Big Bash 2022 celebrates reunions with class years ending in 2 and 7, but alumni from other classes and friends of the College attended the weekend-long event.
Alumni were sure to sign the Alumni Register, which is important for each reunion class as it competes for the Big Bash attendance awards.
Alumni were sure to sign the Alumni Register, which is important for each reunion class as it competes for the Big Bash attendance awards.
Big Bash weekend features a variety of activities including campus tours, colloquia sessions, great meals and spur-of-the-moment mini-reunions.
Big Bash weekend features a variety of activities including campus tours, colloquia sessions, great meals and spur-of-the-moment mini-reunions.
Big Bash weekend features a variety of activities including campus tours, colloquia sessions, great meals and spur-of-the-moment mini-reunions.
More than 350 guests, with class years spanning eight decades, were planning to return to campus for Big Bash.
Assistant Director of Engagement Deanna Duncan was excited to meet and greet alumni.
Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Steve Hoffman ’85 welcomes alumni and friends of the College to campus for Big Bash Weekend.
Alumni couldn’t resist ringing the Monon Bell in the Allen Center.
Alumni and guests took advantage of the beautiful weather and participated in campus tours led by the Sons of Wabash.
Alumni and guests took advantage of the beautiful weather and participated in campus tours led by the Sons of Wabash.
Big Bash activities included the annual alumni/faculty/staff symposium, titled “Wally Salutes: A Symposium on the Military and the Liberal Arts.” The presentations featured alumni, faculty, or staff and demonstrated the breadth and depth of the liberal arts on the topic of the military.
Tom McShane ’72 presented his symposium titled, “American Military Ethics in an Era of Pandemic and Social Upheaval.” McShane was a first-round draft choice of the U.S. Army. He served in Berlin, Germany, until his discharge in 1974. After graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1977, he returned to active duty as an Army JAG Officer in 1978, retiring as Colonel in 2006.
“Wally Salutes” symposium is presented through a partnership of the National Association of Wabash Men and the Indianapolis Association of Wabash Men.
Alumni listened and engaged closely with speakers of the “Wally Salutes: A Symposium on the Military and the Liberal Arts.”
Big Bash weekend brought lots of spur-of-the-moment mini-reunions.
Alumni and guests listened and engaged closely with speakers of the “Wally Salutes: A Symposium on the Military and the Liberal Arts.”
History Professor Stephen Morillo presented “Teaching Leadership via the Liberal Arts: Wabash vs. West Point.” In 2019-20 Morillo taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as the Charles Boal Ewing Chair of Military History. He taught the same seminar, “War and Conflict of the Middle Ages: A Global Perspective,” at both institutions. Morillo presented Big Bash alumni and guests a head-to-head comparison of Wallies and Cadets, and of the two institutions.
Alumni listened and engaged closely with speakers of the “Wally Salutes: A Symposium on the Military and the Liberal Arts.”
Mark Lee ’85 presented “On Leadership: Does Liberal Arts produce better leaders?” Colonel Lee has over 29 years of active-duty service, including deployments in support of four campaigns: Operation Just Cause, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Friends of the College listened and engaged closely with speakers of the “Wally Salutes: A Symposium on the Military and the Liberal Arts.”
Chemistry Professor Wally Novak presented “Chemistry of War: Poisons, explosives and medicines, oh my!” Novak served six years in the Missouri Army National Guard in missile repair and has taught biochemistry at Wabash for the last 13 years.
Alumni and guests listened and engaged closely with speakers of the “Wally Salutes: A Symposium on the Military and the Liberal Arts.”
Campus was booming with activity, as Wabash College welcomed back alumni for Big Bash 2022.
Reunion activities began Friday morning with a golf outing at Rocky Ridge Golf Club in Crawfordsville and ran through Sunday’s Big Bash Awards Brunch, where President Scott Feller presented several awards.
This year, Big Bash celebrated reunions with class years ending in 2 and 7, but many alumni from other classes and friends of the College attended as well. Steve Hoffman ’85, director of alumni and parent relations, said more than 350 guests, with class years spanning eight decades, are planning to return to campus.
“We are more eager than ever to host our alumni and friends for Big Bash this year since we’ve not hosted our traditional Big Bash since 2019 due to the pandemic,” Hoffman said. “A highlight for me is watching college friends reunite, sometimes after 50 years or more, and talking to alumni who have not been back to campus for decades.”
Big Bash weekend featured campus tours from the Sons of Wabash, colloquia sessions, great meals, spur-of-the-moment mini-reunions, and the ever-popular Alumni Chapel Sing Saturday, where alumni tested their memories by singing the beloved fight song, “Old Wabash” inside Pioneer Chapel.
After the golf outing on Friday, attendees enjoyed the Welcome Back Luncheon in Knowling Fieldhouse, and the opportunity to catch up with classmates, faculty, and current students.
Big Bash guests also attended the annual alumni/faculty/staff symposium, titled “Wally Salutes: A Symposium on the Military and the Liberal Arts.” The presentations, offered simultaneously throughout the afternoon, featured alumni, faculty, or staff and demonstrated the breadth and depth of the liberal arts on the topic of the military.
Colonel Mark Lee ’85, who has over 29 years of active-duty service experience, presented “On Leadership: Does Liberal Arts produce better leaders?” Lee shared stories from his deployments in support of four campaigns: Operation Just Cause, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. He also talked about the impact his Wabash education had on him throughout his military and professional career.
“Here at Wabash, we learn to challenge ideas. We learn to challenge our own ideas and challenge the ideas of others,” Lee said. “That is powerful leadership.
“Whether it’s in the civilian world or in the military, the liberal arts empowers you to be successful. I continue to benefit from that education today, and I believe the more we can have Wabash-type liberal arts in our society at-large — where we can have discussions and debates — it’s going to be a tremendous benefit to our nation.”
Reunion attendees enjoyed a lively reception before the Big Bash Banquet which highlights the weekend. President Feller presented the Class of 1972 with their 50th reunion medallions. The Class of 1972, in turn, presented the College with a $3.7 million class gift.
Saturday’s activities kicked off with an 8 a.m. bike ride throughout Crawfordsville and Montgomery County, and fun run/walk.
The Alumni Chapel Sing started at 11 a.m. Alumni sang “Old Wabash” with members of their own class and competed against the other nine reunion classes.
President Feller presented a state of the College titled, “Wabash Today'" and alumni attended colloquia sessions by Dean of Students Greg Redding ’88 and Trustee Greg Castanias ’87 on “The Future of Fraternities at Wabash;" Panelists Greg Birk ’77, Hugh Vandivier ’91, Rob Rudicel ’92, Dr. Frank Howland, and Dr. Warren Rosenberg H’98 presented “The Coeducation/Single-Sex Study of 1990-1992.”
A moderated Q&A colloquium, titled “Wabash and Four Years that Changed America: 1968-1972,” featured panelists Dr. Finley Campbell, Dr. David Hadley H’76, Dr. David Blix ’70, Coach Rob Johnson H’77, and Class of 1972 members Frank Hagaman, David Myers, Dr. Don Shelbourne, Dr. Michael Louden, and Steve York, USMC (Ret.).
Big Bash weekend wrapped up Sunday with the Awards Brunch with the Class of 1972 winning most of the awards including attendance, giving, and the Alumni Chapel Sing competition.
President Feller concluded the weekend with a few parting thoughts. "As you leave here, I want you to think about the ways the College is moving forward boldly into its third century—the Wabash experience remains timely. At the same time, the Wabash experience is timeless—you come and you are a part of a long arc that stretches back 190 years of engaged learning."