45th Reunion

Thursday, June 4

9:00 A.M.–5:00 P.M.

Pre-Reunion Class Tours

Classmates have organized several tours for those arriving earlier on Thursday. Most have limited capacity. See HR1981.org for details and to sign up.

• Kayaking on the Charles (9:45–12:45 P.M.) Mark Gluck
• Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (12:15–3:15 P.M.) Joe McDonough
• Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East (1:00–2:00 P.M.) Noreen Hughes Verbrugge
• Harvard Square: Past, Present, Future (1:00–2:30 P.M.) Cara Seiderman
• Harvard Art Museums (2:30-3:20 P.M. & 3:30-4:20 P.M.) Mary Schneider (guide) & Ruth Milkman (coordinator)
• Houghton Library (2:30–3:20 P.M.) Barb Shubinski (coordinator)
• Harvard 1776: the Time-Travel Campus Tour (2:30–4:00 P.M.) Michael Ruderman
• Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America (3:00–4:00 P.M.) Noreen Hughes Verbrugge *

To explore on your own, check the individual Harvard Museums for their hours, exhibits, and tours, or go to Harvard Visitor Center to register for University walking tours.  Please note: you must coordinate your own transportation to these tours.  

*See also the Radcliffe Institute Open House on Friday at 3:30 P.M.

4:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Check-in at Headquarters

Cabot Library, Science Center

Please come to headquarters to check in when you arrive on campus. You will receive your name badge, additional Reunion materials, and your House/dorm room key and assignment, if you are staying on campus. 

Coffee and tea available 8:00 A.M.–3:00 P.M. Thursday–Saturday.

Parking is complimentary at 52 Oxford Street, as well as (on Friday only) at the Soldiers Field Garage at 111 Western Avenue.

6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Dinner with Sing-A-Long/Jam Session

Leverett House, McKinlock Hall, 8 Mill Street: Dining Hall, Courtyard, and Junior Common Rm (A108)

After ten years away from one another, we’re getting back together in style. Musical style. Classmates Rich Bashner, Russ Gershon, Chris Owens, David Rothman, Siri Smedvig, and anyone who wants to bring an instrument will lead us (and our guests) in a carefully-planned spontaneous sing-a-long/jam session featuring all the hits from The Great HR1981 Songbook. This includes pop tunes of our youth and anyone else’s youth. 

There will also be spaces for quiet conversation.

Enjoy a casual dinner of sliders (portobello mushroom, pulled pork, and fried chicken), along with a cold antipasto spread, dessert buffet, and beer and wine. Perfect for mingling!

Note:  9:00 P.M. is a hard stop.
 

Friday, June 5

8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Check-in at Headquarters

Cabot Library, Science Center

Please come to headquarters to check in when you arrive on campus. You will receive your name badge, additional Reunion materials, and your House/dorm room key and assignment if you are staying on campus. Luggage storage is available on-site. Learn more and pre-purchase your luggage storage here.

Coffee and tea available 8:00 A.M.–3:00 P.M. Thursday–Saturday.

Parking is complimentary at 52 Oxford Street, as well as (on Friday only) at the Soldiers Field Garage at 111 Western Avenue.

8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Coffee Connection

In — or outside — Science Center Hall D

Bring your favorite morning beverage & nibble, and connect with other arriving classmates.

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Our Next Act: Living Well in Retirement

Science Center Hall D

Panel discussion on aspects of our future lives, including your questions and contributions:

•  Living with intention and purpose. 
• Using current neurological and medical science to extend an alert and active life.
• Dealing with declines in health: the nature of geriatric medicine and palliative care.

Classmate panelists:

• Dr. Mark A. Gluck is a Professor of Neuroscience and Public Health, and Director of the Aging and Brain Health Alliance, at Rutgers University. His research focuses on healthy aging; the cognitive, computational, and neural bases of learning and memory; the consequences of memory loss due to aging and Alzheimer’s disease; and how sleep and exercise can improve cognition and brain health
• Dr. Patricia F. Harris is Professor of Medicine and Clinical Chief of the UCLA Division of Geriatrics, practicing both geriatric and palliative care medicine. She has played a central role in advancing innovative models of care for older adults.  Patty founded the Geriatric Medical Home Visit Program, a home-based primary care program serving frail older adults, providing medical care to patients unable to access traditional clinic-based services.
• Richard Kahn is a retired attorney who relocated from Manhattan to Austin, TX, in 2021. Since relocating, Richard has joined a music nonprofit board and focused on interests dating back to his life before the law, from piano to swimming and gardening, honing his French and his culinary skills and participating in Austin’s lively cultural communities.
   

10:30 a.m.

Alumni Parade Line-up

Old Yard between Hollis and Thayer

View the parade map to learn where to line up to process with your class!

All persons, bags, and personal items are subject to inspection before entering Harvard Yard. No backpacks of any type will be admitted. No bag or item larger than 12″ × 12″ × 12″ will be permitted in the Yard.

