Sunday morning dawned with a downpour that lasted all morning, making a graceful formal entrance problematic. Our hosts left early for church, but with muffins and fruit on the table for us. We found a parking spot as close to the campus student center as possible, and still got wet, despite breaking out our umbrella, something we rarely do in the Pacific Northwest, where it usually rains less aggressively. Since the Internet had gone out at our lodging, probably due to the rain, we dragged everything onto the campus to upload files, then returned the bigger computer to the car before brunch.
After brunch, the graduates, parents, and alumni trekked across campus to the field house. Fortunately, the rain had slowed. One of our own classmates, Ray McCaskey, is the current chairman of the Board of Regents, so he was on the platform to deliver the welcome and to congratulate each graduate as they received their diploma. Our numbers were diminished by now, as only 26 alumni and spouses marched in the processional to represent our 50-year class. At the recessional, we joined the faculty in applauding the graduates as they rejoined their friends and families for the post-commencement reception.
Don and Diane joined us for early dinner at the Bremer Diner downtown and we traded memories and reflected on our current status. Amazing how old friends simply pick up where they left off after a separation of decades.
