Class of 1974

Dear Classmates, 

What a remarkable weekend! It was truly wonderful to reconnect with so many of you and celebrate our 50th reunion. The laughter, stories, and memories we shared made this event unforgettable. We'd like to express our gratitude to everyone who has shared suggestions regarding our class gift and reunion activities, provided contact information for classmates, and drafted contributions for our 50th reunion book (thank you for coordinating, Ruth!).

We have had extensive conversations with school leadership to inquire about what would be most meaningful for Burroughs and align with one or more suggestions from the Class of 1974. Out of those thoughtful discussions came two separate committees: one focused on fundraising, and a second focused on the purpose of our class gift.

Both classmates and school leaders came together and discussed the lasting impact of a gift to bring alumni back to campus to address students through Morning Assembly. This would enhance the educational experience for students in all grades and bring talented alumni back to campus for more meaningful engagement with faculty, students, and potentially alumni, too.

We are establishing the Class of 1974 Alumni Speaker Series Fund, and in addition a bench on campus to honor the Cissel family. This endowed fund will underwrite modest expenses to help attract the most knowledgeable alumni to campus as speakers in morning assembly, similar to the Centennial Conversations. Presentations and speakers will help students think “beyond the classroom” and connect their education to real-world applications.

We hope you'll agree and support this initiative. This gift could grow over time, and our collective generosity will likely inspire other alumni to also support this recurring programming for students. We anticipate an initial goal of $60,000 to get this project started. We suggest that we focus on this initiative first.

We look forward to staying connected!

Warmly,

Your classmates and collaborators: Mary Shifrin Bloch, Jacques Gordon, John Hamilton, Steve Mathes, Mark Schnuck & J.J. Stupp

Support our Class of 1974 50th Reunion Gift today!