Still hungry? Goblet this up.
If, after reading this fantastic magazine, you still find yourself craving more Lehigh news, I suggest you head online to the Lehigh Goblet. The Goblet is a blog featuring short stories about—and written mostly by—alumni. It spotlights classmates and friends who are changing the world, takes you down memory lane and showcases activities on campus and around the world that bring Lehigh people together.
To be transparent about why I’m encouraging you to read these inspiring stories … you know that we recently launched the most ambitious campaign in the history of Lehigh, right? GO: The Campaign for Lehigh aims to raise $1 billion-plus and engage more than half our alumni in some way over the next several years. Those numbers feel daunting—after all, that’s more than 40,000 alumni who we’re looking to engage as attendees, volunteers and donors! Reading Goblet stories about alumni who are already connected, love this place and so freely express their gratitude for the opportunities Lehigh gave them motivates me to work even harder to reach these lofty goals. My hope is that their stories will inspire you to get involved and invested, and that I’ll see you soon online, at an event, or as a volunteer!
Here are a few of my favorite recent posts from the Goblet:
Reginald Jennings ’70, co-executive chair of the university’s Black and Latino Alumni Network for Community and Equity (BALANCE), wrote about his experience at Reunion 2018; in particular the new Unity Dinner, which we’re making an annual tradition. He also highlighted Ralph Thomas ’76 ’77G, who received the Dr. Costel Denson ’56 Award, given to an alumnus or alumna who has demonstrated leadership by identifying and implementing pathways to increase diversity in the workplace and educational institutions. Reginald is also spearheading plans to celebrate 10 years of BALANCE at Lehigh—join the BALANCE Facebook group or follow on Instagram for the info.
Steve Rittler ’99 shares that his time in the Marching ’97 changed his life. “I don’t think any classroom experience came close to teaching me as much about leadership, about people, and about Lehigh as the 97 did,” he writes. Best part? He met his wife, Michelle Judd ’02, through Marching ’97. We (and several other top schools) entrust Steve’s company AlumniQ to run our very complicated Reunion registration.
Rebekah Campo ’16, worked in Alumni Relations in 2014 and wrote about her role at that time in planning The Rally. Clarke Woodruff ’72 wrote about his Rally experience nearly 50 years ago. While the elements of The Rally have changed, it’s moving to know that the camaraderie among Lehigh classmates remains strong. Sidenote: In August, watch for links to The Rally livestream if you’d like to watch the magic from afar. Better yet, come to campus to carry the flag for your class!
And there’s a spotlight on Rosie Roessel ’13 ’14G, who won the Runner’s World Half Marathon in 2017. Rosie is a Class leader and won the Alumni Award last year. We were so inspired by her racing victory, and by the dozens of cheering fans wearing Lehigh hats and shirts along the route, that in 2018 we got organized. We put out a call that any Lehigh alum running in the race could contact the alumni relations office and we’d send some swag so you could represent. About 150 people registered! (BTW, if you’re doing Runner’s World in October or the NYC Marathon in November drop me an email, and I’ll send you a Lehigh running shirt. But you have to wear it in the race, so when you blow past me I will know to cheer for you!)
If you know an alumna/us who you think other alumni would like to know more about, submit your story idea to The Goblet here: lehighgoblet.com/submit/
