Alumni 55th Reunion Central

​​Allegheny Class of '​66

Allegheny Class of ’66

New Alma Mater  

 Fair Allegheny, yonder on the hill,

Through all the years our hearts are turning still.

In love to thee, and so they ever will.

O, Alma Mater, Beatissima.

Warm rests the sun, so soft on wall and vine;

No air in all the world can equal thine.

Again we flame our torches at they shrine.

O, Alma Mater, Beatissima.

Winning 3rd verse by Lynn Campbell Smith:

Strong are the bonds we’ve forged through college years
Hearts filled with pride, true friendships far and near
Forever prized, our memories we hold dear.
O Alma Mater, Beatissima.

Funny verse by Suzy Spence Miller

Fair we remain… though memory is shot
We don’t look young, the aging we have fought.
But for our age, we think we look quite hot!
O, Alma Mater, Beatissima

Other amazing entries in no particular order:

Don Zuris:  
Though many years have passed as we return to sing.
Once more to hear Bentley’s bell to ring.
It is to Dear Allegheny, and its memories that we cling.
O Alma Mater Beatissima.

Suzy Spence Miller:
O Allegheny, what a school thou art…
No better place for molding mind and heart.
All are transformed from wisdom you impart.
O, Alma Mater, Beatissima

Suzy Spence Miller:
What campus splendor - Bentley, Brooks and Ford.
Though best of all: the people we adored.
Friends that we met, we’ll cherish evermore.
O, Alma Mater, Beatissima

Lynn Campbell Smith:
Learning for life, reliance on ourselves
Advice & counsel guide us to excel
School pride & friendships follow us as well.
O Alma Mater, Beatissima

Pamela Chokel Campbell:
Fond are my thoughts, years gone though they may be                
Back to the friends, the bonds one still can see
To all who taught, who shared their best with me
Oh Alma Mater Beatissima

Mary Lou Carlson Hodgson:
When we depart, our legacies we bear  

With faithful hearts, forever in thy care.     

Our Allegheny, ever reigneth fair,      

O Alma Mater, Beatissima.

Charles F Whitaker III MD:      
Countless generations have studied on thy hill
Many future scholars following them still
Leaving with Pride and honor to her name
O Alma Mater Beatissima

AnitaBaker:             
Ties that unite, that bind and ever hold,
Lives thus enriched, thy legend ever told,
Daughters and sons, embrace the blue and gold,
O Alma Mater, Beatissima.

Suzy Spence Miller:
Fifty years we’ve been…. faithful to the core
Friends that we’ve kept… we cherish and adore
Thanks Allegheny… let’s do 50 more!
O, Alma Mater, Beatissima

Allegheny Alma Mater Contest - Class of 1966

And the Winner Is!

​Lynn Campbell Smith

Did you know?
…….that the words to the 2 verses of “Alma Mater Beatissima”* were written by an Allegheny graduate, John D. Hammond,  
…….and that he graduated in 1866 - one hundred years before we were to graduate? 

So Vicki Wolfram Muckinhaupt organized a contest to add another 

verse to celebrate his efforts. 

 Note: The actual tune, “National Hymn”, was created in 1888 by George W. Warren for the centennial celebration of the U.S. Constitution, to go along with words to the well-known “God of Our Fathers”, which was actually written to commemorate our nation’s centennial in 1876. 

 The rules:

1. Think about how Allegheny College has contributed to your last 50 years.
2.  Create a 4-line verse (i.e., poem) that expresses pride in Allegheny, shared memories of our generation, cleverness, and ease in singing to the tune of our Alma Mater.

Results:

There were eleven entries from our 1966 classmates and boy did the judges have a tough job selecting a winner!  While the voting was ever so close the winner was Lynn Campbell Smith.  Her verse was sung along with the original verses to Allegheny's Alma Mater at the 50th reunion Saturday night dinner.  But wait, there's more - the judges were so amused by a humorous entry by Suzy Spence Miller that we also sang that verse as well!  Below is the expanded alma mater, including the funny verse, followed by another nine terrific entries in no particular order.

Email from Vicki describing the contest,  judging and results:

Participants, thank you all again for your inspiring entries submitted for our 4th-verse Allegheny Alma Mater contest!  I have attached them all so that you can see how each of you captured a special attribute of Allegheny or presented similar ones in subtly different ways, making these an absolute feast for the judges as well as a real headache when it came to picking out a favorite!  

Thank you also, Toni (Toni Swain Marwitz), for your help in keeping this contest on course!  It was fun, wasn't it, in spite of your many other (major) responsibilities in regards to our 50th?  

Dr. Niblock, I thought you might get a kick out of this collection of "4th" verses, too, being not only a former Allegheny student but also an inspiration to current musical undergraduates there, some of whom might aspire to being lyricists, too!  Thank you so much for our wonderful collection of musical scores and audio parts. As I mentioned before, they meant so much to many of the former choral members who received them in preparation for our reunion June 2nd+ and will be a "living" souvenir of our weekend.  (I also sent them to many who were not able to attend so that they too could celebrate their Allegheny heritage in a real way.)  I want to add that we got together on campus to harmonize with this music together but it didn't happen as (informally) planned.  Nevertheless, we united as a choir in front of the rest of our attendees twice to lead them in the Alma Mater and in a pass-out of "Try to Remember".  

Fondest regards, Vicki