from Swarthmore, and this spring we will be celebrating the occasion via a variety of virtual events. Since the College has deemed conditions too uncertain to allow us to gather on campus, the Alumni Office is both encouraging and supporting us to host a variety of virtual activities and events to bring us together. It’s a bit of a new world for all of us, but we should have fun exploring the possibilities while finding plenty to talk about and share.

Our reunion planning group (Tom Riddell, Dare Thompson, Jill Grubb, John Wehmiller, Bob Levering, and Jody Williams) is setting up some kickoff events in January.  The Alumni Office will provide Zoom support for activities and events, which can range from “academic” affairs (talks or panels) to social gatherings (cocktail hours, book discussions, cooking classes), to artistic endeavors (displaying artwork, play readings, and musical performances).  We can use breakout rooms, in which people can come and go.  We want your ideas.  So far, some classmates have offered to share art exhibits on YouTube and on our Class website. Please let John Wehmiller < jwehm@udel.edu> know if you would like to contribute to the exhibition. We’ll set up an evening concert and dancing time by Freebo and his playing partner Alice Howe who create marvelous harmonies together.  Let us know what appeals to you and even what you might like to host.

Our class website (Swarthmore66.com) is still up and running and ready for updated input from each of you. It is also a good place to be in touch with each other via its private messaging when you don’t have a classmate’s email address. Check out also swarthmore.edu/alumni.

We want to remind you that our 50th Reunion Class Gift of the Class of 1966 Summer Internship and Mentorship Fund is still growing at just over $181,000 with a goal of reaching $250,000. You are encouraged to contribute to it along with your annual giving to the Swarthmore Fund.Each summer the Class of 1966 Fund pays Swarthmore students who mentor members of the Chester Children’s Chorus participating in the Swarthmore Science For Kids program. We will soon be updating you on CCC activities, some of which you can see in the video from its 25th anniversary gala from last summer. Great to know that our activism in Chester in the early 1960s can manifest today as support for the children in this community program.

Please contact me (508-336-4244) and others on our committee if you have any questions or suggestions. 

Looking forward to seeing you at one or more of our events this spring.

Tom Webb, Class of 1966 Reunion Organizing Chair
thompson_webb_iii@brown.edu

Jill Grubb
jillgrubb44@gmail.com

Robert Levering
RELevering@aol.com

Tom Riddell
triddell@smith.edu

Dare Thompson
darethompson@gmail.com

Jody Williams
jdgwms@att.net

John Wehmiller
jwehm@udel.edu