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10 Great Reasons to Return for Big Bash

Wabash alumni who graduated in classes ending with 3’s and 8’s will gather June 6-8 for the Fifth Annual Big Bash Reunion Weekend. And even if you’re not in those classes, there are still plenty of great reasons to return to your alma mater for reunion weekend.

Why come back? Wabash’s sixth president, George Mackintosh, said it best: 

"As the years wax and wane, you will come back to us in June as pilgrims to a shrine. And the old College will welcome you as a mother her children."

Click here to read more about Big Bash, see who plans to attend, and register.

The top-10 reasons to return to Wabash for Big Bash Reunion Weekend:

10 — Listen to Max Servies ’58 recount Wabash’s glorious athletics tradition

9 — Walk under or around one of Wabash’s arches, depending on your particular tradition

8 — Tour the spectacular Hays Science Building, home to the biology and chemistry departments

7 — Meet second-year (sophomore) President Pat White and his wife, Chris

6 — Listen to former Indy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith ’68 talk about politics and policy

5 — Walk up and down the stairs in Center Hall just to "hear ‘em creak"

4 — Spend a thoughtful hour in the Pioneer Chapel remembering old classmates, old times

3 — Be a part of history by participating in the first Scarlet Yarns video memory book

2 — Sit for a spell on the Senior Bench (and paint it if you dare)

1 — Catch up with classmates and relive fond memories

Last year, more than 370 alumni returned to sign the official, historic Alumni Register, blasting the previous record of 340 Big Bash returnees. Last year men came back from 36 states, D.C., and four foreign countries. Scott Cougill ’87 and his family traveled the farthest, coming in from Thailand. Tom Milligan ’57 and his wife, June, came all the way from Johannesburg, South Africa. Brandon Mitchener ’87 flew in from Brussels to attend his 20th reunion.

"What are a few thousand living sons of Wabash in a world of six billion people," asked Pastor John Van Nuys ’83 at the Big Bash worship service "We may not be many, but we are going to live as a blessing."

And it wasn’t just alumni who returned. Professor of English Emeritus Bert Stern came to campus to visit with old friends. He said, "Our journey is about the depth of time that gathers around us. As I’ve grown older, I realize not only the weight of time, but also the depth; the mystery deepens for us."