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Past Events

7^th Annual All-Alumni Reunion Picnic

East Troy, Wisconsin

June 30, 2001

        The morning of Saturday, June 30th, was sunny with blue skies and friendly clouds -- a perfect day for a get-together with old friends and classmates on the shores of Lake Buelah. The four-lane expressway, replacing the maze of country roadways that once led me from Baraboo to East Troy, telegraphed some of the town growth and campus changes ahead. My wife Carolyn anticipated our arrival with the same excitement I felt. After a few wrong turns, facilitated by missing or forgotten landmarks, we crept tentatively up the lane onto the campus and pulled over to allow a red minivan to get by. The van driver slammed on his brakes, stuck his head out the window and yelled "Shag, you old dog! How are things in Vermont?" Pat Leddy in his usual exuberance welcomed us home.

        As we greeted and met other former inhabitants of Divine Word Seminary at East Troy, their spouses and children, and ate lunch together, my excitement began to sink as I realized that of the fifty people there (representing classes from as early as 1950 to the final class in 1991 when the seminary closed), I was the only one from my class. My disappointment was very short lived as we pitched camp, went through old year books, enjoyed the waterfront, and shared our stories and lives. Classmates or not, I soon felt as comfortable and at one with them as I do with relatives at a reunion. "These were my people," with deep connections as strong as bloodlines and genes.

        The remainder of our trip to Colorado and back to Vermont gave me ample time to reflect on, and discuss, this awareness with Carolyn. We all shared deep convictions about life -- convictions that put service before profit, people before things, giving before taking. We were all attempting in our own homes, communities, and world to live good, honest, and decent lives -- values reflecting that early profound formation we received in our missionary training. While many of us left the seminary, we took with us that missionary spirit -- the SPIRIT that binds us together. For me the weekend was a true re-union!

Attendees: