Westmont Magazine Reliving Westmont

Hundreds of alumni arrived on campus Oct. 4-5 to reunite with their classmates and their college. They reconnected with friends and professors and remembered their days as students. Visiting classes on Friday helped them relive their learning. Attending chapel with Alistair Begg inspired them to rejoice in God’s faithfulness.

A few wandered into the archives to laugh at photos in their yearbooks or read through old Horizons. Families ate burgers on Kerrwood Lawn as children jumped in the bounce house. Younger alumni practiced their swing dancing and showed off their footwork at the Homecoming Hop in the gym. Some stopped by just to see a dance at Westmont.

The sunny heat on Saturday kept people in the shade at the All-Reunion Brunch on Magnolia Lawn, the two soccer games and the Westmont Family Fair. President Gayle D. Beebe honored four remarkable alumni at the brunch, acknowledging that countless others deserve such recognition (see their stories here). The women defeated San Diego Christian after the men lost to them in overtime. The women’s basketball team also returned to campus to receive their championship rings after last season’s stunning success.

Graduates from the last 10 years gathered on the observatory deck to watch soccer and rekindle relationships. Members of the Wallace Emerson Society and President’s Associates heard retiring art professor Sue Savage speak eloquently about the value of the visual arts.Youngsters (future Westmont students?) mastered the climbing wall at the fair and sat patiently to get their faces painted. Eating snow cones and wearing balloon hats, they raced from booth to booth.

The Beebes welcomed reunion classes to a reception at their home. Throughout the weekend, each class gathered on campus or throughout town for their own special celebration. At the weekend’s final event, the women’s volleyball team lost to arch-rival Biola.

For two days, the range of ages on campus changed remarkably. Some alums pushed strollers with babies and toddlers, others carried canes or leaned on each other’s arms. Those who hadn’t returned since the Tea Fire noted its scars and marveled at the recovery and the splendid new facilities. Everywhere alumni went, they rediscovered their student selves and the blessings of their Westmont adventure.