October 7, 2015 Dear Members the Class of 1976,

We are so excited to reach out to you about our 40th Reunion June 2-5th, 2016. We are working together to have a record number at reunion next year and we hope you can come. Mark your calendars NOW and SAVE THE DATE as it will be here before you know it!

Quick story- This past July, class volunteers were in Saratoga Springs for a planning weekend for our 40th Skidmore reunion. We wanted to attend, but neither of us could make it as we both had other obligations (a wedding and other). In our absence, we were volunteered to be Reunion Co-Chairs of our 40th reunion; and WE COULDN’T BE HAPPIER! Thanks Merilee and Reunion Committee for having faith in us as we have worked together as Class Officers many years before.

From Eileen: (skid1976@gmail.com) I have to admit that I think I have only missed one reunion since we graduated and that was because I was too pregnant to go! Why do I like going to reunions? I like it because I get to go back to my alma mater, have some fun, meet new people, and share stories about some of my best years. I have met new friends that I never knew when I attended Skidmore and I am so happy to have gotten to known them. I know my husband likes to go as much (or more?) as I do, too. One year he was the only one that was attentive to the times for the photographers and and got on the microphone and called us all over for the group picture. Then someone jokingly said we should elect him as an officer! Anyway, I love reunions and encourage you to come and join the fun.

From Matt: (amatthewrosen@gmail.com) I cannot agree any more strongly with Eileen. While I love my Skidmore friends, I always meet “new” people at reunions (including spouses) who turn out to be absolutely incredible people. Every single reunion is a treat and a surprise. Also, I feel like we need to celebrate the school. During our time, Skidmore was an institution in transition. Since then, it has become one of the top rated liberal arts colleges in the Country, bar none. Every time I return, I kvell. Please join us in sharing our common pride.

So our advice to you is the following: Save June 2-5, 2016 to come to your Skidmore Reunion Contact anyone of us if you want to volunteer to help in any way (We are very eager to have as many

volunteers as possible). Help your class out by giving to your alma mater and giving any amount you can. (We also want to break our

class participation records for the number that contribute.) Call your friends and tell them to join us on this Reunion journey Let us know if you have any ideas about how to make Reunion more attractive to you and others.

We have every reason to be proud and to celebrate Skidmore and one another. But we need you to make it happen. We really want to see you. For three days (give or take), we want you to join us once again to revisit the places where so much of who we are came into focus; to talk, eat, drink, and party with the people who bore witness with us on that leg of the journey; to marvel at the “cool” people whom we meet at reunion but somehow didn't know while we were students; and to raise a glass and shed a tear for those who are no longer here to join us at the party. On June 2-5, 2016, the Spirit of ’76 lives again—prouder and stronger than ever before.

In the Spirit of ’76, with respect and love,

Matt Rosen and Eileen Crowley Sullivan Reunion Co-Chairs (and Past President and Vice President of your Senior Class)

P.S. Look for your Skidmore memorabilia and tuck some special items aside to bring to reunion. Check out the back page—a picture of the button we received the day we arrived and the t-shirt we were given as freshmen!

Your Help is Needed! A great way to reconnect and get to know many of your fellow alumni is by volunteering on behalf of your class and Skidmore. There are several ways you can volunteer:

Are you a great organizer or planner? We can use your talents to help with all the great activities planned for your class.

We are always in need of volunteers to encourage other classmates to come to Reunion and support Skidmore. All you need to do is reach out to others to get them on board and back to campus.

Become a class officer, join the Reunion planning committee, or become a fundraising volunteer.

Connect with alumni in your city: join a Regional Event Planning Committee.

Help current students by volunteering to be an alumni admissions interviewer, or join the Career Advisor Network.

If you would like to find out how you can put your skills and talents to work ,please visit alumni.skidmore.edu/volunteer or contact:

Megan Mercier Alumni Relations & College Events

Phone: (518) 580-5610 Email: mmercier@skidmore.edu

Adam Wald Skidmore Fund

Phone: (518) 580-5641 Email: awald@skidmore.edu

Paul Mastrodonato Leadership Gifts

Phone: (518) 580-5623 Email: pmastrod@skidmore.edu

Class of 1976 Volunteers

President Merilee Mapes Perkins

Fund Chair Carol R. Goldberg

Friends of the Presidents Chair Marilee Mapes Perkins

Secretaries Ingeborg Hegemann Clark Nancy Reeves Reardon

Reunion Chairs Eileen Crowley Sullivan Matthew Rosen

Nursing Chairs Mary Pat Roggenberg Sarah Morgan Schwartzstein Terry Thomas Fulmer

Class Agents & Reunion Volunteers Erin Crowley Sullivan Claire Dworak Olsen Beverley Estabrook Mastrianni Susan A. Flanagan Deborah Gosnell Roach Ellen Hole McGrail Janet Ingalls VanDine Elizabeth M. Lowe Grace Meade Diggs Matthew Rosen Amy Simons Abramovich Mary Steele Wingerath

Please visit alumni.skidmore.edu/volunteer

for more information about the roles available.

