A New Meaning for Homecoming

When the St. Thomas Students’ Union made the decision to be a part of STU’s Homecoming 2000 it was obvious what question would follow. I fully expected to have to answer “What do students have to do with alumni anyway?” Well, the answer is quite simple: we will all be St. Thomas alumni one day, so why not build that relationship now? Students that participated in the events of the weekend saw first hand that the spirit and soul of the university that we so proudly attend is not something that exists in a four year vacuum - it stretches on throughout the rest of their lives. The truth to this claim can be found in the images I took away from the weekend. I saw that alumni who were enthralled by the magical voices and melodies of The St. Thomas Four in the Sixties were once again captivated by the band that they remembered so vividly. I watched alumni who danced to The Thomists in 1969 dancing to the Thomists in the year 2000. It seemed as though they had never stopped dancing. And, of course, I watched with tremendous delight as everyone was treated to hockey exactly as they remembered it from whatever years they attended STU: The Tommies never lost a game.

What this demonstrated to me, and the other students present, was that the community that existed in 19- whatever is just as strong however many years later. Then the realization sets in: we are all a part of St. Thomas’ never-ending story.

Of course, none of this was news to me. I think the first T-shirt I ever owned said something like “One day I’ll go to St. Thomas University.” With a mother (Hope Richardson BA ‘77, BEd ‘78) and father (Bill Richardson, BA ‘69, BEd ‘71) who were both proud graduates, I kind of had a feeling that one day I would become an alumnus of the University. They actually started me quite young - the first reunion I remember attending was in 1990. To be honest, most of my memories surround going to Harry Rigby’s for a swim in his pool, but I do remember that there was a great deal of alumni present that weekend.

Homecoming 2000 gave new meaning to these memories of my younger years. I was not quite sure whether I was looking into my past or into my future. It was probably both. One thing that I know for sure is that a good time was had by all. It was a pleasure to be able to involve the Students’ Union in such an exciting weekend, and it was a personal pleasure to be able to participate in all of the events. And, you know, I didn’t really mind being mistaken for Bill all weekend. . .

	Tony Bull cooks up a storm at the Homecoming Reunion 2000 BBQ
Alumni catching up at the Meet-N-Greet held at Forest Hill Residence during Homecoming Reunion 2000
	Alumni enjoying a dance at the Thomist Social
Dr. Frank Cronin, professor of Philosophy, and his wife, Janet, dance the night away at the thomist Social.
	The "Ottawa Connection" enjoying themselves at the Homecoming Reunion 2000 BBQ.
St. Thomas Four reunite for their first appearance in 32 years. (l to r): Ron Johnson, Paul Lauzon, Reg Savage and Rod Taddeo.
	Father and son enjoying the moment together at Homecoming Reunion 2000. (l to r): Bill Richardson and Jeff Richardson.