The Class of 1974 50th Reunion
Save the Dates: May 24-27, 2024
Dear College and Conservatory classmates from 1974,
We write again to remind you that you are invited to our 50th Reunion on campus May 24-27, 2024. We are excited and hope you will be, too.
The reunion website is up ( www.Oberlin74Reunion.com ), and about 70 classmates have already created Profiles. Once you register on the site, you can see those profiles, with the photos, memories, and life updates we have shared.
You will see, among other things, reminiscences about an “Obie Rock” inspiring a classmate on the way to her senior recital, naked guys jumping into an early morning snow pile, a Midwest freshman introducing his African roommate to (inadequate) American “hot” sauce, and multiple memories of “Miss Marcia Colish” (intimidating, or merely brilliant??). Spoiler alert: see the Profiles of Carol Benjamin Oberhausen, Clyde McGregor, Casey Cook, Martha Nace Johnson and…various.
Many of us have added Now photos to compare to our oh-so-ancient Then photos … scrolling through the photos is a trip down memory lane that brings us to the present. Speaking of memory lane … did you know that Loggins and Messina was not our Orientation concert (“Vahevela” was an encore in 1972, nonetheless), or that Laura Nyro was panned for her piano technique, or that the Cleveland Orchestra was the top ticket price every year? Once you register on the reunion website, you can scroll through a timeline of Our Oberlin 1970-74 and click through archived editions of The Oberlin Review. Yes, you should.
Since our last on-campus reunion there are two major changes to note as Oberlin emerged from not hosting any alumni reunions during the Covid era. First, only our 50th class and the 25th class will have reunions during Commencement weekend, as all other reunions have been moved to Homecoming weekend in the Fall. Second, Oberlin has decided no longer to offer reunion classes the option to stay in dorms or at the (former) Oberlin Inn, but instead to promote area hotels and shuttle service during reunion (Commencement) weekend.
Your classmates on the reunion planning committee have spent a great deal of time (and energy) pushing back after learning that Oberlin would no longer offer dorm rooms. We agitated enough to have an hour and a half Zoom with President Ambar and follow-ups from her chief-of-staff about this and other issues we predicted would chafe.
We have learned that the reunion housing issue is done, for reasons that include difficult logistics of turning around a dorm in a week or so, high expense vs. benefit ratio involved, and “half the people complain anyway” (fair point!) In fact, the Class of 1973 surveys support the last point, as (apparently) there is always a cohort that prefers the on-campus experience (single beds, open windows and shared “facilities”) and another cohort preferring a hotel.
So, it is what it is. Some of us will make our own arrangements, some of us will book at the area hotels with shuttle service, and we’ll all kvetch. We will have an on-campus class headquarters, for sure, and expect facilities to accommodate break time, even naps. It will be great!
The college has reserved blocks of rooms at the two hotels below; complimentary shuttles will run between them and campus. (Elyria also has a Hampton Inn, Courtyard by Marriott and Best Western, but shuttles will not serve them.)
Hampton Inn North Olmsted Cleveland Airport
24601 Country Club Blvd, N. Olmsted 24901
Reserve online or call (440) 617-6306 by May 12
Courtyard Cleveland Airport North
Country Club Blvd., N. Olmsted 24901
Reserve online or call (800) 321-2211 as Oberlin College Alumni by April 25
Here’s a bit of nostalgia from Andi Drimmer that ought to bring back memories:
"Freshman year I lived in the first coed dorm (Dascomb) and managed to get my picture in "Life" magazine when they came to write an article about coed dorms."
And more from Wayne Lei:
"Loved the various film series that folks had set up….Might have been old hat for some but for me, especially the Swedish and Japanese films, the cinematography was beautiful and eye-opening.
Really enjoyed: the card games and comradery in the Fairchild Lounge; the ping pong in the basement; intramural sports; hearing the Cleveland Orchestra….And in the Lounge: Crazy John Spalla on the piano as the resident star; he could play anything from Broadway and it always made me smile."
Stay tuned … you’ll hear from your reunion planning committee frequently between now and May, in addition to the official Oberlin announcements. Questions or comments? Contact one of us.
Until next month,
