An abundance of orange and black apparel — from ostentatious jackets to tiger-themed ties — descended on campus Saturday as about 1,200 Princeton alumni flocked back to Old Nassau for the annual Alumni Day.
The day's activities included lectures by various Princeton professors, a luncheon in Jadwin Gym and a memorial service held in the chapel. During the interfaith service, the University honored the lives of students, alumni, faculty and staff who had passed away during the past year.
There were also events for the children of alumni, from a Lego building workshop in Murray Dodge to Beatrix Potter-themed activities in the Cotsen Children's Library in Firestone Library.
"The day is meant to be a day when alumni and parents can come back and see and hear about some of the great academic work that is happening on campus," said Alumni Council Director Margaret Miller '80. "I think the fact that we get such great professors out and alumni can hear from them again — that is the most exciting thing."
The University also conferred several awards throughout the day, including its most prestigious alumni and undergraduate honors.
Thomas Kean '57, two-term New Jersey Governor and Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, received the Woodrow Wilson Award, an honor bestowed annually on an undergraduate alumnus who has personified the phrase "in the nation's service."
The University also awarded the James Madison Medal — given to an alumnus of the Graduate School with a distinguished career — to Nathan Myhrvold '83, the former chief technology officer at Microsoft.
"Watching the medalists over the course of the day is great because they are such a wonderful part of the event," Miller said. "We're honoring them for what they've done for Princeton and for the world."
While most of those in attendance were recent graduates, some had graduated 75 years ago.
"Princeton University has a long tradition of very loyal alumni," Miller said, "and they love to come back."
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