The clouds parted, giving way to sunshine as 75 years of Bryn Mawr graduates lined up along Merion Avenue to proceed into Goodhart Hall for a speech from College President Wendy Cadge.
As the morning drizzle cleared on Saturday, May 31, Reunion attendees gathered with their classmates behind their class year banners for the main event: Parade.
“It’s the first reunion for a lot of us, because our five was canceled because of the pandemic, and a lot of us couldn’t come for six,” said Melissa Torquato ’15.
Torquato and her friends relished being back on campus to enjoy the full Bryn Mawr experience—brushing their teeth beside their old dorm roommates and meeting their friends in the dining hall for breakfast. “It’s that feeling of being back and being with people who were, like, your first home away from home,” she said. “And it still feels like home.”
The weekend brought more than 900 alums together for not just the Parade but also nearly three days of activities such as campus tours, a visit to Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation, panel discussions and lectures, and the beloved tradition of Step Sing.
Meals and class gatherings, plus lawn games, crafting, yoga, a screening of The Philadelphia Story, and evening s’mores rounded out the fun.
“In the company of one another, across generations and class years, across life stages and life paths, I wish you all that you seek from Reunion: rekindled memories, new discoveries, old and new friendships, connections to history—and connections to home.”
This was the first Reunion for the Class of 2020, made extra special because, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they didn’t enjoy a traditional graduation. Leah Borquez ’20 traveled across the country to see old friends, while Gwynne Dulaney ’20, who lives just down the road in Wynnewood, had the chance to reconnect with classmates and discover how many of them were also living nearby.
It was far from the first reunion for Nancy Greenewalt Frederick ’50, who reminisced about her time at Bryn Mawr while waiting for the Parade to begin in a golf cart outside New Dorm—one new development on the campus where much has remained the same in the 75 years since she graduated.
“I loved it," Frederick said. “It was tough. I was top of my class at the boarding school I went to, but when I got here…I kept up and I passed and I graduated, but I was no big news.”
Her roommate, however, was right behind Hanna Holborn Gray ’50, she said. Frederick went on to serve as a trustee from 1980 to 1992 and has kept up with her classmates over the years, including Edie Lauderdale ’50, who sat beside her for the parade.
Helen Peemoeller ’60 sported a light blue Bryn Mawr blazer—well-worn, well-loved. “I have made good friends at Reunion, very often people whom I knew slightly, but not really, when I was a student,” she said. “One of my best friends is someone who isn’t here today, unfortunately, but we never would have become good friends if it were not for Reunion.”
Even for those who have stayed close—like Cayla McNally ’10, who works in Alumnae/i Relations and Development at Bryn Mawr—Reunion offered the chance to experience the College through a different, more nostalgic lens.
“I’m on Merion, second floor,” McNally said. “Having the time of my life.”
As the Parade kicked off, the newest alumnae/i—the class of 2025—led cheers of “Anassa kata, kalo kale…” as the other classes proceeded by them. The procession culminated with the classes of 1960, 1955, and 1950, who received the royal treatment in golf carts, accompanied by Cadge, and the loudest cheers.
“We talk about Bryn Mawr having the most vibrant alum network. The energy here this weekend makes that claim undeniable,” Cadge said to applause as she began her presentation on the College’s recent achievements and initiatives in Goodhart.
“In the company of one another, across generations and class years, across life stages and life paths,” she concluded, “I wish you all that you seek from Reunion: rekindled memories, new discoveries, old and new friendships, connections to history—and connections to home.”
