Highlights of 40th Reunion

Here are just a few photos of hundreds taken at the 2002 Class of 62 Reunion reception, dinner, brunch, and the band-only party. Just as five years before, band members made up about one-third of those attending the official alumni events — just who were all those old folks who claimed to be class of 1962 anyhow!

The group photo to the left includes all twenty-six band members who attended the HT reunion events. (Just click on that photo to see a larger, slower loading version.) Did everyone catch that opposing view of all the spouses lined up taking simultaneous photos of us? That was probably the photographic highlight of the reunion — guys on one side, spouses on the other, and no one to capture the face-off. Belatedly, Betty Lee, our alumni coordinator, ran out with her camera just as this photo moment passed. Her job was akin to shepherding ants: we spent the weekend in constant motion in what to her must have appeared to be practice for the famous HT “get lost” drill. This group photo may have represented the only moment when we all paused simultaneously.

Obviously all that exercise from the extra marching and blowing on horns and beating on drums in our youth did finally pay off — well, at least it did seem to help when it came time to stoop and kneel for our HT class photo as we did pop right back up again in a timely manner to continue our frenzied festivities!

Here are some photos from the class reception, dinner, and brunch. Nothing like hearing Tech Triumph on this hand-cranked Dutch organ, especially built in Holland for non-band classmate Dutch van Luyn of Blacksburg to his own design — right down to the bell-ringing VPI Fighting Gobbler. The tables at brunch came complete with pom-poms and megaphones, although the team needed a bit more help on the field at game time. Class president Sam Lionberger can be seen kicking off the banquet events.

Gene Fife is shown here with the Friday night class of 62 banquet speaker, Elizabeth Flanagan, VP for Development, who spoke on the topic “Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty? A Prospective on Virginia Tech”. Did you notice how many checked to see if their wallets were still there when she got to the half empty part of the talk!