Posted June 7 - Alumni Days at Manchester bring graduates home to campus for their 50th, 55th, 60th and more reunions. It is wonderful to hear their stories and share about what has and has not changed since their years as students.
One of the highlights is the memorial service we hold to remember, by name, family, friends and graduates who passed away during the previous year. It is a moving service, both solemn and celebratory, that reminds us of the contributions and rich lives of our extended family members.
On my way back to the office after the service, I stopped on the sidewalk to talk with a mother and daughter – Nell and Jennie Voelker, both graduates – who had come to campus for the service. David Voelker ’67, husband and father, respectively, had passed away unexpectedly a few months ago and was being remembered. A sad circumstance had brought them back, but both were smiling as they recounted their time at Manchester. David and Nell met while in line to register for classes and both Nell and Jennie had served as residence hall assistants during their Manchester years. They were deeply appreciative of experiences and glad to be back on campus.
Alumni who return to campus comment on the many things, mostly physical, that have changed over the years. They are glad to hear and deeply appreciate that the soul of Manchester – our mission and the ways in which we touch and transform lives – has not changed. Just as was true for the classes of 1968 and earlier, our students find caring faculty and staff, friendships that last a lifetime and exceptional preparation for lives and careers that improve communities and the world.
We are grateful to connect generations of students – our extended Manchester family – in serving the world.