Summer Planning Meeting Gang! L to R: Betsy Lowe, Grace Meade Diggs, Amy Simons Abramovich, Janet Ingalls VanDine, Ellen Hole McGrail, Carol Goldberg, Merilee Mapes Perkins

By Web

www.skidmore.edu/makeagift

By Mail Mail checks or credit card gifts to: Skidmore College North Hall 815 North Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-1632

By Phone

Call in your gift, using American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa, to (518) 580-5620 or toll-free (800) 584-0115. You can also specify a monthly payment option ($10 minimum).

Transfer of Stock, Bonds or Mutual Funds

For information: contact Denise Jenks at (800) 584-0115 ext. 5605.

EFTs

For information on making your gift via electronic funds transfer, please contact Denise Jenks at (800) 584-0115 ext. 5605.

Matching Gifts

You can double or triple your gift if you (or your spouse) work for a company with a matching gift program. Please contact your Human Resources Department for details or to check if your employer matches gifts.

Gift Planning

Gift annuities, charitable trusts, bequests. Please contact the Office of Gift Planning at (518) 580-5655.

Honor the Past. Provide for the Future. Our 40

th Reunion is a time to celebrate fond

memories, old friendships, new connections, and the lifelong benefits of a Skidmore education. Please consider joining Skidmore's Legacy Society to help ensure those same experiences for future generations. Find out how easy it is to establish a bequest commitment, retirement gift plan, a charitable gift annuity, or any other planned gift. Contact Andy Campbell at (518) 580-5658 or andy.campbell@skidmore.edu or

visit www.skidmore.edu/giftplanning.

Make sure your email, address, and phone number are current so that you receive all of the reunion communications!

Visit www.skidmoreconnect.org to update your contact information! First time on Skidmore Connect? Just follow the steps for first time access.

Did you know? Career Development Services for Alumni

Skidmore’s Career Development Center is committed to supporting all students and alumni through the creative process of integrating their liberal arts education into a satisfying career. The College has dedicated a key position within the Career Development Center to provide lifetime career services to all alumni. Services include: one-on-one career counseling (in person, by phone, or by Skype), resume and CV preparation, networking opportunities, access to all online resources and databases, and job search assistance. For more information on the services provided for alumni, please contact the Career Development Center at 518-580-5790 or online at www.skidmore.edu/career/.

1976 Photo Gallery

Dear Class of ’76, Next June will be our 40th reunion! We want to do something BIG to celebrate this momentous event and we need your help. Our plan is to set class records for attendance and fundrais-ing this year. The Class of 1976 has been incredibly generous over the years and we know that this reunion year will be no exception. In honor of our 40th, we have a class fundraising goal of 40% participation, but we can only do that with your support. This is a special opportunity to show appreciation for our Skidmore experience 40 years ago, to honor Skidmore today and to support Skidmore well into the future. We hope to raise $122,000 to present to Skidmore at our reunion next June. We can do it! Every donation matters. Every amount matters. Please consider joining Skidmore’s leadership giving society – Friends of the Presidents (FOP). Your gift of $2,500 or more qualifies you as an FOP. A big thank you to those who are already members of the Friends of the Presidents! If you have been one of the’76 FOP members and have not yet sent in your pledge, please do so and consider increasing your gift in celebration of this special year. If you have ever thought about becoming an FOP, join us and do it this year. Our goal is to have 18 members of our class become members of the Friends of the Presidents this year. Your gift can be made with monthly credit card payments between now and next May. This will provide a tax deduction in both 2015 and 2016 and may well enable you to give more. Also, planned gifts, such as charitable gift annuities, provide support for Skidmore and income for you. Now is the time to be creative and consider a variety of options for giving that you may not have tried before. We can help you be creative! Please call us or Skidmore for planned giving sug-gestions. The Spirit of ’76 is alive and well! Thank you for generously supporting Skidmore!!

Carol Merilee Carol R. Goldberg Merilee Mapes Perkins Fund Chair Friends of the Presidents Chair crgoldberg@comcast.net mperkins@sanfordymca.org

Have your own ‘76 picture? Email it to our Social Media Chairs Amy Simons Abramovich (amy.abramovich@gmail.com) or Grace Meade Diggs (grace.diggs@gmail.com) or post it di-rectly to our Facebook page!