About 75 — a significant portion of the 710 alumni who have studied in Rennes — gathered for a reception in Orange House and a dinner in Old Chapel. Wine was provided by Abby '74 and Andy '71 Crisses.
"I was very touched to see the photos, albums and notebooks that so many kept all these years," said Bill Thomas, director of international programs. �It was abundantly clear to me that the term abroad experience, particularly learning a new language in a different culture, made a lifelong impact on these alumni.�
�As we celebrate continuity in the anniversary,� said Charles Batson, associate professor of French, �I�m thrilled to know that people are continually discovering the newness of what living elsewhere, vivre autrement, can do.�
Paul LeClerc, president of the New York Public Library and a former professor who led two groups to Rennes, could not attend the event, but wrote, �When I wasn�t worrying about my intrepid flocks, I was quietly rejoicing in their admirable skills in adapting to life in France, in acquiring facility with spoken French, in mastering culinary squeamishness�and in maturing exponentially, both intellectually and culturally.
�The Term Abroad program was and still is one of the best things about a Union education,� wrote LeClerc. �I congratulate my friend and former colleague Bill Thomas for having directed it with so much skill and dedication these many years.�
Christopher Sears �93 reports that he has kept in close touch with a couple he met while studying in Rennes. �I would go so far as to say they are some of my closest friends,� he said. �I have visited them many times in France�went to their wedding�and they came to my wedding a couple years ago in Michigan.�
Michelle Jester �98 wrote to say that she couldn�t make the Rennes ReUnion, but that she has been living in Rennes since 2000. She offered to take some photographs to show changes in the town over the last several years.
Laura Rachlin �77 wrote, �Not only did my independent study there confirm for me my interest in architecture�I became an architect �but my three daughters have all studied in a French immersion program�It was an enriching experience that even transcended a generation.�
Ellen Witt Reiss �76 said, �Many years after Rennes, I became certified as a French teacher and have spent the last four years teaching middle and high school French in New Jersey. In talking to my students about French life and culture, my experience in Rennes (from 1974!) is frequently in my thoughts.