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The year was 1957 - Northwestern students were dancing to the songs of Elvis Presley, humming tunes from the Tony Award-winning musical My Fair Lady and paying only 3 cents to mail a letter home to the family.
Those memories and longtime friendships were on the minds of members of the class of 1957 when they returned to campus June 15-17 for their 50th reunion celebration and induction into Northwestern's Half Century Club.
Following tradition, class members kicked off the weekend's festivities by donning caps and gowns and taking their rightful place at the University's 149th Commencement at Ryan Field. The next day they joined members of earlier classes for Half Century Club events at the Norris University Center, including President Henry S. Bienen's presentation, "Critical Foreign Policy Issues: Beyond Iraq and Terrorism," and the Half Century Club luncheon, where reunion co-chairs Robert King (EB57), Gwyn Davies Rahr (SESP57), Jean Woolverton Yale (SESP57) and Ken Kraft (SESP57, GSESP59) presented Bienen with a $1 million class gift. (The class of 1957 raised $1 million as of press time, but the reunion campaign officially ended Aug. 31.)
Later, alumni marveled at the physical changes and the continuing evolution of the Evanston campus during tours led by fencing coach Laurie Schiller (G82). That evening at the class of 1957 reunion party at the Glen View Club in Golf, Ill., the reminiscing continued and classmates and guests raised their glasses to toast the happy times they shared.
Wrapping up the weekend, the class enjoyed a farewell brunch at the John Evans Alumni Center and a Chicago River architecture cruise with tour guide and author Joan Viant Lindsay (C52, GSESP74).