Wittenberg alumni are excited to return to campus for Homecoming, Reunion, and Family Weekend, Oct. 3-6, but for members of the class of 1979, the excitement is even greater as they prepare to celebrate their 45th reunion.

From reunion-specific events and the Tiger Tailgate, to cheering on the Tiger teams and enjoying the many other cherished Homecoming traditions, the class of 1979 plans to keep passing its light this weekend.

One big way the class has shined is through the creation of the Class of ’79 Endowed Scholarship Fund, which currently stands at over $40,000. Established during the 40th reunion, the fund has special meaning to the president of the class, Kendrick Riggs, and reunion chair, Laurie Griffin.

“Wittenberg’s Class of ‘79 has been supporting Wittenberg students through a current use Class of 1979 Scholarship for many years and continues to do so,” they said. “These contributions provide scholarship funds available for use in the years in which they are given. During our 40th reunion, we created an endowed scholarship and set out to raise the $25,000 needed to fund the endowment. Our classmates rose to the occasion and then some. We were able to endow the fund within two years, and now our endowment is valued at over $40,000. 

“Long after we are gone, earnings on this endowed fund will continue to provide scholarships for Wittenberg students so they may have the same opportunities and experience the Class of '79 had at Wittenberg – an education that teaches how to think, ask the right questions, and communicate with others,” they emphasized. “And an education that instills a confidence in the student to ‘live their life to the fullest extent’ of their potential.”

Both Riggs and Griffin fondly recall their days at Wittenberg and express their gratitude for their college experience.

“We appreciated the wonderful faculty and staff at Wittenberg; they were available to us when we needed them. The interest every faculty member showed in every student and their belief that if we applied ourselves in Wittenberg's opportunities, we could become more than we believed we could,” they said. “Few schools offer such an accomplished faculty that engages so thoroughly with its students.

“And we appreciated the many opportunities to be involved in a great variety of activities around campus,” they added. “Together the faculty and activities made us feel very much a part of the Wittenberg community. Not only did we receive a great education, but we gained confidence, and believed we were prepared for our careers and lives after graduation.”

Fellow classmates agree.

Barry Zulauf ’79, retired naval officer, respected intelligence expert, member of the University’s Alumni Association Board, and a first-generation college student, called his time at Wittenberg the best four years of his life.

“I was especially influenced by my professor, George Hudson, who pushed me to do better and never gave up on me,” Zulauf said.

In recounting this experience, he noted that he “made lifelong friends and am still in touch with them today. I was active in Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, had a column in the Torch newspaper, and was in student government. After graduation, my degree helped me to compete against Ivy League graduates, and I was able to work at their level. I am grateful for the opportunity to have experienced a liberal arts education and to have been exposed to a little bit of everything. Wittenberg was one of the best decisions of my life.”

Another classmate and fellow Alumni Association Board member, Jeff Orner ’79, who, prior to retirement, served for 35 years in a series of senior executive service positions leading the people who support military and homeland security, also has deep gratitude for his alma mater.

Wittenberg “gave me the skills to be articulate in writing and orally, as well as analytical thinking, which have been essential in my successful career as a senior executive in the federal government,” he said. “I was fortunate to have great professors in the political science department, and I made lifelong friendships with my peers.”

And just what is it that makes Wittenberg so special to Riggs and Griffin?

“I am most grateful to Wittenberg for making it possible for me, through scholarships and campus employment, to be able to attend a university,” Griffin said.

“Wittenberg gave me the confidence to take the next steps in life and to pursue a career and live a life that I did not believe was possible when I arrived on campus in the fall of '75,” Riggs said. “We hope our Class of ‘79 scholarship can help make that possible for others.”

They both agreed that “the shared experiences with Wittenberg classmates make the 1979 class special. The Class of ‘79 was very accepting of the wide range of beliefs and behaviors of its members as legitimate even when they differed from their own individual beliefs. Together we learned and grew, shared concerns, offered each other support, and so became a part of each other’s lives. We are very grateful we can still gather and reconnect at our class reunions.”

To see a full list of Homecoming, Reunion, and Family Weekend events, visit https://www.wittenberg.edu/homecoming.

If you would like to donate to the Class of ’79 Endowed Scholarship Fund, click here.

In light of recent events in Springfield, added safety and security measures will be in place throughout the weekend. Only those registered for Homecoming, Reunion, and Family Weekend events will be allowed into the respective venues, and IDs will need to be shown prior to entry.