Princeton Pride

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Princeton celebrated Reunions, where all the classes come back to celebrate all things Princeton. I attended Reunions this year, where as last year I avoided it like the plague. I had heard all kinds of stories about tons of drunk people and crazy old dudes in their funny jackets and decided that I didn't need to see it. But this year, I decided to brave the crowds and the crazies and see what all the hubbub was about.

What it's about is having some serious school pride. The oldest alum was 103 and celebrating his 85th Reunion. That's right, he's from the class of 1925! That is some serious dedication. If you look closely in the above photo you can see the banner for the class of 1925, behind the banner that reads Old Guard, this refers to any classes celebrating beyond their 65th reunion.

And yes, there were plenty of funny jackets. As you can see in the above photo, each class has it's own print, this is obviously the class of 1981, and I was amazed when this guy reached into his inside pocket, to see that the lining of the jackets is actually covered with the names of all of your classmates. From what I understand, you don't get a "dinner jacket" until your 20th reunion. Before that you just have what's referred to as a "beer jacket", a much more casual jacket with your class year written huge across the back.

The above photos were all taken during the P-Rade. Really, it's a parade where all of the classes march through campus. All of the Old Guard get their own golf carts for the P-Rade, otherwise people mostly march as a class in big groups and there is a theme for each major year celebration (reunion years that end in 5 and 0). Tons of people line up along the P-Rade route and drink beer and cheer on all the other classes. That's about it. And it takes 4 hours for this to go from start to finish.

One of the best parts of Reunions, for me, was the lawn concert and fireworks display. The Princeton Orchestra performed some great, classic tunes and then the fireworks display was outstanding. It was synched to music and turned out to be quite a show.

After the fireworks, Mac and I and a bunch of other folks visited the different tents to partake of the ever-flowing beer and great music and dancing. It was like having 7 different weddings to go to in one night, all within walking distance. The bands for each reunion-ing class reflected that year's tastes, so there was everything from swing dance music in the 50th Reunion tent to DJs in the 5th year reunion tent.

At the very end, Mac and I decided to attend an Arch Sing where members (past and present) of different a capella groups come together to sing in one of two arches on campus. It was pretty amazing. There was an open keg in the middle of the arch, so as the groups decided what song to sing next, they all refilled their cups. And at the end, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE started singing the Alma Mater, including the drunk guys walking through campus. And they all knew the proper hand motions to go along with it. It was just another indication of how dedicated these alums are to Old Nassau.

One thing I've always heard about Princeton is how dedicated they are to the Undergraduate Experience, and Reunions goes right along with that. Once a member of a class at Princeton, always a member of that class. And I have to say, I'm glad I experienced Reunions if for no other reason than to get a better understanding of how this place works. It has it's quirks, that's for sure, but it's obvious that people love it.