11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Harvard Alumni Day Parade & Program

Tercentenary Theatre

All Harvard alumni are invited to join the Harvard Alumni Association for the fifth annual Harvard Alumni Day, a day for and in celebration of Harvard’s vibrant global alumni community! The 156th Annual Alumni Association Meeting will include a keynote address, remarks from President Alan M. Garber, and the celebration of the 2026 Harvard Medalists. 

1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Yard Party and Lunch

Old Yard and Tercentenary Theatre

Join your friends – and make new ones – at the all-alumni Yard Party with food and beverage trucks (including beer and wine), including some local favorites!

1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Open Houses at Harvard Museums, Radcliffe Institute, Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, and Harvard University Archives

For details and locations, see Alumni.Harvard.edu

• Harvard Art Museums (2:00–5:00 P.M.): Explore the galleries. Stop by the Alumni Welcome Table in Calderwood Courtyard for a special giveaway.
• Radcliffe Institute (3:30–5:00 P.M.): Refreshments in Fay House; selections from the Radcliffe archives; exhibits on Eve Fowler, and on cookbooks and women’s agency. Please register.
• Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments (Science Center, 11:00 A.M.–4:00 P.M.): Featuring tools from 1400 to the present. Guided tours with the Executive Director at 2:00 and 4:00 P.M.
• Harvard University Archives (Pusey Library, from 1:00 P.M.): Reading room with yearbooks and class reports. Exhibitions incl. “Harvard and the American Revolution”. Tours every half hour.
   

3:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Shared Interest Group Meetups

Various Locations

Shared Interest Group (SIG) meetups, and other alumni-organized mini-reunions including Philips Brooks House and WHRB. 

3:00 P.M. & 4:30 P.M.

Afternoon Symposia Sessions

Science Center (limited seating). For details, times, and specific locations see Alumni.Harvard.edu

At 3:00 P.M.:

• From the Yard to the World: Harvard Alumni in Public Service
• Harvard & America 250
• Stories from Fellow Alums
• The State of Climate Science and Adaptation to Climate Change with the Salata Institute

At 4:30 P.M.:

• Kempner Institute: Unlocking Intelligence
• The Future of the Arts and Harvard University: A Conversation with Diane Paulus AB '88 and Darren Aronofsky AB '91
   

5:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Shuttle Bus for Evening Events

Science Center Plaza to David Rubenstein Treehouse (20 Western Ave, Allston)

Buses will transport classmates directly to the Treehouse for the evening program from Science Center Plaza at 5 P.M. Buses will depart approximately every 25 minutes thereafter, routed via the 52 Oxford Street Parking Garage.

Parking is complimentary at 52 Oxford Street, as well as (on Friday only) at the Soldiers Field Garage at 111 Western Avenue.

5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Poetry Reading

David Rubenstein Treehouse, Riverbend Room

Many American poets have either served on the Harvard faculty or have studied with that faculty. HR1981 is no exception, having produced some of the strongest poets publishing today. Come hear several of them recite their work, including Heather Bryant, Elise Paschen, Mike Reiss, David J. Rothman, and Cynthia Zarin. They will also read works by Carl Phillips and Sharan Strange. 

6:30–7:00 P.M.

Author Salon

David Rubenstein Treehouse Perch, outside Riverbend Room

HR1981 boasts dozens of authors. Many of them will be on the Treehouse second floor to display and discuss their works.
 

7:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Class Gala: Dinner & Dance

David Rubenstein Treehouse

Come join us for our reunion gala, and catch up with old classmates and make new friends. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres with open bar will be followed by a sumptuous meal. Don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes to celebrate! (We’ll have a DJ.) Cocktail attire suggested.

Saturday, June 6

8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Check-in at Headquarters

Cabot Library, Science Center

Please come to headquarters to check in when you arrive on campus. You will receive your name badge, additional Reunion materials, and your House/dorm room key and assignment if you are staying on campus. Luggage storage is available on-site. Learn more and pre-purchase your luggage storage here.

Coffee and tea available 8:00 A.M.–3:00 P.M. Thursday–Saturday.

Parking is complimentary at 52 Oxford Street.

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Classmate Projects: Initiatives with Vision & Breadth (Session 1)

Emerson 105

• Lisa Davis:  Our Minds Were Always Free
  An entertainment lawyer, Lisa wrote an exploration of how African American innovators and artists have fought for, and often won, the rights to own and benefit from their own work.
• Bruce Hochstadt:  Detainee Education and Workplace Support
  Bruce and a Harvard Club of Chicago team created an education program for Cook County inmates, enrolling over 300 detainee students and 60 alumni volunteers. Bruce received the HAA’s Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award in 2024.
  
   

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Classmate Projects: Initiatives with Vision & Breadth (Session 2)

Lowell Lecture Hall

• Ruth Milkman and Saul Perlmutter:  Civil Discourse and Depolarization 
   Since HR1981’s 35th reunion, classmates have explored ways to improve discourse in our country. Ruth has worked with an evolving team of classmates to create a scalable working prototype for online, pseudonymous, voice-based interaction. Saul has written about the importance of critical thinking and civil discourse in a polarized world and incorporated this work in his teaching.
• Jon Roberts:  My 50-Year Hunt for Yellow Pigs
  In 1976, Jon attended the Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics, a program for highly motivated high school students. Previous attendees (“yellow pigs”) revisit the program to support current students.  Jon directed and his wife, Ming-I Huang, produced the film Hunting Yellow Pigs.
   

