The platform party in the College’s Alumni Awards and Recognition Ceremony included, from left to right, Adam Wald ’94, Alumni Association Board of Directors, Chair of Reunions; award recipient Shep Murray ’93; award recipient Jill Holler Durovsik ’87; award recipient Carrie Van Kloberg ’68; President Philip A. Glotzbach; Gail Dudack ’70, P’11, President of the Alumni Association Board of Directors; award recipient and Trustee Emerita, Joan Layng Dayton '63; award recipient Meg Reitman Jacobs '63; Steven Cohen '72, P '10, Alumni Association Board of Directors, Chair of Alumni Awards Committee; Mary Jane Baker Macartney ’48 accepting the award on behalf of Elizabeth “Tibby” Van Ness Reid ’48; award recipient and Trustee, John Brestoff Parker ’08; award recipient Natalie “Til” Jones Neri ’53; award recipient and Trustee, Barbara Kahn Moller ’78, and award recipient and Alumni Association Board of Directors, Chair of Young Alumni Giving, Patrick McEvoy ’03.
Reunion 2013
Known for their particularly enthusiastic response to Reunion, alumni in class years ending in 3 and 8 returned to the campus in near-record numbers.
It felt more like August than early June, but the sun shone brightly Saturday morning as alumni in class years ending in 3 and 8 paraded into the Arthur Zankel Music Center for the College’s annual Alumni Awards and Recognition Ceremony.
They heard President Philip A. Glotzbach’s report on the state of the College, cheered the recipients of ten alumni awards, and applauded the announcement that the total contribution made by reunion classes to the Annual Fund exceeded $4 million.
For most alums, it was their first time in Zankel, which opened in 2010.
“It’s a marvelous facility, with offices for music faculty, classrooms, performances spaces, and of course the 600-seat Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall, where we are now located,” Glotzbach said. “It’s wonderful for the spoken word, as you can hear. For any kind of music -- whether it’s a single guitar or an entire orchestra with chorus – it works wonderfully, and people love to play here.”
As an example, he pointed to the Five Browns, the nationally known piano quintet that on May 29 performed Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” on five Steinways on the 100th anniversary of its first performance in Paris.
The Five Browns concert was recorded by Grammy award-winning engineer Adam Abeshouse, the father of a Skidmore senior, Glotzbach noted. “It was also video-recorded and probably will be broadcast on PBS stations around the country.”
A rousing cheer followed a moment later when Glotzbach pointed out that the Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall is named in honor of Helen Filene Ladd, Class of ’22. She, of course, was the grandmother of Bill Ladd ’83, a member of the board of trustees and long-time reunion chair. This being his 30th reunion, he was seated with his classmates in the rear of the hall.
“This group of alumni is known for its enthusiastic response to reunion,” said Mike Sposili, director of alumni affairs and college events. “The last time these classes gathered in 2008, we had a record attendance of 860 alumni. We approached that number again this year with more than 800 registered.”
It was a weekend full of great moments. On this site in coming days, we’ll do our best in words, photos, and video to savor and preserve them.
