Grand Reunion Memories
CSUN’s Grand Reunion, celebrated this past weekend on Saturday, April 25, with 3,500 people in attendance, was a great success! I was so delighted to see so many people there showing their Matador spirit.
As you can see from the photographs accompanying this blog, enthusiasm and pride for the University and its 50th anniversary were in abundance throughout the afternoon and evening celebrations. Alumni shared fond memories about their days as University students and remembered with delight their affiliations with various departments, programs and activities.
Many alumni came accompanied by several generations of their family, and were joined by a cross-section of the broader campus community, including students (our future alumni), faculty, and staff. The people who took part in the celebrations ranged from members of the founding graduating class—as typified by several gentlemen I spotted like the one in the photo at right wearing with pride their classic Valley State College sweaters—to the very young who entertained the crowd with their spontaneous dancing in front of the main stage. Past student leaders, athletes, Greeks, and students from diverse disciplines and fields all attended.
The event, of course, could not have been a success without the leadership, planning and hard work of a large number of people. I would particularly like to thank the Cal State Northridge Alumni Association, under the leadership of its president, Larry Twersky (’84), for outstanding work in organizing the event. The Alumni President and his Board of Directors were ably supported in this effort by D.G. “Gray” Mounger, Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations, and the entire Alumni Relations staff, as well as the broader University Advancement staff, led by Vice President Vance Peterson. They, in turn, were joined by a full complement of staff and students from campus who volunteered their time and energy to ensure that everyone who attended had a good time.
Despite the prediction of clouds and possible showers, it turned out to be a sunny day, and perfect for the entire campus family to join together to celebrate “50 years of life-changing opportunity” and to demonstrate collectively why Cal State Northridge continues to be the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley and beyond. It was heartening to see what a profound impact this University has had on so many people. I will remember the day with continued pride for some time.
