News & Events
Washington and Lee University welcomed more than 1,140 alumni and guests from the classes of 1975-2010 back to campus May 1-4 to celebrate its annual spring Alumni Weekend, which also saw record-setting giving. Reunion participants traveled from 37 states, Washington, D.C., and two countries to reconnect with one another and their alma mater, and the collective class reunion gifts totaled more than $21 million to the university. The lovely spring weather led to high spirits and enjoyable gatherings throughout the weekend.
According to Executive Director of Alumni and Career Services John Jensen, the energy and excitement were palpable at this year’s Alumni Weekend, which saw a record-breaking 751 alumni return to campus – 122 of whom were first-time reunion attendees.
“We have heard from many alumni that this was one of the best W&L events they’ve attended,” said Jensen. “It was truly fantastic to welcome back more than 50 attendees from every reunion class – this is only the second time in our reunion history we’ve accomplished that. In addition, the Class of 2005 set a new 20th Reunion record for attendance, the Class of 1975 had the second-largest turnout for a 50th Reunion ever, and the Class of 2000 had a staggering 29 percent of classmates return to campus!”
View this brief video from Thursday’s and Friday’s reunion festivities.
The Alumni Weekend schedule was filled with engaging programs, from the Opening Assembly to class receptions and dinners to the Alumni Association’s annual meeting to the Kentucky Derby viewing party to the lively Grand Finale on Cannan Green. A complete list of the festivities is available here.
In her compelling Opening Assembly speech, W&L Trustee Emerita Lizanne Thomas ‘82L reminded alumni of their shared bond with W&L.
"We’re here to acknowledge the time you shared at W&L, the values you shared, both then and now: honor, civility, rigorous work and vigorous play,” she remarked. “… I suspect that every single one of you in this chapel can name an individual from W&L who helped you, or your son or daughter, make an introduction, get a job interview, join a club, find the right doctor, gain admission to graduate school and make a connection of some sort. And I know that every single one of you in this chapel has done the same for others. We are all connected.”
The annual meeting of the Alumni Association was held in University Chapel on Saturday morning. The Alumni Association elected Kristen Youngblood Archer ’06 of West Orange, New Jersey, as incoming president and Bert Ponder ’83, of Atlanta, as vice president, as well as six new members of the Alumni Board of Directors: Gerry Barousse ’80, New Orleans, Louisiana; Moe Cole ’94, Lakewood, Ohio; Katy Gragg ’13, Houston; Jeff Hamill ’81, Darien, Connecticut; Liz Koteles ’09, Atlanta; and Carlos Spaht ’05, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Alumni Association also honored five individuals with the Distinguished Alumni Award during Saturday’s Generals Assembly. Receiving the Alumni Association’s highest honor were Guy Kerr ’75, William “Burr” Datz ’75, Gene Perry ’75, Brook Hartzell ’00 and Charlie Antrim ’00.
The success of the weekend was punctuated by incredible record-breaking giving in support of W&L’s Leading Lives of Consequence capital campaign. Collectively, this year’s reunion classes set new giving records by raising more than $1.8 million for the 2024-2025 W&L Fund and committing a total of $7.7 million in current gifts and future pledges to the W&L Fund. This is the first time in 16 years that classes ending in 4s and 9s do not hold the reunion giving records. Four classes (1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000) announced class gifts to the W&L Fund of $1 million or more. In addition, more than 50% of reunion donors made a multi-year pledge, and there was a 68% increase in the number of donors in these classes reaching The President’s Society compared to last fiscal year.
The Class of 1975 raised an impressive $8.3 million for their 50th reunion gift in support of the W&L Fund, Huntley Hall renovation and other campaign priorities, while the Class of 2000 broke multiple reunion giving records, including the largest overall gift total ($7.5 million), the largest 25th reunion class project total ($1.8 million) and the largest 25th reunion W&L Fund commitment ($1.7 million).
“It was fantastic to welcome a record number of alumni back to campus and to see their enthusiasm in reconnecting with one another and the university,” said Susan Wood, vice president for University Advancement. “The commitment and loyalty of our alumni were evident throughout the festivities, and we are so appreciative of their generosity in contributing to the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign. My colleagues and I are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make the weekend such a memorable experience.”
The weekend was a tremendous success thanks to the efforts of 208 reunion volunteers, who worked throughout the year to encourage classmates to register and raise money for class gifts. The following reunion chairs led the way for their respective classes: Ben Bailey ’75, Guy Kerr ’75, Gene Perry ’75 ’78L, Bob Wyckoff ’75, Gerry Barousse ’80, Ab Boxley ’80, Mike Bearup ’85, Harry Golliday ’85, Heather Brock ’90, Woodford Webb ’90, Kevin Batteh ’95 ’98L, Lise Brown Hinton ’95, Tasha Sedlock Blair ’00, Trey Kuppin ’00, Dave Ellison ’05, Martha Allgood Hastings ’05, Ben Lawrence ’10, Garrott McClintock ’10 and Lynn Bazzel Wilmoth ’10.