Eleven Generations of AUB Alumni Return to Alma Mater for Class Reunion 2007

Class of 2002 at West Hall. President Waterbury front now far right

For six years now, class reunions have become a tradition in AUB ever since they were reintroduced by the Office of Development in 2001, when the graduates were invited back to campus to celebrate their AUB anniversaries.

This year, on July 6-7, Class Reunion 2007 featured a variety of events over a two-day period, when the graduates of 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, and 2002 returned to their alma mater for a memorable class reunion. The upper campus of the University was transformed on that day into a buzzing haven of graduates, their spouses, and children as they reassembled together. For some of them, their return to AUB dated as far back as the first days of the Lebanese civil war, when many of them had left the country.

In welcoming the celebrating classes, President John Waterbury spoke of AUB's need for the support of its graduates now more than ever, and he lauded the contribution of this year's 1,033 graduates, who made donations to the Fingerprints fundraising of students by students, which raised more than $31,000. This program, the president explained, aims at encouraging graduating students to become involved in supporting their alma mater.

Waterbury then introduced the keynote speaker, former Prime Minister Salim El Hoss, saying he was "a man whose reputation is without blemish" and whose objectivity and integrity are widely acknowledged. El Hoss, a 1952 and 1957 AUB graduate, has unwaveringly "supported Lebanon and AUB," remarked the president.

El Hoss wished Class Reunion 2007 could have occurred in a more cheerful political climate, a possibility he said could only manifest itself in the formation of a national unity government. Nonetheless, the ex-premier expressed nostalgia for his student days in AUB and spoke of his long-standing connection with the University both as Trustee and since 2002 as Trustee Emeritus. He described his alma mater as "a salient cornerstone of Lebanon's cultural edifice" and hoped it will retain its prominent position in "the annals of cultural symbols in the Arab world." As to the prospects for a promising future for Lebanon, El Hoss remained wary.

Class group pictures, starting with the class of 1952, were taken in front of West Hall. Later in the evening, a festive dinner was held in honor of the alumni and their families.

The second day of Class Reunion 2007 was of a more faculty-specific nature. The alumni clustered in groups for breakfast at the AUB main cafeteria in Ada Dodge Hall, reliving the hustle and bustle of their early morning cafeteria rituals years ago. From there, they proceeded to the offices of AUB's six separate faculties, where they were received by the faculty deans for a welcoming cocktail reception.