50 Years Later: A Golden Celebration of Lifelong Bonds

As they returned to their alma mater after 50 years, the Madison Alumni Reunion Weekend brought back heartwarming memories of new experiences, friendships and the unforgettable moments that have shaped the lives of the Class of 1975.

The All Alumni Celebration Friday evening in Duke Hall provided reunion participants time to reminisce, meet new friends and look through yearbooks from their time in college. The Class of 1975 reunion planning committee presented Nick Langridge (’00,’07M,’14 Ph.D), vice president of University Advancement, with a check for more than $64,500, representing contributions from class members for the Madison Vision Fund. The reunion committee consisted of Terry Leazer Crowl, Daniel M. Downey, Linda Bazzle Jordan, Paul M. McFarland, Laura O'Donnell, Deborah Averette Ryder, Bob Ryder and Joretta Watts Slack.

Graduates came together on the steps of Wilson Hall for class photos. The Quad was filled with laughter and excitement as future alumni from the class of 2025 took their graduation photos and Bluestone alumni reminisced about their days as Dukes. This year, Reunion Weekend included tours of East Campus, the College of Business, and the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum and Bridgeforth Stadium. Many alumni came back to a transformed campus. 

Some, like Sherri Hottel (’75), were visiting not too far from Harrisonburg and had seen the process of these changes. 

“It’s progress. It’s change,” remarked Hottel. “When we were eating at the dining hall yesterday, we were remarking on the choices you have now—and we didn’t have those choices. It’s a whole different time, a different world.”

This year’s Madison Alumni Reunion was filled with interactive and fun activities for the alumni to enjoy and reminisce about their time at Madison College. One event included an opportunity to tour JMU's Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, a botanical garden with trails and forests. Among the attendees was alumnus Stephen Churchill (’75) and wife, Vera Shlikht (pictured above). This was Shlikht’s first time visiting the campus and Churchill’s first time in 50 years.

“He was very busy with his job, but something inside him said he should come since it’s been 50 years,” Shlikht explained. “This school means a lot to him because it helped him get to where he is now.”

Lifelong friends from the graduating Class of 1970, Bernice Tennyson and Candis Bloomrose reflected on their time at Madison College as they toured the new and improved campus that they graduated from.

“I realized that the college we went to—this is it—but what we were part of was just the footprint of what it is now,” said Bloomrose.

The highlight of the weekend was the Class of 1975 being inducted into the Bluestone Society. This honored their 50-year legacy and lifelong connection to James Madison University with a commemorative medallion ceremony and heartfelt applause from fellow alumni and all members of the Bluestone Society.