Gambier getaway

If you enjoy a breathtakingly beautiful rural setting for a weekend getaway, add the Kenyon Inn to your list of travel destinations. All rooms at the inn were renovated during the past year and are elegantly decorated and furnished, making the College-owned facility a peaceful respite.

Wander over to the Red Door Café for a cup of Starbucks coffee. Browse the College bookstore for a Kenyon sweatshirt or the latest book by any number of Kenyon authors. Stroll down Middle Path as the bells chime in the Church of the Holy Spirit. Bike the fourteen-mile Kokosing Gap Trail, and visit the butterfly garden at the Brown Family Environmental Center.

Tempted? Contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Programs at 740-427-5147 for help arranging a seminar or for other ideas. Call the Kenyon Inn at 740-427-2202 to book your Gambier retreat.

Need a lift? Bulletin boards launched for Kenyon Alumni Online

Need a ride to Kenyon for Reunion Weekend? Want to discuss Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand '89 but don't belong to a local book group? The Office of Alumni and Parent Programs (APP) is proud to announce online bulletin boards, the next offering in the Kenyon Alumni Online community.

Members of the Alumni Council Communications Committee have guided the development of the bulletin boards and the topics. The Reunion Weekend ride board will allow alumni who need a ride to Gambier to post a request. Alumni who are driving from the airport or from home are encouraged to check the postings to see if they can offer a lift. Other topics such as book-discussion groups will be added in the future.

To access the bulletin boards, go to http://alumni.kenyon.edu and enter your user ID and password and then select "discussion groups" from the options on the left side of the screen. The site includes guidelines and instructions on getting started. A member of the APP staff will serve as a moderator for all topics. Executive Director of Alumni and Parent Programs Lisa Dowd Schott '80, based on the guidelines determined by the Alumni Council Communications Committee headed by Scott Baker '94, must approve new topics.

More than four thousand alumni are registered for the Kenyon Alumni Online community, which offers free access to the alumni database and a permanent Kenyon e-mail address. If you are interested in registering and have lost your ID number, contact Jill Shriver at shriverj@kenyon.edu.

Young alumni learn about life after Kenyon

In 2002, the Office of Alumni and Parent Programs (APP) launched the Kenyon Young Alumni Association (YAA) to strengthen the bond between the College and its recent graduates. At this winter's 2003 YAA kickoff dinner, the second of its kind, Alton J. Rourk '03 began the evening with the following heartfelt words:

"My father, months before he died, left with me some very powerful words that I'll pass on to you this evening. He told that there were only four things in life that are important and that would raise a respectable young man; 'the four L's of life,' he told me. I was told that I should 'live, love, learn, and leave a legacy.' I've taken his words and will contribute to Kenyon, whether by making monetary donations or through volunteer work, using it as a conduit of linking my late father's words to reality."

Rourk's words capture what the APP office had in mind when it created the Young Alumni Association to educate alumni on the role that they can play in sustaining Kenyon and increasing the value of their education. The association works to provide opportunities for young alumni to gather for social and educational events both off-campus and at the College.

In the winter of 2002, 56 percent of the senior class joined the YAA. This February, at the kickoff dinner, seniors had the opportunity to meet with alumni who returned to campus for Alumni Council and Kenyon Fund Executive Committee (KFEC) Winter Weekend Escape. The event included remarks from KFEC Chair Richard Rubin '62, P '00, Director of Annual Funds Jo Usher P '94, and seniors Meghan Burnett, Rourk, Lindsay Sabik, and Stephanie Todd. The event was attended by sixty alumni and more than one hundred and fifteen students who enjoyed the opportunity to develop relationships in the Kenyon network and learn about "life after Kenyon."

Reunions slated for Memorial Day weekend

Where can you roam the fields of your youth with friends who remember how you looked ten, twenty, or thirty or more years ago? At this year's Reunion Weekend, Friday, May 23, through Sunday, May 25, when Kenyon celebrates classes ending in 3s and 8s, along with alumni of the Archons and Chamber Singers.

Highlights include:

• An exhibit by retiring Professor of Art Martin John Garhart, entitled "Among You I Have Been," will be on display in the Olin Art Gallery and the Horn Gallery.
• Friday's Alumni College will feature presentations by Professor of Biology Joan Slonczewski and Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies Donald Rogan. In addition, David Foote '66 will lead a tour of the stained-glass windows in the Church of the Holy Spirit and Peirce Hall.
• On Friday afternoon, Christopher Barth '93, director of information resources, will screen a film documenting College life in the 1930s through the 1950s and the Old Kenyon fire.
• The all-reunion picnic will take place on Ransom lawn Friday evening, followed by a dessert reception hosted by Acting President Ronald Sharp and Codirector of the Brown Family Environmental Center Inese Sharp.
• Later on Friday evening, Lois Brehm will perform a ghostly organ recital at the Church of the Holy Spirit, followed by The Ghosts of Kenyon Tour, led by Associate Professor of English Timothy Shutt. In addition, Associate Professor of Physics Paula Turner will welcome stargazers at the Miller Observatory.
• A perennial favorite is the Saturday morning historical tour of campus led by Thomas Stamp '73, acting director of development.
• At the "town meeting" on Saturday, Acting President Ronald Sharp will present a College update, followed by a question-and-answer session.
• Two
• Three alumni will be presenting recent work on Saturday afternoon. Wade "Woody" Newman '78 will be reading from his recently published book of poetry, and Sheppard Kominars '53 will be discussing journal writing as an opportunity for personal growth. Medical doctor Arnold Starr '53 will give a presentation on "Normal Aging and Dementia." In addition, Saturday afternoon will include a reception honoring Kenyon alumni authors who have published a book in the last five years.
• Award-winning singer Justin Roberts '92 will be performing several of his children's songs on the steps of Rosse Hall Saturday afternoon.
• Saturday evening activities will begin at 6:00 p.m., when alumni and College guests gather at the hospitality tent for the all-reunion reception. After the reception, class dinners will be held at various locations.
• Don't miss the Chamber Singers Reunion Concert led by Benjamin Locke at 9:00 p.m. in Rosse Hall.
• Later in the evening, the all-reunion dance will feature the popular Rick Brunetto Big Band.
• On Sunday, Reunion Weekend will wrap up with the alumni memorial service and Episcopal service in the Church of the Holy Spirit.

Registration materials were sent to members of reunion classes, the Archons, and the Chamber Singers in March. Preregistration is necessary to guarantee your housing choice and assure seating at your class dinner. Starting in May, you will be able to see a list of alumni who have registered for the event on the Reunion Weekend section of Kenyon's Web site. New to this year's reunion Web site is a page to help coordinate rides to Kenyon from different cities or from the Columbus airport.

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