Alumni Weekend, Friday-Saturday, April 26-27, began with a successful Alumni Day on campus. The day attracted many alumni of all ages, many of whom had not been on campus in quite a while, as well as members of the Class of 7W4 who were celebrating their 50th anniversary.
The day kicked-off with an Alumni Memorial Chapel in the Clara Schrenk Memorial Chapel presented by Dr. Rev. Mark Specht 7W7, chaplain. The chapel included a tribute to alumni who passed away during the current school year and Specht speaking of the history of Williamson’s daily chapels.
This was followed by the State of the College by President Michael Rounds, in which he spoke of campus construction projects, academic initiatives, and other key happenings at Williamson. He said the future looks bright for Williamson.
Chris Moran 9W9, president of the Williamson Association of Alumni (WAA), talked about the WAA’s mission of getting alumni involved with their alma mater and urged alumni to attend the WAA’s special events and help students in a variety of ways. He closed his remarks by urging all alumni to get involved in helping them meet their mission.
Next, the group of alumni and their spouses, toured the new Wesley Student Center, many seeing the impressive building for the first time.
The tour was followed by lunch in the Wesley Student Center, which gave the guests a great opportunity to get acquainted and to share stories of “the good old days.” In a separate room, 7W4 classmates ate lunch with seniors who were to be inducted into the I.V. Club the next week. The purpose was to have 7W4 graduates get together with 2W4 seniors so they could get acquainted and the alumni could share their life and career experiences with the young students.
After lunch, because it was a Friday and school was in session, alumni were able to visit the shops and interact with students who were working on their projects. This new Alumni Day feature was very popular with alumni and students.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with guests touring the campus on their own and purchasing Williamson merchandise in the College Store.
The day ended with members of the Class of 7W4 standing with the students for the lowering of the flag, officially closing Alumni Day. As each senior left to go home for the weekend, a member of the 7W4 class gave him a baseball cap with “7W4-2W4, 50 Years of Brotherhood” on it.
This new version of Alumni Day, held on a Friday while school was in session, proved to be successful, with a great attendance. Among the comments from attendees are:
Dick Dunlap 6W5 “Alumni Weekend was the first we had been able to spend an extended period of time on campus since 2020. We were very excited to be able to tour the campus and see all the good things going on. Having Alumni Day on a weekday so that alumni could meet the students was brilliant. To interact with them was a perfect way to learn about what is happening at the school and remind us of Williamson’s mission – to train young men to be quality craftsman and respectful members of society. The students were all wonderful. They engaged us in meaningful conversation, whether they were explaining their trade or telling us about themselves. Of course, interacting with fellow alumni, as well as Williamson staff was also a pleasure. We truly enjoyed the entire weekend.”
Chris Moran 9W9, WAA President: “Alumni Day brought back a diverse group of alumni. When speaking with alumni, their main reason for coming back was their sense of pride, gratitude, and a sincere connection to the school. The engagement the alumni had with the students in their shop was well received and having the 50-year Affiliate Class standing in lineup with the seniors was a great way to connect and build relationships.”
Dan Lannon 0W2 “While it’s fun to go back in time and remember Williamson as it was when we attended, it is amazing to see the school flourishing with major upgrades to the main building, dorms, and the new Wesley center!”
Don Dzedzy 7W4, 50th Reunion Committee member: “Lunch with the seniors from 2024 and the alumni from 1974 was very rewarding to both groups. There was a slideshow the Advancement team put together featuring photos from 1974 which gave my classmates the opportunity to explain to the seniors some of the differences from 50 years ago to today.
Dean Iacobucci 9W2 “At Alumni Day, I had lunch with a group of more recent graduates from 1W4 at the Wesley Center. We spoke about their experiences, current work, and career paths. It was nice to hear their perspective on the school’s changes and stories from when they were there as students.”
