For CWRU alumni, 50th reunion serves as a reminder that comradery and friendship endure time
Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, Oct. 8–11, welcomes back alumni, friends
It’s about friendship. Shared experiences at a formative time. And decades of finding connections in life back to Case Western Reserve University.
Those are just a few of the reasons why Murray Rosenthal (WRC ’76) and Vera Perkins-Hughes (WRC ’76) are on the reunion planning committee for this milestone year—their 50th reunion.
“You’re getting to spend time with people who were important to you when you were young, and now you watch them go through life’s challenges,” Rosenthal said.
The Class of 1976 was here on campus when the institution took on the name of Western Reserve College under President Louis A. Toepfer. And it was during that time that Rosenthal fondly recalls his classmates writing to Paul Simon and asking him to perform on campus—except instead of the singer, they ended up with Paul Simon, a U.S. Representative from Illinois (who did come, but did not sing).
But it isn’t the events of their time on campus that inspires them to come back year after year, though it is nostalgic to think about.
“Just the camaraderie. Just the friendships. We did a lot of radical stuff on campus,” Perkins-Hughes said with a laugh. For Rosenthal, it’s been decades of CWRU support that keep him coming back.
“Case Western Reserve is constantly reaching out, inviting me to events,” he said. “When I was younger, they helped me with employment opportunities. I’ve mentored people. I even have Case Western Reserve in my estate planning.”
Both Perkins-Hughes and Rosenthal credit the many activities and workshops available through the Alumni Association for helping them not just maintain relationships, but continue to build new ones. From Destination Weekend to tours of new spaces on campus, Homecoming and Reunion Weekend is the culmination of those efforts.
And you don’t need to come with a full schedule or a group.
“It gives a sense of belonging,” Perkins-Hughes said of her times meeting solo visitors at homecoming and picking out things to go do and explore in the moment—together. “Once, just wandering around, a whole group of us ended up walking in circles for hours at the bookstore. Those are some of the best times.”
The Class of 1976 will also be celebrated through two special events: the Welcome Reception for Graduates of Distinction and the Graduates of Distinction Induction Breakfast—during which, as is tradition, the 50th class will take a ride on the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel.
“I remember the carousel from when I was a child,” Perkins-Hughes said. “I’m really looking forward to that.”
And as part of their roles on the reunion planning committee, Perkins-Hughes and Rosenthal are working to spread the word about Homecoming and Reunion Weekend to as many classmates as possible.
“When you’re working in your career, you don’t have as much time,” Perkins-Hughes explained. “Now, these events fill in the spaces when you want conversations.”
Rosenthal said it’s important to recognize how busy people are, but a class reunion is an opportunity to see how far the university has come, as well as “remembering the good times you had, and the people you had them with.”
You can explore the schedule for Homecoming and Reunion Weekend now at case.edu/homecoming, or reconnect with classmates before arriving on campus through the Class of 1976's digital yearbook.
