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Vassar Celebrates Founder’s Day, Saturday, May 3
Arguably Vassar’s most beloved tradition, Founder’s Day has been one of the highlights of the school year since the first celebration in 1866, when it served as a surprise birthday party for Matthew Vassar. The character of the event has changed a lot over the last 142 years, but it continues to be a fun event for students and alumnae/i alike. This year’s theme is Candyland, and most of the day’s activities will center on that idea. There will be two “Kids’ Hours” from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. with rides, bouncy castles, and arts-and-crafts activities. Many local food vendors will attend alongside the beer truck, and a student band will provide musical entertainment. In the spirit of the original Founder’s Day, Vassar president Catharine Bond Hill will deliver the traditional toast to Matthew Vassar at 12:35 p.m., and buses will be available to take attendees to his grave. At 9:00 p.m., fireworks and a movie screening will take place on the Chapel lawn.
For alumnae/i interested in athletic activities, there will be plenty of sports events throughout the afternoon. There will be a cross country fun run and a women’s soccer alumnae game, both at 10:00 a.m. at Prentiss Field. At 11:00 a.m., there will be a memorial dedication of the tennis gazebo for Eric M. Smith ’92 followed by an alumni vs. men’s varsity tennis match. At Vassar Farm, women’s rugby will have an alumnae game at 11:00 a.m. and men’s rugby at 12:00 p.m. Also at noon, men’s soccer will hold an alumni game on Prentiss Field.
Alumnae/i interested in participating in these events should contact:
Fun Run: James McCowan, jamccowan@vassar.edu.
Women’s Soccer: Richard Moller, rimoller@vassar.edu.
Men’s Tennis: Roman Czula, roczula@vassar.edu.
Men’s and Women’s Rugby: Tony Brown, tobrown@vassar.edu.
Men’s Soccer: Andrew Jennings, jennings@vassar.edu.