Who says you cannot turn back time?
For the nearly 700 CMCers who returned to campus for Alumni Weekend, it was as if they had jumped into a time machine, as they reunited with classmates, reconnected with their favorite professors, and felt like they were home again.
While there were plenty of opportunities to celebrate being together, alumni also took time to learn about Claremont McKenna College’s “Next Big Steps” at a town hall with President Hiram Chodosh, moderated by CMCAA President Scott Torrey ’91P'23 P'26.
CMCers also fired up their brains with Professors Lisa Koch, Nicholas Buccola, Minxin Pei, Eric Helland, Amy Kind, and Jenny Taw at engaging classroom sessions throughout the weekend. In addition, Robert A. Day Distinguished Professor Emeritus Marc Massoud P'89 returned to the classroom to share highlights from his 43-year CMC journey.
Alumni also previewed the new Robert Day Sciences Center (RDSC) with the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences (KDIS) Founding Chair Ran Libeskind-Hadas, who led a session focused on the future of science education at CMC. Curiosity piqued, many CMCers then toured the construction site of the rapidly progressing RDSC, which will house KDIS, set to open in 2025.
All alumni classes gathered for an elegant welcome reception and dinner on Friday evening with Scott Torrey recognizing a stand-out group of alumni with awards from the Alumni Association:
- Volunteer of the Year awards went to Adele English ’19 and Edgar Warnholtz Perez ’19, who celebrated their fifth reunion and were instrumental in its planning.
- The John P. Faranda ’79 Student Service Award, which honors dedication to the well-being of current students through volunteerism, mentorship, and leadership, went to Bruce Soll ’79 P’12 P’15 P’17.
- The Jack L. Stark ’57 GP’11 Distinguished Service Award was given to Skip Weiss ’74 in recognition of his outstanding service.
- The George C. S. Benson Distinguished Achievement Award, the highest bestowed by the Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association, went to Jay Flatley ’74 for his outstanding professional and public service.
If you missed this year’s Alumni Weekend and are experiencing a bit of FOMO, mark your calendars, as Alumni Weekend 2025, which will celebrate class years ending in 5’s and 0’s (although all are welcome), is tentatively scheduled for June 5 - 8, 2025.
