By Camryn Stroupe, Opinions Editor
On Thursday, April 18, the Ouachita Class of 1974 will be honored with their 50th year reunion and all Gold Tiger alumni will be invited to coffee and a luncheon the following day.
“Any alumni who graduated before 1974 are considered Gold Tigers,” Jon Merryman, director of Alumni Relations, said. “During the luncheon, members of the Class of 1974 will receive a gold medallion.” This signifies their entrance into the Gold Tiger status. “The alumni office hosts the activities, and Dr. Sells speaks at both events and presents the class with their medallions,” Merryman said.
The two-fold annual event honors classes who graduated 50 years prior. The first part of the event is the 50-year reunion.
“They gather for a reception and dinner,” Merryman said. “The highlight of the dinner is usually the ‘passing of the mic’ where classmates tell stories of their time as students, talk about professors or classmates that meant a lot to them, et cetera.”
The next day, the Class of 1974, along with any other alumni who graduated before them, are invited to the Walker Conference Center for coffee at 10 a.m. and will be given campus tours and a luncheon at 11:30 a.m.. Other speakers and special guests will accompany the presenting of Gold Tiger medallions to the 50th reunion class. Many alumni will also choose to attend the spring musical during their visit, which will be the production of “Anastasia” this year put on by the OBU theater department.
After graduation, it can be easy for everyone to go their separate ways and inadvertently lose the closeness of friendships formed in college. It is important to reconnect after graduating to keep these relationships strong.
“College is such a formative time in people’s lives,” Merryman said. “You’ll probably never have another time where you live closely with your friends and have time to hang out, go to events and activities, et cetera. Because of this, your bond to the university and your classmates is usually very strong. Returning to campus, sometimes for the first time since graduation even 50 years later, is a very special time for these alumni and it’s fun to hear their memories and stories.”
The 50 year reunion and Gold Tigers Luncheon is sure to be a special time for OBU alumni. To sign up to attend the events, alumni can visit www.obu.edu/goldtigers.
