Dear Classmates,

May is now officially Reunion month on the Hill, and the fact that alumni are FINALLY able to reunite on campus after two years of virtual gatherings is something worth celebrating.  More than 100 members of the Class of 2020 and their families have registered to attend their belated Commencement on May 22, and on May 26 the Classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972 will be kicking off Reunion Weekend a day early with special 50th Reunion programming. Then, as you know, the Class of ’61 and all other alumni are heading back to campus May 27-29 for what promises to be the biggest alumni gathering in the College’s history! Hutch and I hope you’re planning to attend this momentous gathering.

Last fall, you may have heard about the important new Kenyon Access Initiative. The College is eight months into its five-year partnership with the Schuler Education Foundation to increase access to Kenyon for exceptional students with limited resources. The extended Kenyon community has enthusiastically responded by making more than 1,113 gifts to support this unique initiative, helping to create new scholarships that will be awarded to students we are enrolling now. Also on that subject, applications this year hit another record, up 14% over last year.

You may also have seen the news from President Decatur that, in response to calls from students as we approach the Bicentennial, the time has come to look beyond “Lords” and “Ladies” as athletic monikers. Thanks to all of you who have submitted suggestions or other feedback for the process. You can visit kenyon.edu/moniker to learn the latest.

This spring, the College continued its commitment to integrating environmental stewardship into its curriculum, campus operations and campus culture. Stay tuned for details.  In that vein, another announcement more specific to our class is that after a nearly 40-year career with Kenyon our friend Lisa Schott ’80 will step down at the end of June as Managing Director of the Philander Chase Conservancy, the College’s land trust, a post she has held since 2010. This news was shared in Kenyon’s new quarterly Green Newsletter. If you don’t already receive it, I encourage you to sign up for it at bit.ly/Green-Kenyon.

All of the excitement and achievement at Kenyon today can be traced, in part, to our support. Kenyon relies on our gifts to the Kenyon Fund to support every aspect of students’ experience today, from seminars to scholarships. I hope you’ll join me in making a gift today. We know first-hand how a Kenyon education can impact one’s future — not just professionally, but personally. When we support Kenyon’s current and future students, we help make a Kenyon family like ours a possibility for many more.

Thank you!
David Brown

P.S. Scroll down to view the 1961 class notes.