Keuka College alumni from around the nation and across the years gathered on campus this past weekend with current students, faculty, staff, and friends to celebrate their shared spirit, connections, and traditions during Green & Gold Reunion & Family Weekend.
Members of the Class of 1975 – Keuka College's newest Pathfinders – gather outside the Dahlstrom Student Center following the Pathfinders Luncheon on Friday, Sept. 26.
“It feels like we never left,” said Molly Thomson, who traveled from Niagara County to mark her 50th class reunion. “It’s really nice getting to see people that we knew 50 years ago.”
Molly and her classmates were honored as the College’s newest Pathfinders – graduates from at least 50 years ago – during a celebratory luncheon on Friday.
“It’s an honor to celebrate with our newest Pathfinders,” said President Amy Storey, who emceed the celebration. “Each of you is a role model, a leader, and an example for those who follow in your footsteps.”
The luncheon was one of many highlights throughout the weekend:
The Green & Gold Annual Celebration Dinner filled the College’s JMW Recreation and Athletics Center to honor outstanding alumni in a variety of categories.
The Alumni Association Executive Council presented the following awards:
Effective Use of Retirement Award: Barbara Johnson Williams ’63.
Community Service Award: Heidi Nightengale ’83.
Eleanor Judd Wilkes ’35 Service to Keuka College Award: Cindy Christopher Sechrist ’86.
Professional Achievement Award: Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Mance Duxbury ’03.
Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award: Dr. Victoria Syracusa ’19 M’20.
Also honored at the dinner were the latest inductees into the Dr. Arthur F. Kirk, Jr. Athletics Hall of Fame:
Matt Selden ’04 (baseball).
Maggie Bonafede Gutierrez ’14 (women’s lacrosse).
Paige Golden Judge ’14 (volleyball).
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Heather Maldonado leads a toast to former Division of Occupational Therapy Chair Dr. Peter Talty during a celebration of the OT program’s 40th anniversary.
The College Commemorated the 40th anniversary of its popular Occupational Therapy program – one of the largest in the state. Past and present faculty members gathered with students, their families, and special guests to share memories, toast four decades of success, and look ahead to the next generation of innovation and impact in occupational therapy. Dr. Peter Talty, the department chair from 1991-2002, and current Division Chair Dr. Michele Bennett were among the speakers.
Family and friends of the late Anthony Mattie ’06 join College Department of Athletics officials during the dedication of a press box named in memory of Anthony.
The College formally dedicated the Anthony Mattie ’06 Press Box on the Kuhl Baseball Field in memory of Anthony. Family and friends shared memories of Anthony, a former two-sport athlete who passed away in 2020 following a courageous battle with cancer.
A formal dedication ceremony was also held for the Lakeside Lodge, the College’s newest event space. Once the home of Charles and Dorisanne Osborn ’51, the Lakeside Lodge serves as a center of gathering, reflection, and inspiration, and a tribute to Dorisanne’s lifelong dedication to education and Keuka College.
Dorisanne Osborn ’51 is joined by family members and President Storey as she cuts the ribbon on the new Lakeside Lodge, which was created through renovations of Dorisanne's former home.
The three-day celebration also featured milestone reunions, campus tours, a “Party at the Plex” at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex, and festive gatherings capped by a Friday-night fireworks display. It also enabled graduates to rekindle memories after many years, or even decades.
“It hasn’t changed,” said 1975 alumna Jackie Lutton, “because there’s still the camaraderie, the warmth.”
“Ball Hall is gorgeous,” added Sharon Fredericks ’75, who hadn’t seen the College’s signature structure since it was refurbished in the mid-2000s. “That was my freshman-year dorm – Ball Hall, third floor, front corner, looking at the lake. I thought that was wonderful!”
