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More Than 350 Alumni and Friends Return for Reunion 2012 at SUNY Plattsburgh

Hugs, stories and laughter were the order of the weekend July 12-15 as around 350 alumni and friends came to town to celebrate SUNY Plattsburgh’s annual Reunion.

The events drew alumni from as far away as California and Washington state.

Devin Martinez ’97 was among them. He traveled from his home in San Diego, Calif.

“I ran around campus and sat at Hawkins pond and remembered how Plattsburgh is home,” he said at Sunday’s strawberry breakfast, the final event before alumni depart campus. “It was nice to come back to family and see faculty, staff and alums.”

Alumni came to take part in warm-weather offerings like a lakeside barbecue, a bus tour of the region with Vice President for Student Affairs Bill Laundry, wine tastings, a family-friendly movie night, a Cardinaltini mixer at the North Country Center for the Arts, the all-Reunion-classes dinner and a strawberry breakfast.

They also took part in Mayor’s Cup Festival and Regatta festivities, decorating boats for the Parade of Lights and taking in a bluegrass concert by The Gibson Brothers, an award-winning alumni duo.

“One of the big hits of the weekend was the clambake,” said Director of Alumni Relations Joanne Nelson. “Alumni kept telling us about the college’s clambake tradition from the ’80s and ’90s. They loved it so much that we thought we would recreate it.

“In light of this year’s success, we may just turn the event into a new Reunion tradition.”

Next Up: Homecoming

Meanwhile, plans are already under way for this year’s Homecoming celebration.

Over the past two years, that event was paired with Family Weekend and held in September, but feedback from alumni led the Office of Alumni Relations to rethink this placement.

“Alumni spoke. We listened. I had conversations with alumni all over the country who said they wanted to see a return to the tradition of an October Homecoming,” Nelson said.

This year’s Homecoming is Oct. 19-21 and will include the Cardinal Athletic Hall of Fame induction. Also in the works: a tailgate party, departmental open houses, campus tours and opportunities to explore all the North Country has to offer in the fall.

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