Your IU Alumni Association is observing its 150th birthday throughout 2004. We've begun a long list of activities and others are planned throughout the rest of the year. Our aim is to make the university family, alumni, students, friends, and the general public aware of the value and impact of what our association has done and continues to do.
A university cannot progress without its alumni, and an alumni association - if it performs its duties responsibly - is vital to the success of the university. Thus, the IUAA has been a strong partner of our university for one-and-a-half centuries, and our alumni continue to respond to every need of their alma mater.
The Alumni Association was established in response to a devastating fire that threatened the existence of Indiana University. Countless numbers of alumni volunteers, led by 11 association chief executives, have nobly served the university since then.
We kicked off the year of looking at our history with a gala in Indianapolis on Dec. 12. A program of video and live performances traced the association's development. We have also prepared a timeline that is available on the IUAA Web site at www.alumni.indiana.edu. This history was based on research conducted by retired Alumni Association Associate Executive Director Janet Shirley. Janet spent more than a year writing a book about the IUAA's service since 1854. The book, published in mid-2004, is available for sale.
Throughout this year, the INDIANA ALUMNI MAGAZINE is publishing articles related to IUAA history. Did you know, for example, that the Alumni Association was instrumental in developing the IU Foundation, IU Varsity Club, IU Sports Network, and Hoosiers for Higher Education? Our association's Web site devotes space on a weekly basis to alumni profiles and other information about the birthday.
We have asked our clubs, constituent societies, affiliate groups, and campuses to draw attention to our special birthday. We are tying in the 150th with all major events that we traditionally sponsor each year. Banners, billboards, and special displays are being used. We are asking Indiana's governor and the mayors of all major cities in each of Indiana's 92 counties to proclaim Aug. 2, 2004, as Indiana University Alumni Association Day, and encouraging IU alumni worldwide to wear something crimson that day. In March, the Indiana Senate, with the House concurring, approved a resolution congratulating the IUAA on its milestone.
We hope you will take advantage of some of the opportunities to celebrate or at least indulge in reading about your association's accomplishments - and we want you to show your pride on Aug. 2.
Alumni volunteers and staff, led by 150th Birthday Committee Chairwoman Sandy Obremskey of Lebanon, Ind., worked for more than a year to plan the yearlong celebration. At the end of 2004, we believe the history, value, and impact of the IU Alumni Association will be better understood and appreciated.
Reprinted from INDIANA ALUMNI ANNUAL, Summer 2004
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