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Glimpses

Lowell Lecture Hall

Glimpses was invented by HR1981 to help us get to know each other better, as a class. You’ll hear classmates’ 5-minute talks about transformations, discoveries, adventures, and poignant moments.  Between the talks, we’ll enjoy photos and videos of classmates’ creations.  All Glimpses are personal, and all speakers are classmates who have not presented at a Cambridge reunion.

12:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Field Day Class Luncheon

Science Center Plaza Tent

Come join your classmates for a BBQ lunch with an open beer and wine bar and yard games. After you eat, head into Harvard Yard for more games and activities with the other Reunion classes. Suggested dress code is casual. See you there, rain or shine!

12:30 - 2:00 p.m.

Rehearsal for Memorial Service

Memorial Church

Mandatory rehearsal for the 45th Reunion Choir, led by choir director Andy Clarkson ’81. Contact: Susie Kendall.

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Memorial Service

Memorial Church

We gather to honor our deceased classmates in a non-denominational service. Readings and music will feature classmates, including the 45th Reunion Choir.

3:30 p.m.

Class Photo, followed by Primal Scream

Widener Library steps. Signs, flags, banners, and similar items will not be permitted.*

4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Class Conversations

Emerson Hall

Connect with classmates in smaller groups. Pick one session. Topics include:

• Seriously, Let's Play! Improv Games: Intrigue~Surprises~Silly Scenarios
  (Bonnie Z. Bottoms & Barb Shubinski) 
  Comedy and play are essential to being human, and we need them now more than ever. Come expand your imagination, transcend your everyday self, and immerse yourself in creative collaboration.
• The Constitution in 2026
  (Jonathan Barzilay, Mathew Diller, Tony Dillof)
  Written almost 240 years ago, the US Constitution is the oldest written constitution currently in effect. This participatory conversation will focus on how our constitutional system is faring today in our increasingly polarized society.  Is the Constitution playing its appropriate role in protecting our democracy and civil liberties?  Are we at a moment when it is being reconceived—or should be reconceived—as it was at historical turning points such as the Civil War and the New Deal?
• On the Move:  Traveling (or Relocating!) to New Places in Retirement
  (Karen Albrecht, Jonathan Band)
  Let's trade ideas for travel that are exciting, affordable, sustainable. How can HR1981 travelers connect with local classmates for a meal, an insider adventure, or maybe even an invite to “couch-surf”? Plus: pleasures and pitfalls of retiring abroad.
• Make a Difference and Keep Learning: Working for Change
  (Sara Frankel and others)
  Looking for new challenges, connections, or opportunities to help? Volunteering for nonprofits builds expertise, offers meaning, and makes a difference. Let’s share experiences, and explore collaborations between our endeavors. 
• Reviewing Your Past:  Writing Your Memoir or Family History
  (Helen Elaine Lee, Sara Nicholas, Stephen Postema)
  Many classmates are contemplating writing about their lives, or about their families, as evidenced by our Class Report. Ask questions of classmates who have done this, or who teach writing. Learn about their motivations and obstacles, hear their tips, and be inspired by their prompts.

5:30–7:00 P.M.

H-Solo: Singles Meet-Up in Harvard Square

Daedalus Bar, 45 ½ Mt Auburn St (next to Tommy’s)

If you’re navigating this stage of life without a significant other, join us. We’ll have no program other than connecting with one another. So even if you are adamantly and contentedly solo, drop by. RSVPs encouraged but not required. Contact:  Nancy Boghossian

7:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Class Dinner & Party

Smith Campus Center, formerly Holyoke Center, first floor

Relax and mingle with your classmates to beautiful piano music. Enjoy cocktails with open bar and a delicious dinner as we celebrate another memorable reunion. Cocktail attire suggested.

Sunday, June 7

8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Housing Check-out

Check-out will be available in the lobby of the House/dorm where you are staying. All House/dorm keys must be dropped off by 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 7. Keycard access will be cut off after this time. Luggage storage is available on-site. Learn more and pre-purchase your luggage storage here.

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Farewell Brunch and Survey

Northwest Labs Atrium, 52 Oxford St

Instead of multiple choice questions, we asked for some blue book–worthy responses in our HR1981 45th Reunion Survey.  The answers should be thoughtful, uplifting, and entertaining. Join us to hear your classmates' Harvard memories, the highlights of their past 45 years, and what they hope the future brings. 

NOON–2:00 P.M.

Post-Reunion Hangout

Location TBD

If the reunion is ending too soon for you, meet up after the Farewell Brunch and Survey. (Destination TBD, depending on weather.)

*Class photos celebrate the spirit and unity of each Class. Only the official Harvard and Radcliffe class banners are authorized for display. Signs, flags, banners, or similar items will not be permitted. Individuals with such items will be asked to remove them. If they are not removed, the photo will not be distributed. All persons participating in the Class Photo are expected to abide by the AA&D community expectations.