Alumni give back, come back
For alumni of the 4s and 9s, 2013–2014 was a time to reconnect with classmates, reflect on past accomplishments, and give back to the university. For many, the year culminated in a celebratory return to campus, with 4,251 alumni attending one of the reunion weekends held in May and June.
Contributions during this reunion year reached $45.6 million. Donors supported Yale’s core priorities, giving generously to financial aid, teaching, and research and helping to complete funding for two new residential colleges. Many also made unrestricted gifts to the Yale Alumni Fund.
In keeping with tradition, competition between reunion classes was spirited. Of the thirteen Yale College reunion classes, eleven moved into the top-ten spots, all-time, for giving in their respective reunions. This includes the Class of 1954, whose class gift of $220.5 million is the largest in Yale’s history.
Marking their fiftieth reunion, a small cohort of the Class of 1964 made the contribution that put fundraising for the new colleges over the $500 million mark. Their class will be recognized with the naming of the South College’s main gate.
Volunteers inspire reunion giving
Generous reunion giving in 2013–2014 reflected the engagement of class leaders and the enthusiasm of reunion gift volunteers. All told, 313 volunteers connected with 2,618 classmates. Seven classes organized challenge gifts, with the classes of 1994 and 1969 setting and surpassing particularly ambitious challenge goals.
Kem Edwards ’49, chair of agents and 65th Reunion gift chair, led his class to their best-ever reunion total and ninth place for 65th Reunion giving. He spoke for many alumni about his lasting connection—and generosity—to Yale: “Why do I volunteer for Yale? My Yale experience would not have been possible without the benefactors who went before. Tuition can never cover all the costs that make Yale what it is. So, I volunteer, joyfully!”
Not to be outdone, Yale College’s youngest classes also stepped up. The classes of 1999, 2004, and 2009 all placed in the top ten for giving in their reunion year (achieving fourth place, third place, and fifth place, respectively), and they were well represented on their reunion weekends.
Reunion gift co-chair Abigail Hendel Levy ’99 was grateful to everyone who took part in the class gift. “I am thrilled that so many of my classmates contributed to this effort,” she said. “Yale is still such a big part of our lives, and reunions are an opportunity to support a school that has been so important to us.”
Reconnecting with Yale
For many classmates, the highlight of the year was attending their reunion weekend. Including alumni, family members, and guests, attendance for the two reunion weekends totaled 6,962. The classes of 1954, 1989, 1994, and 2009 set individual records for their reunion years.
The numbers reflect the strong ties that exist between Yale and its alumni as well as the bonds between classmates. Waldo Johnston ’64, a 50th Reunion co-chair, found his return to campus to be inspiring: “I, for one, have returned home,” he said, “with a renewed pride in my modest efforts to make the world a better place, an even greater respect for what Yale gave me and my classmates, and an affirmation and appreciation from Yale and my classmates that will send me forward with more confidence to do the right thing even in the face of adversity and risk.”
