Good food, old friends, fresh air on the Quad – the festive atmosphere during Homecoming weekend brought back many memories for U of R alumni. The Redlands Bulldog reporters set out on a journey to ask attendants at the Quad Dinner on Oct. 14 what was their best memory at the university, and how they think the university could improve.
What was your best memory at the U of R?
“I think that it’s actually the Convocation that we had every Thursday. And it wasn’t always about religion, they had many other programs. So the entire student body met there. That was great.” – Terence Alen ‘67.
“I’m gonna say graduation, because that’s the most vivid. It was very well-planned, well-executed, everything just went off like clockwork. It was just very festive, and I felt special.” – Wanda Gray ‘77.
“It’s hard to have just one. Probably the friends, lifelong friends. Fantastic professors. Certainly Salzburg. […]
I spent my career in Washington DC, and I’m an elected official now up in Mono County. And a lot of that was based on my education here with the Government department here. It was just an overall great experience.
And it’s impressive, great students that are here now. The students I’ve talked to, you guys are all great. You’re carrying it on. It’s nice to know it keeps on going.” – Bob Gardner ‘73.
“I think it was all of the friendships that have been really long-lasting since then. It’s been seven years since I graduated and I still keep in touch with at least twenty of the people I met here. I would consider them really close friends; I’m married to one of them. I would say the lifelong connection.” – Zoe Petersen ‘19.
“Quite honestly my favorite memory is my sister coming here as a freshman. She and I didn’t get to do high school together. We kinda got to do college together and I got to be here through her entire experience while I was doing my graduate work.” – Allison (Vail) Lopez ‘11.
“Being a member of Those Guys. We were an acapella singing group on campus and released two CDs. I also met my wife here and got married here, we live here, and now my daughter is a sophomore here. Redlands is a big part of us.” – Steven Rodriguez ‘98.
“Meeting my husband Bob. It was the smartest decision I ever made.” – Marion Wiens ‘57.
“My favorite memory is my semester in Salzburg. It is an amazing growth experience and it’s when I realized I was a citizen of the world. It opens the whole world to feeling like a community as opposed to a Californian or an American but to be a citizen of the world… That’s something I would like them to continue and improve is students all should have an opportunity to travel, to leave our country. You’ll appreciate our country more, but also you’ll begin to see that you’re more alike than we are different from the people in other countries.” – Susan Styn ‘65.
What do you think the U of R can improve?
“I don’t think it needs improvement, but the Town and Gown collaboration is good and I hope we keep it up.” – Marion Wiens ‘57.
“Well it already improved Anderson, so that was a big jump in the right direction. I’m pretty sure there are things that could be improved upon, but I can’t tell you exactly what it could or should be. My daughter is here for her sophomore year, we’re from here, all of our friends are from here.” – Steven Rodriguez ‘98.
The Quad Dinner was part of the series of events celebrating Homecoming. Other events included a Drag Bingo show, networking fairs by First Generation and Latin American Students and Alumni Association student organizations, and an opening reception for the newly created Esports center, among many others.
Photos by Hayleigh Yeoh, Madelyn Olsen, Adelaide Hubble, and editing by Bec Gage.
Quynh Nguyen is a senior and double majoring in Economics and International Relations. She has written for the Redlands Bulldog since 2019 and she believes in the importance of journalism for a dynamic community like the U of R. In her free time, Quynh enjoys reading and playing Wordle.
Adelaide Hubble is a freshman majoring in environmental studies and minoring in spatial studies. She enjoys writing about club events and any important issues on campus. Adelaide is from Las Vegas and likes to listen to 80s/90s alternative rock and explore coffee shops in her free time.
Madelyn Olsen is a second-year student majoring in Saxophone Performance and is the current Editor-in-Chief of The Redlands Bulldog. She loves writing, making music, and taking care of her chickens in her free time.
