Record Attendance and Giving Define Alumni Weekend Alumni returned to campus to celebrate W&L’s annual spring gathering.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Washington and Lee University welcomed 1,119 alumni and guests from the classes of 1976-2011 back to campus April 30-May 3 to celebrate its annual spring Alumni Weekend, which also saw record-setting giving. Reunion participants — a record 760 alumni, including four pairs of legacy family members — traveled from 42 states, Washington, D.C., and four countries to reconnect with one another and their alma mater. The alumni support was also reflected in their philanthropy as the collective class reunion gifts totaled more than $23.7 million to the university.

“Alumni Weekend is a special occasion for W&L alumni and the entire campus community, and it’s wonderful to see generations of alumni back on campus, reminiscing and celebrating their shared bonds,” said John Jensen ’01, executive director of Alumni and Career Services. “It’s been exciting to experience the increasing number of alumni who return for their reunions. For the second time in a row and only the third time in our reunion history, we welcomed back more than 50 attendees from every reunion class, and the Class of 1991 set a new 35th reunion record for attendance. And as a reunion participant myself, it was amazing to reconnect with my 2001 classmates and friends as we enjoyed being together again on campus.”

The Alumni Weekend schedule was filled with engaging programs, from the Opening Assembly to class receptions and dinners to the Alumni Association’s annual meeting and awards assembly to the Kentucky Derby viewing party to the festive Grand Finale on Cannan Green. Other noteworthy events included the military veterans affinity gathering, a Campus Kitchen service project and a celebration of life program honoring classmates who had passed.

Opening Assembly keynote speaker Mike McAlevey ’86, P’17, P’20 touched on three phases of the W&L experience: what he and his classmates thought of W&L when they arrived, what they thought it had given them when they graduated and, 40 years later, how they understand their relationship to the university today.

“By the time our class graduated in 1986, we felt ready,” said McAlevey, former rector and emeritus member of the W&L Board of Trustees. “Not because we knew everything, but because we had learned how to think, how to engage and how to hold ourselves accountable. … The liberal arts education we received here did not prepare us for one profession or for one life; it prepared us to adapt, to learn continuously, to deal with complexity without panic, to communicate clearly when things are unclear, to lead and be led by others.”

The Opening Assembly also included the ODK Alpha Circle induction of four alumni: Sybil Prince Nelson ’01, P’28, Stephen Philipson ’01, Bill Garrison ’76 (posthumously) and Gary Seldomridge ’76.

The annual meeting of the Alumni Association was held in University Chapel on Saturday morning. The Alumni Association elected Bert Ponder ’83, P’16, of Atlanta, as incoming president and Cory Mettee Birdsall ’99, of Owings Mills, Maryland, as vice president, as well as six new members of the Alumni Board of Directors: Mike Bearup ’85, P’20, of Arvada, Colorado; Julie Mayo Bradbury ’97, P’25, of Atlanta; Trey Kuppin ’00, of Dallas; Douglas Lindsay ’92, of Atlanta; Catie Caldwell Lipsey ’03, of Denver; and Jamila Seaton ’09,of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The Alumni Association also honored four individuals with the Distinguished Alumni Award during Saturday’s Generals Assembly. Receiving the Alumni Association’s highest honor were Dr. Harold R. Howe Jr. ’76, P’05, P’07, Judge J. Michael Luttig ’76, P’14, Jayson Lipsey ’01 and Crystal Simpson McElwain ’01.

Back-to-Back Giving Records

The success of the weekend was underscored by record-breaking giving in support of W&L’s Leading Lives of Consequence capital campaign. Collectively, this year’s reunion classes set new giving records by raising more than $2.1 million for the 2025-2026 W&L Fund and committing a total of $8.65 million in current gifts and future pledges to the W&L Fund. This marks the first time W&L has broken the overall reunion giving record in back-to-back years. The classes of 1986, 1996, 2001 and 2006 announced class gifts to the W&L Fund of $1 million or more, with the latter three all setting records for their reunion years. In addition, the Class of 2026 became the first senior class to win the Seniors vs. 25th Reunion Challenge, with 42% contributing to the W&L Fund.

The Class of 1976 raised more than $8.1 million for their 50th reunion gift in support of the W&L Fund, the Institutional History Museum and other campaign priorities, while the Class of 2001 broke multiple reunion giving records in raising $10 million for their class gift, including the largest overall gift total, the largest reunion class project total ($2.5 million for the Elrod Commons renovation) and the largest 25th reunion W&L Fund commitment ($2.5 million).

“Alumni Weekend, at its core, is an opportunity for alumni to return to campus, reconnect with classmates and friends and support their alma mater,” said Susan Wood, vice president for University Advancement. “This year’s record attendance and record-breaking reunion giving are powerful reminders of the meaningful role W&L continues to play in the lives of our alumni. We are deeply grateful not only for the generosity shown throughout the weekend, but also for the many ways our alumni continue to volunteer their time, leadership and support on behalf of the university. Their commitment helps strengthen the W&L community for current students and future generations.”