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Dear Fellow Classmates:

Fifty years ago we went forward from VPI as the first class of the space age. In the intervening years, many friendships with our classmates have been maintained and others have been rekindled at reunions. The time for that hallmark reunion, our 50th, is almost here!

We will celebrate our 50th Anniversary Reunion on October 8, 9 and 10, 2009 in the new Holtzman Alumni Center, Skelton Conference Center, and The Inn at Virginia Tech. This is our traditional Homecoming Parade weekend. Our planning committee found widespread interest among classmates in a three-day reunion to allow more time to see the exciting things happening on campus and to visit with friends. For the golfers in our class, the committee has added a Thursday morning option to play at the redesigned Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech.

There will be a hospitality room when we arrive on Thursday to share our memorabilia and socialize. Arrival on Thursday also gives us time to socialize and see the campus on Friday morning. Friday afternoon’s full schedule of activities begins with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Class of ’59 Graduate Life Center Plaza and Amphitheatre, and the evening will feature a reception followed by the Reunion Banquet with live entertainment. And, of course, a big part of the reunion is the Homecoming game on Saturday at which we will watch our beloved Hokies take on the Boston College Eagles!

Don’t miss this great opportunity to share the celebration! Those of us who have been planning the reunion and implementing the class gift project have been fortunate to learn much about the accomplishments of Virginia Tech and fellow classmates. The VPI of 4,000 students that we left has grown into Virginia Tech with a student population of 28,000, an alumni population of over 200,000, and programs that are among the best in the world. While much has changed, important qualities that define our alma mater have endured: a commitment to be a university of opportunity for students desiring higher education, a commitment of service embodied in “Ut Prosim,” and a strong sense of family which the world has come to know as the "Hokie Nation.”

The Alumni Association has reserved lodging and tickets to the Homecoming game for us, but both are limited. Please register and return the Bugle Update form and a recent photograph by July 1, 2009. The Alumni staff will use this information to produce a special Reunion Edition of the Class of ’59 Bugle that everyone attending will receive or can be ordered if you cannot attend the reunion. If you will need special assistance during the reunion or have special dietary requirements, please note it on your registration form. If you need additional information or would like help contacting a classmate, please contact Sam Albimino in the Alumni Office 540/231-6285 or alumni@vt.edu. Call other classmates and make plans now to join us for our very special weekend in October!

With kindest regards,

T.O. Williams, III
50th Anniversary Reunion Chairman, Class of ‘59