College of William and Mary - Colonial Echo Yearbook (Williamsburg, VA)

Page 32 text:

I Profile of a student RETURN OF THE GRADUATE Homecoming: the most festive, col- legiate , tradition-laden weekend of the y ear at William and Mary. This year was no exception. As if on cue, the crisp, dry weather rolled in on Friday afternoon, perfectly suited for the fall regalia the alumni would undoubtedly be sporting. The tolling of the Wren bells at the sunset ceremony signalled the official beginning of weekend and served to remind all listeners of their fleeting role in the history of William and Mary. green and gold clad children. They did all the things that alumni are supposed to do: ate Cheese Shop sandwiches, saluted Lord Botetourt and toured CW. The Olde Guarde maintained tradition by lunching on the Alumni house lawn before the game. Dr. John R.St. George, class of 1925, had rented a suite at the Inn, the same suite he had rented for the last 50 years. He has always looked forward to Homecoming as a time to see old friends, remember his years here and marvel at ' ' Dresses in green and gold widewale, this was the group that arrived in station wagons full of green and gold clad children ' The old guard, the new guard and everyone in between arrived in droves. The more recent graduates had that pol- ished, professional air about them. The women looked trim and chic while many of the men had gained weight. They were all eager to talk about what they ' d been doing out in the real world , yet they seemed to envy us for still being in school. Advice such as you ' ll never have it this good again and enjoy it while you can abounded. When asked how he planned to celebrate, Dave Lucas ' 80 said, I go straight to the Sig Ep house, have a beer and watch them build the float. Then I get up early to watch the Viking float and go to the game. Laura Masters ' 82 said she comes back to go to the parties and see the people. The older alums celebrated in a similar manner. Cocktail parties and tailgates were at the heart of their weekend. They provided an opportunity to meet with old friends and catch up. Dressed in green and gold widewale, this was the group that arrived in station wagons full of small 28 the continuing growth of W M. Why do they all come back? Bud Phillips ' 82 partially explained it: My friends at work can ' t believe that I get so excited about going to homecoming. It sounds boring but it isn ' t. It ' s a chance to see old friends and relive that vacation type feel- ing that four years in Williamsburg was. Naturally, all those who flock back to their alma mater have positive feelings. But there is something deeper — a pride and sense of tradition that are derived from four years at William and Mary. A recent graduate summed it up this way: Once you get out, you realize that the bond between William and Mary alums is stronger than just friendship. After what we ' ve been through together, we ' re more like war buddies. There were a lot of good times here and a lot of bad times, but I love this place and I always will . Home- coming gives alums of all ages a chance to remember their experiences here and share it with the people who made those experiences so special. —Mary Mitchell ATypical alum: This alum exemplifies the typical joked-about alumnus with his bright preppy patchwork slacks. ► Renewing old friendships: This group of alumni take time from their tailgate party to pose for a reunion shot.

Page 34 text:

I Profile of a Student IN Ml SENIOR SENTIMENTS Senior year? It meant different things to different people. For some it meant count- ing the days until they could drive away for the last time — a final reprieve from four unhappy years. For others, it signified the end of the best four years of their lives. For all seniors, it was a time of mixed emotions, a time when fear and anticipa- tion were feelings that existed side by side. Senior Martha Feathers echoed these sen- timents when she said, There are mo- ments when you pray graduation will never get here and there are other moments when it can ' t come soon enough. Most of the time in between you don ' t think about it you just try and make the most of what ' s left. Work took on a decidedly secondary role during senior year. By the time second semester rolled around, the days were spent packing in all the things that we had never done — like touring CW — and all those things that we probably did too often — like hitting Busch in the after- noon for two free beers. Happy hour became an institution and 85 days til graduation meant 85 days left to party. We stopped taking our friends for granted and became conscious of how little time we had left with them. We anxiously 30 The Wren bell tower is a landmark that wil in the minds of W M graduates A Graduation remains Spent champagne corks outside Andrews are evidence of the exuberance c new graduates.