Events
May 17, 2010
Alumni ceremonies are largest ever
This year’s Candlelight Crossover was perfect. Almost. The weather was pleasant, a record 130 alumni guests mingled in the parking lot ready to welcome the members of the Class of 2010 as they crossed the Houston Mill Bridge, symbolically stepping from the student world into the alumni one. All the refreshments were ready for the guests, and all the cameras were posted ready to record the festivities.
Just one thing went wrong.
There weren’t enough candles to go around.
So many graduating seniors took part in the seven-year old tradition that after the contents for the first box of 750 candles were distributed, Emory staff had to scramble to fetch more. Which they did.
Eventually, every senior had his or her own candle for the walk, which took 30 minutes to complete, and at some 800-plus participants, was the largest-ever crossing.
The crossover was a spectacular way to kick off Emory Commencement Weekend, May 6–10, the five-day, campuswide celebration that culminates in the graduation of a new class. For the Emory Alumni Association it’s a great opportunity to welcome more than 3,900 new alumni into the community.
While Emory Commencement Weekend is a celebration of the University’s present and future (the Class of 2010), it also marks a return to campus for classes from the past.
The undergraduate Class of 1960, from Emory College, business and nursing, held its reunion over the weekend. Its members were inducted into Corpus Cordis Aureum, the EAA’s alumni group from 50 years ago or earlier.
As with the Candlelight Crossover, the reunion for the Class of 1960 was a largest 50-year gathering ever, which led to the largest class — 97 inductees — of new Corpus Cordis Aureum members. “The Golden Corps of the Heart” now numbers more than 600.
And so the flame keeps burning.
