UMD is hosting a 50-year reunion for the class of 1968 June 8 - 10, 2018.
The weekend-long event is designed to bring together Bulldogs from one of UMD’s most dynamic eras. When this group was on campus, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, 50-thousand people participated in the Poor People’s March on Washington D.C., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy were assassinated, and Vietnam War protests were going on all over the country.
Mike Dean, a 1967 grad who’s on the reunion planning committee, remembers his time at UMD as both igniting and uniting. “Enrollment was about a third of what it is today and we were very involved with campus groups, so we were very tight-knit,” he says. “There were diverse vantage points– Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and the Veterans Club were big parts of UMD, but there was also a very strong group of McCarthy supporters.” Dean adds that campus speakers were designed to spark conversation, and included guests like Andy Warhol.
Dean and the reunion planning committee are working closely with UMD’s Alumni Relations office coordinating the event. Director Matt Duffy says its been an honor orchestrating such a meaningful gathering. “This group represents one of the most interesting chapters in UMD’s history, and we can’t wait to have the alumni back on campus, the site of such pivotal life events, and hear their stories.”
Reunion Itinerary
Several events are planned, including:
Reception at Hoops Brewery with Champ and Olympic Gold medalist curler John Schuster | Friday, June 8, 2018 4 - 7 p.m. | Hoops Brewing 325 South Lake Avenue |
Dinner featuring the iconic London Inn onion rings and Sammy’s Pizza, and dancing to a live band playing 1960s tunes | Saturday, June 9, 2018 5 - 11 p.m. | Kirby Terrace (the area outside Kirby Student Center) 1120 Kirby Drive |
Guided tours of UMD | Sunday, June 10, 2018 9 - 10 a.m. | Meeting at Griggs Center Kirby Student Center 201 1120 Kirby Drive |
Farewell Brunch accompanied by a slideshow of 1968 UMD images | Sunday, June 10, 2018 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. | Griggs Center Kirby Student Center 201 1120 Kirby Drive |
More than 50 guests are anticipated at the reunion.
Reunion committee members are:
Peg Haley Kepner 1968
Jerry Knickerbocker 1968
Mike Dean 1967
John DeSanto 1968
Peter Ramme 1968
Steve Welsh 1969
Mary Anne Ebert 1970
Archives of the 1968 Statesman Issues and 1968 UMD yearbook, The Chronicle.
More information about the 1968 reunion.