Whether you stayed in one the night before or 30 years ago, a lot of Reunion stories start with a residence hall.
For more than two decades, four former residents of "Second West Riggs," have been getting together for sporting events once each year ... despite the hundreds of miles that separate each of them. They joined a record-breaking crowd of close to 1,400 alumni, family and friends who converged on campus June 4 through 7 (see our online galleries).
"I think people who don't come back don't realize what they're missing," Robert "West" Bebak '84 said between chop-busting and playful shoves traded among the four friends.
Bebak of West Seneca, Jerry Chasko '84 of Cincinnati, Sean Shevlin '84 of New York City and Joe Morotti '86 of Little Falls get together at least once a year, usually to attend a football game together. Even with their annual trips, there's nothing quite like being reunited on campus.
"We might not see each other for eight months and as soon as we get together it's just where we left off," Morotti said. "We never miss a beat."
Whether they were one of the hundreds of Reunion-goers who filled Johnson, Riggs and Hart halls or attended one of more than 50 events, alumni found plenty of opportunities to connect over the weekend.
"I had a wonderful time -- it was my first time back to see all the differences in the dorms," Edna Henley Edwards '53 of Mount Vernon said. She attended Reunion with college roommate and good friend Alma Brown Moses '54. "We lived in the [old Army] barracks, eight people to a room," Edwards said.
Karen Marshall Peters '69 celebrated her 40th class anniversary and the fifth consecutive gathering of Theta Chi Rho alumnae. In addition to the many Greek events, she said she also enjoyed exploring and learning about the latest academic happenings on campus.
"It's encouraging to see that the college is still growing," she said.
Reunion has been growing as well with attendance more than doubling over the last few years.
"The Oswego Alumni Association is thrilled to have so many alumni return to campus to connect with each other and their alma mater," said Betsy Oberst, associate vice president of alumni relations and stewardship.
PHOTO CAPTION: From left, Sean Shevlin '84, Robert "West" Bebak '84, Jerry Chasko '84 andJoe Morotti '86 ham it up at Reunion 2009. See all of our photo galleries online.
Oswego Alumni Association, Inc. King Alumni Hall • SUNY Oswego • Oswego, NY 13126 315-312-2258 • 315-312-5570 (fax) Email: alumni@oswego.edu Web site: www.oswego.edu/alumni
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differences in the dorms," Edna Henley Edwards '53 of Mount Vernon said. She attended Reunion with college roommate and good friend Alma Brown Moses '54. "We lived in the [old Army] barracks, eight people to a room," Edwards said.