ROCK HILL, S.C. - Hundreds of Winthrop University alumni will travel to Rock Hill this weekend to hold class reunions, tour the historic campus and attend a ring ceremony during the Alumni Reunion Celebration.
The classes from 1930 through 1975, particularly those classes whose years end in a 0 or a 5, will meet this year from April 22-24. Many of the classes celebrate their reunion parties on campus, in the homes of local alumni and at local restaurants and clubs. Each class has a local hotel/motel serving as its reunion headquarters.
One of the highlights is the Alumni Awards Ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday when the university honors award recipients for their outstanding professional and community endeavors. The winners are: Alumni Professional Award – Patrick Flood '85 of Atlanta, Ga.; Distinguished Service Award – Jolene Setliff '86 of Rock Hill; Mary Mildred Sullivan Award – Colleen Yates '50 of Sumter; and Outstanding Young Alumni Award – Laura Turkett '99 of Rock Hill.
Reunion Celebration 2005 will offer plenty of reminders about Winthrop over the decades. Alumni Relations, 304 Tillman Hall, will display Friday afternoon the old blue uniforms, rat caps and other memorabilia from when Winthrop was an all-female college.
There will be trolley tours from 2-5 p.m. Friday, 9-11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, starting at McLaurin Hall. Tour guides will point out how much has changed, such as construction on the new Lois Rhame West Health, Physical Education and Wellness Center on the west side of the campus, and how much has stayed the same.
There also will be a 12:30 p.m. luncheon Saturday in McBryde Hall, featuring President Anthony DiGiorgio. On Sunday, there will be a ring ceremony at 4 p.m. in Tillman Auditorium to showcase the university’s official ring. Now in its second year, the ceremony is fast becoming one of the university’s most popular new traditions.
For more information, contact Martie Curran, assistant vice president and executive director of alumni relations, at 803/323-2145.