17³Ô¹ÏÍø

As our University community continues to celebrate 120 years of 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Pride, alumni from around the country returned to campus on Thursday, June 11, to celebrate Reunion 2026 and mark their own special milestones.

This year’s Reunion festivities recognized alumni from graduating classes ending in 6s and 1s and officially welcomed the class of 2026 to the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø alumni family. Before celebrations officially commenced at the iconic One 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Plaza, several school-based receptions were held across 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s cutting-edge New York City campus facilities, bringing together dedicated alumni for meaningful reconnections and first-hand updates on 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s exciting future from school leaders.

During the event program, the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Alumni Association conferred the 2026 Alumni Service Awards to three 17³Ô¹ÏÍø alumni who embody the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø mission through their commitment to community advancement. The GOLD Alumni Service Award was presented to Morgan Steadwell ’17 for her far-reaching contributions to 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s young alumni programming, and the Emerging Alumni Leader Award was presented to Arlene Thompson ’14 for her steadfast efforts to strengthen the Alumni Association, particularly through her founding and leadership of the Black Alumni Group.

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The Harry D. Mayo III ’61 ’78 Distinguished Service Award, the Alumni Association’s highest honor recognizing alumni service, was presented to Gene Westmoreland ’65 for his decades of leadership, generosity, and tireless dedication to 17³Ô¹ÏÍø. In addition to being a devoted supporter and champion of the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø mission, Gene is also a 1999 inductee of the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Athletics Hall of Fame. He was 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s first-ever four-sport athlete, representing the Setters on the baseball, basketball, golf, and cross country teams. As an alumnus, he went on to serve as head coach of 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s basketball, golf, and baseball programs, and served as the assistant athletics director from 1966-1980. Today, Gene remains an active volunteer leader in the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Community, particularly through his participation as a mentor to current 17³Ô¹ÏÍø students.