Class Spotlight, Part 3: Smooth '46

The Class of 1946 has the run of Forbes College (they may remember it as the Princeton Inn) for their 60th Reunion. Decorations in the Main Inn adhered to the theme "Café Princeton: 46's Smooth 60th." The class shares its 60th anniversary with the Princeton Tigertones.

President Tilghman twirled with delight after '46 sang "Happy Birthday" (Tilghman was born in 1946) and presented her with a commemorative straw hat.


-- Ross Liemer '08, Princetonian senior writer. Photos by Avi Flamholz '07, Princetonian columnist.

Class Spotlight, Part 2: Star Crazy '96

The Class of 1996 literally rolls out the red carpet for its Hollywood-themed 10th Reunion. "See and be seen," implore the class banners.

The class has set up a tented 'Tenseltown' (get it? ten? Tinseltown?) in the junior slums, above which hangs a Hollywood sign.

Tenseltown plays host to six satellite reunions this year, and has a large tent set aside where alumni children can play.

-- Ross Liemer '08, Princetonian senior writer

Famous Alums (and baseless speculation)

We at the 'Prince' generally refrain from engaging in baseless speculation, but when it comes to discussing which famous alums might be spending the weekend on campus, well, we just can't help ourselves.

Working off the assumption that even the world's most powerful and busiest individuals would never miss a Reunion ending in a zero or five, here's a quick cheatsheet of celebrities (and quasi-celebrities) likely to be on campus this weekend. So study up, figure out what they look like and get ready to play "Where's Waldo: Princeton Edition" during the P-rade...

Dennis Norman '01 - NFL player (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Kyle Brandt '01 - "Real World" and "Days of Our Lives" star
Grant Wahl '96 - Senior writer, Sports Illustrated
David Remnick '81 - Editor-in-chief, New Yorker
Elliot Spitzer '81 - Attorney General of New York
Elena Kagan '81 - Dean of Harvard Law School
Terdema Ussery '81 - President & C.E.O., Dallas Mavericks
Frank Ordiway '81 - Associate Dean of the College
Josh Bolten '76 - White House Chief of Staff
Mike McCurry '76 - Former White House Press Secretary
Eric Schmidt '76 - C.E.O., Google
Jim Kelly '76 - Managing editor, Time Inc.
Mitch Daniels '71 - Governor of Indiana
A. Scott Berg '71 - Pulitizer Prize-winning biographer
Lenoard Coleman '71 - Former president of the National League
Robert Mueller '66 - Director of the FBI
Frank Deford '61 - Sports Illustrated and NPR commentator
Fred Hitz '61 - Former CIA Inspector General, WWS prof.
Neil Rudenstine '56 - Former president of Harvard
Gary Becker '51 - Nobel Prize-winning economist
James Madison 1771 - Dead, but presumably celebrating his 235th Reunion from the grave

Spot one these guys (and gals) on campus? Did we forget someone famous? Let us know (editor@dailyprincetonian.com) and we'll include the information in a future post.

-- David Baumgarten '06, Managing editor emeritus

Class Spotlight, Part 1: Spirit of '76

The Class of 1976 celebrates its 30th Reunion with a Revolutionary War theme — "The Spirit of '76." It took them three decades to exploit the only pun on their graduation year? In any case, their Reunion logo features a minuteman, a curious winged wheel, a '76 flag, and a banner of orange and white.

Reproductions of the historic Bennington flag are hung around the 30th Reunion tents in the Butler College quad.

Notable '76 alums to watch for: White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, Google CEO Eric Schmidt P '09, former White House spokesman Mike McCurry, and former managing editor of Time Magazine Jim Kelly.

Incidentally, my father, former 'Prince' executive editor and editorial chairman David Liemer, is also a member of this great class.

-- Ross Liemer '08, Princetonian senior writer

What did they do to my campus?

If this is your first time on campus since 2001, two new construction projects are underway that may alternately delight, infuriate, and disorient you.

The collegiate gothic fortress arising behind Dillon Gym is Whitman College, the University's sixth residential college and gift of eBay CEO Meg Whitman '77. The Pagoda Tennis Courts are gone, though the pagoda itself was saved and moved down campus. Before the tennis courts, the site was occupied from 1863 until 1960 by Brokaw Field.

Across Elm Drive from Whitman is your last chance to view Butler College (the 'New New Quad') before the eyesore is demolished next summer.

The concrete and steel jumble between the Center for Jewish Life and Fine Hall is the backbone of a new science library funded by the ever-generous Peter Lewis '55. When completed, this Frank Gehry-designed structure will resemble the Guggenheim Bilbao. If Gehry's modernist architecture makes you apoplectic, go stare at Whitman College for a while. You will feel much better.

-- Ross Liemer '08, Princetonian senior writer

Tiger in a Hot, Small Dorm Room

Attention alums en route to campus: Bring a fan. Actually, bring three fans. Perhaps some ice, too. Eight or nine bags of it. And while you're at it, go ahead and pick up a walk-in meat freezer. Just do it -- you'll thank me later.

See, summer has arrived in central New Jersey. It was close to 90 degrees for several days earlier this week, and it's still in the low 80's. Which is nice, because no one wants a cold, rainy Reunions.

But there's a problem: Princeton's dorm rooms are most definitely not made for summer residence. They're small. They're stuffy. They (for the most part) lack artificial cooling. In other words, they're unbearably hot.

Which brings me back to my advice: If you're an alum staying on campus in the dorms, be prepared for the heat -- and bring every cooling device you own.

On that note, I'm heading outside (where it may actually be cooler than it is in my 120 sq. ft. single) to scout out some of the tents in preparation for the first night of festivities. My window looks out over the Dod/Brown courtyard -- home to the 40th this year -- and it appears a few of the early birds have started arriving there. I can confirm that they're wearing plenty of orange. Whether they've come armed with fans, ice and walk-in meat freezers ... well, that's another story.

-- David Baumgarten '06, Managing editor emeritus

Welcome!

Welcome to the The Daily Princetonian's Reunions blog. This effort, I should say up front, is an experiment. A team of 'Prince' reporters, columnists and photographers will regularly post to this site during Reunions, offering up what we all hope will be a valuable, interesting and fun source of information about the festivities -- from the forums with University administrators, to the tent parties, to the P-rade on Saturday.

Whether you're on campus or reading from home, I invite you to join in this new forum and share your thoughts with us using the comments feature. (Also, please feel free to e-mail me with your feedback: editor@dailyprincetonian.com.) We're very excited about this blog and we hope together we can make it a success!

-- Chan Sethi '07, Editor-in-chief