Alumni News
50TH REUNION

Marking A Milestone

Doug Knapp ’71 says this year’s 50th reunion taught him a valuable lesson.

“These are people who have been meaningful in your life, but I lost contact with so many over the years. The lesson is this: I don’t want to ever lose contact again,” he said.

And he’s committed to that goal of staying in touch.

“I have a friend who calls it ‘TL,’ meaning your time left,” says Knapp. “And during my TL, I’m going to maintain the connections with the people very important to me while I was at UNH.”

Nearly 200 alumni from the classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972 came out for their joint 50th reunion this June, marking the milestone by catching up with old friends, visiting favorite campus haunts, and supporting the next generation of Wildcats.

The group enjoyed a lobster bake, a poolside reception at the Hamel Recreation Center, and a class dinner before joining the all-class after party of dancing and drinks on T-Hall Lawn. Their reunion started off with a memorial service to classmates lost, and while it might seem to set too somber of a tone for a weekend of revelry, Knapp said it did just the opposite.

“It was a phenomenal experience because classmates got up to talk about some of those we’d lost, it was very emotional,” he said. “And it was a positive experience to remind us about the importance of staying in touch with each other, because we just don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. It was pretty powerful.”

President James Dean addressed the three classes and noted their unique place in the country’s history. “You came of age in an era of tremendous change, challenge and turmoil for our university, our nation and the world,” he told attendees during their class dinner. Dean thanked veterans who served during the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War and asked the crowd to give them a round of applause in gratitude for their service.

Nearly 200 alumni from the classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972 came out for their joint 50th reunion this June, marking the milestone by catching up with old friends, visiting favorite campus haunts, and supporting the next generation of Wildcats
three photos of people who attended the 50th reunion
Photography by Jeremy Gasowski and China Wong ’18