“The Spirit of ’31—Passing It Forward” unites generations of Cornellians

Representatives from the Classes of 1950, 1955, 1960, 2015 and 2020 kicked off Reunion celebrations together at the “Spirit of ’31—Passing It Forward” Ceremony. The yearly ceremony united generations of Cornellians to welcome young alumni leaders to their first Cornell Reunion.

"To me, this tradition represents the beauty of alumni class connections at Cornell," said Associate Vice President for Alumni Affairs Michelle Vaeth '98.

Intergenerational bonds were all the more poignant this year, as each of the classes involved in the ceremony missed a milestone Reunion in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Class of 2015, who missed their fifth Reunion, never had the chance to receive their class banner. Mikey Hinsta '15, Casey Phlegar Brown '15, and Courtney Koelbel '15 finally accepted their banner this year from Jim Brandt '50, 1950 class president.

The Class of 2020, who did not get to experience senior year traditions or have a typical commencement, were presented their banner by the Class of 1960, with whom they share a special bond.

The Class of 1960 contributed $25,000 from their treasury to the Class of 2020 to help celebrate their first Reunion. The Class of 2020 will host a Slope Day concert on Friday night to make up for the senior year Slope Day they never had.

While number aren't yet official, more than 1,000 alumni from the Class of 2020 will attend Reunion this year, likely breaking the fifth Reunion class record.

"One of the reason's that we've had such a stellar turnout this year for the Class of 2020 is because our graduation was delayed by a year and a half, and so not many of us were able to walk across the stage, or have our final senior moments, or just have our last hurrahs at Cornell," said Elizabeth Peters '20.

"It's been great to reconnect with old classmates, and we're definitely thankful to the Class of 1960 for their gift to help us enjoy the weekend," she continued.

Class of 1960 president Linda Jarschaeur Johnson '60 presented the Class of 2020 banner to 2020 class president Dillon Sumanthiran '20 and Austin Rae Haycox '20.

The event also honored Alice Katz Berglas '66 and Bill Vanneman Jr. '65, the Class of 1965 Reunion chair and son of Bill Vanneman Sr. '31. Alice and Bill Sr. were integral in creating the "Passing it Forward" tradition.

The evening concluded with remarks from President Michael I. Kotlikoff and a performance by the a cappella group the Hangovers.