On Saturday, June 6, 2015, more than 300 alumni and guests attended New England Tech’s first All Class Reunion marking the college’s 75th Anniversary. There were many fun-filled activities enjoyed by adults and children alike that included mini-golf, face painting, balloon creations, and sand art. Also included was a wonderful puppet show presented by NEIT’s own, Erin Flynn. The Hit Your Grad Year Dart Game was developed by Bob Larrabee, New England Tech CTI account executive and grad. Players who hit their graduation year target won an alumni T-shirt with donated proceeds going to the Alumni Fund.
Music and entertainment encompassed three different music genres: The Vegas Lords, with Information Technology Associate Professor Tim Culhane on guitar; The Electronics featuring Dean Plowman, Department Chair, Electronics, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Technologies on guitar; Electronics System Technology Professor Mike Recorvitz on the keyboard; and adjunct faculty member Justin Capaldi on the drums; as well as The Harrison Songolo Band. Great food which was enjoyed by all was provided by Pranzi Catering.
The success of this event is attributed to the many people committed to the establishment of an active Alumni Association. Kudos to those alumni who stepped forward in the spring of 2014 to participate in the initial “conversations” regarding the direction of the Alumni Association. As a result of these “conversations”, the Alumni Association Steering Committee was formed and a new vision for the New England Tech Alumni Association was developed. The committee recommended the college host an All Class Reunion as a family event. Special thanks to the Steering Committee for bringing this event from concept to completion. The All Class Reunion is the first of many alumni events to come.
Michelle Pope, ’90, is an ardent supporter of the college and was instrumental in the planning and execution of the reunion. Michelle shared her post-event thoughts with Tech Talk. “I have been involved in coordinating many events within my career from small to 800 plus attendees, and the NEIT First Annual All Class Reunion was one of the most carefully planned, coordinated, and executed events that I have been involved in to date. The excitement throughout the day could be felt from the volunteers to the guests and their families. The bands were amazing as was the balloon artist.” As one member of the Steering Committee said, “June 6, 2015, will forever be remembered as a day that New England Tech history was made.”
Many thanks go to the dedicated members of the Alumni Association Steering Committee who made the event such a great success: Gordon Briggs ‘99, Scott Conley ‘12, Courtney Crone ‘12, Tim Danielson ‘08, Lucy Garcia ‘12, Chris Harrington ‘00, Bob Larrabee ‘06, Cheryl MacDonald ’13, Michelle Pope ‘90, Bethany Pratt ‘12, Rebecca Renaud ‘98, Regina Roberts ‘14, Terri Sardelli ‘08, Carole Stiles ‘94, and Rick Tobin ’10. During the planning and development process, several individuals reached out to the Steering Committee to offer their assistance with the event. Many thanks go to Anna Martinelli, Auxiliary Services; Sherry Clukey and Kathy DaSilva, Business Office; Jason Albuquerque, Atrion Networking Corporation; John Gauthier, Academic Skills Center; Caitlin Beagan, Career Services; adjunct faculty member, Leslie DiManna, as well as the bookstore staff, Michelle Paiva, Sue Tucker, Jayne Kopic, and Michelle Holbrook.
The musical entertainment kept the day lively thanks to our musical experts Nancy Starr, Music Club Advisor, who was instrumental in recruiting the musical talent; Frank Hyde, sound engineer; and DJ Judah, who kept the music flowing and the atmosphere entertaining.
Special thanks to Bob Goulet and the Auxiliary Services staff for their assistance. The following photos provide a snapshot of the day’s activities from set up to breakdown. The All Class Reunion was truly a team effort!