Female students attending the University of Idaho 50 years ago were required to wear dresses and skirts, but that didn’t stop them from going to outdoor football games.
“They’d still go to the football games, they’d still go and support athletics or the school,” said Marie Duncan, assistant director of the Office of Alumni Relations. “They didn’t have the Kibbie Dome, so hearing about them sitting outdoors, in skirts, with multiple layers of pants underneath, trying to get around those rules — those stories are fun.”
Duncan said hearing those stories about what student life used to be like on the UI campus is one of her favorite parts of the UI Golden I Reunion, an annual celebration of university alumni of 50 years or more. Alumni who attend the reunion receive a pin noting their 50 or more years since graduation.
“Every year, we celebrate those folks and they get inducted into the group,” Duncan said. “We also have many people who have missed their Golden I year and come back — for instance, my grandma graduated in 1958, she didn’t make her reunion in 2008, but she ended up coming in 2010.”
Although the reunion hasn’t always been called the Golden I, Duncan said Vandal alumni have been celebrating their 50th anniversaries by reuniting back on campus since the end of World War II.
This year’s Golden I Reunion will be held on Sept. 1 and Sept. 2. Blocks of rooms have been reserved for the alumni at the Best Western University Inn and La Quinta Inn & Suites.
The reunion consists of the Idaho football game against Montana State University Thursday night, yearbook browsing, socials and campus tours.
Duncan said the campus tours are a time when alumni are able to relive memories and reminisce about their time in college.
“Watching them relive some of their stories on campus as we drive through the school on the Vandal Trolley for a tour or something, hearing their experiences up here in the Admin lawn — it’s very special,” Duncan said.
In addition to reminding alumni of their special memories, Duncan said tours also allow returning Vandals to see changes in the campus.
“A lot has changed on campus in 50 years — the new buildings have cutting edge technology, like the College of Education this year, the Albertson’s Building,” Duncan said. “They’re often most excited about seeing the technology changes, I think about the jumps from when these people came to school to where we are now — no computer labs, true chalkboards and then they get to see what a classroom looks like today.”
Although reaching out to UI alumni who graduated 50 years ago can be a challenge, Duncan said she looks through the Gem of the Mountain yearbooks and asks a few graduates to reach out to their peers.
“I try to reach out to individuals in every living group from back then,” Duncan said. “I try to find one spokesperson, one leader, and I look through the old Gem of the Mountains yearbook for that and then I ask them to reach out to their classmates.”
Duncan said reaching out to alumni is only the first step. Planning the event also includes finding an ideal weekend for hosting the reunion and ensuring there is hotel availability.
Duncan said this year, the reunion will consist of about 40 alumni. While Duncan said they’d always like to see more people attend, the reunion is still special for the alumni who are able to be there.
“This year, we have people coming from the East Coast — one alum is driving a camper across the country and making a pit stop in Moscow,” Duncan said.
While there are no other definitive annual reunions, Duncan said the Office of Alumni Relations is working toward establishing 10, 25 and 40-year reunions for Vandals.
Corrin Bond
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