Members of the graduating class of 1963 gathered for a banquet in the Dorothy and Roy Park alumni center Saturday for their 50th anniversary reunion. 

The reunion was a weekend-long series of events and it featured various activities including tours of the Hunt Library and the Memorial Bell Tower. The reunion served to to help alumni reconnect with past classmates, but most importantly it provided an opportunity for them to see the changes that N.C. State’s campus has undergone. 

Alumni are important to the University because they donate money for academic and athletic departments, and the class of ‘63 is no exception. In fact, the members of the class of ’63 have contributed more to the University than any other graduating class.

According to Ethan Dodson, director of Development for Alumni Projects, 122 donors from the class of ‘63 contributed $856,105 to the University, which puts the class “several hundred thousands” above any other class.

Despite their contribution to the University, members of the class ’63 still had to pay to enjoy the weekend. Members paid $75 to enjoy a catered dinner in the Italian-marble-floored grand ballroom of the Park Alumni Center.

However, the money made in ticket prices was not considered a part of the class’ donations, as it was used to cover the costs associated with the banquet and the other events that took place during the weekend.

N.C. State head football coach Dave Doeren was the keynote speaker of the banquet, and attempted to get the alumni excited and on their feet. Several members of the crowd clapped and cheered for what Doeren called a new era for N.C. State football.

“There are many challenges when taking over a program, I didn’t recruit those guys, but I will train them to become champions,” Doeren said.

Doeren didn’t leave without making the obligatory anti-Carolina comment to fire up the attendees of the reunion. 

“At the end of the day I want to represent N.C. State, and I want to be the guy kissing the trophy on the 50-yard line. I also want to beat North Carolina,” Doren said. “I hate the color blue.”

In 1963, a gallon of gasoline cost 30 cents, a house cost about $19,300 and the University’s name was being changed from “N.C. State College” to “N.C. State University at Raleigh,” thus a lot has changed since the members of the class of 1963 attended classes at N.C. State.

The Class of 1963 was also inducted into the Forever Club, which is an organization of alumni that have graduated at least 50 years ago.

The Forever Club helps alumni become more involved with the University and become familiar with the changes that are taking place on campus.

Incoming President of the Forever Club, Darrell Dail, and outgoing President, Lynn Eury, have been very active in assisting the alumni of N.C. State by helping them be more involved with the University.

“The overall purpose of the Forever Club, forgive the sound of this, but it is self-serving,” Dail said. “It’s purpose is to serve our alumni who have graduated 50 or more years ago, and many of these people are retired and are not involved as they would like to be. What we would like to do is keeping them engaged with N.C. State University.”

The Forever Club and the Alumni Center help create and outreach to alumni for when the chancellor or other University officials cannot.