Dear Seven-seven,
 
Look out. It’s officially Reunion season on the Hill. Hope we’ll see many of you back in Gambier over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate our 45th. It’s shaping up to be a reunion to remember since all alumni are invited to campus after two years of virtual gatherings. 
 
The slowly dissipating isolation has been tough on everyone. Still, I have to say it’s been great to see ’77 rally as a group of old friends. So, I know what you really want is to pore over the attached class notes. But gimme a sec. Before you glaze over from the litany of formal appeals, let me clarify something: 
 
1977 is an excellent rubric when you’re thinking about giving. Drop the decimal point where you may – $19.77 or $1977 or anything variation on the theme – it literally doesn’t matter. What really counts is each individual gesture of support – not the dollar amount. Don’t be abashed. Giving is giving. 
 
When it comes to alumni, the number of givers and their year after year consistency makes the biggest difference to Kenyon. Those are the metrics that move the bigtime funders. Of course, we have our share of exceptionally generous givers, too. You know who you are. Together, we’ve helped Kenyon make incredible strides.
 
Now you can skip to the class notes… 
 
In other news, I hope you’ve heard about the new Kenyon Access Initiative – my personal fave. We are eight months into a five-year $25 million matching challenge with the Schuler Education Foundation. So far there have been more than 1,113 gifts to support creating new scholarships for exceptional students with limited resources. 
 
In other great news, applications this year hit another record, up 14% over last year.
 
The student body is marching toward Kenyon’s Bicentennial seeking a new athletics moniker. Visit kenyon.edu/moniker to learn the latest about fast-forwarding the Lords/Ladies from the 19th to the 21st century. 
 
Kate Bingley DeCoster has some cool news about the Philander Chase Conservancy in her note. Also, Lisa Schott ’80, who since 2010 has served as managing director of the PCC land trust, will retire after a nearly 40-year career with Kenyon. Sign up for the new quarterly Green Newsletter at bit.ly/Green-Kenyon.
 
Kenyon is preparing to welcome several groups of alumni back in May. First, 100+ members of the Class of 2020 and their families will attend their belated Commencement on May 22. On May 26, the Classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972 will kick off a special 50th Reunion program. Then, May 27-29 will be Kenyon’s biggest alumni confab ever.
 
OK that’s the macro update. Many, many thanks for your contributions to the excitement and achievement at Kenyon. If you can make a stretch gift this year in honor of our reunion, great, go for it. But don’t forget that any gesture makes a difference to our class legacy and to Kenyon’s present and future.
 
Thank you!
Jim Desrosier

P.S. Keep scrolling to find the 1977 class notes.