Connections Remain Strong

After 60 years, Mary Ann (Theophile) Pappanikou ’63 finally made it back to Durham. And her first thoughts were a common refrain among alums returning for Reunion Weekend 2023 in June: “It’s grown so much, but it still looks the same in so many ways.

Mary Ann had transferred to UNH ahead of her junior year to become a member of the class of 1963. As an art major, “I loved walking through campus and being close to nature,” she says. Other great memories she shared were that she met her husband here, and learned to ski here. Her advice to the most recent class of graduates? “Be sure to come back more often,” she joked.

That was the theme of Reunion Weekend: come back more often, stay in touch more and cherish those UNH memories that were made so many decades ago.

The weekend included the popular events of a class march, class dinners and campus tours of the library, Memorial Union Building and other locales. The Black Pioneers and ROTC alums gathered for special events, and Friday night featured a screening of “Mayflowers: A True Story Defending Free Speech in Hard Times,” a documentary produced by Gary Anderson ’69, followed by a discussion about free speech and protests, led by Anderson, student body president Mark Wefers ’70 and Peter Riviere ’71, former editor of The New Hampshire. The Wildcat Academy for Alumni included faculty expertise on the role of caregivers, an inside view of UNH Athletics, political polling and the science of lightning.

At the 50th reunion of the class of 1973, big laughs were had in Stillings Dining Hall as Bill Cote ’74 entertained the crowd with some senior humor, and prizes were given away by members of the reunion organizing committee, led by Donald Bliss ’73. John Laymon ’73 also addressed the crowd to tout the accomplishments of UNH’s Black Pioneers, Family and Friends, a group he formed after being inducted into the Diversity Hall of Fame, which experienced a pause for several years before returning in 2019.

From the lobster bake to the dinners and other gatherings, the highlights were the remembrances among alums who attended.

As Mike Hickey ’73 shared at the alumni memorial service in Murkland Hall: “We’re reminded that we do our best when we keep our friends close. I hope we’ll leave space in our hearts — and in our calendars — for our friends from UNH.”