For answers, scroll to the bottom of this page.
1. During his class’s 25th reunion, Pete Conrad ’53 sent a telegram to the class tent with the message “Sorry, I can’t attend, but I’m ‘out of town on business.’” Where was he?
2. True or false? Before the appointment of an alumni secretary in 1934, University administration was not involved in Reunions planning, and classes bid against each other for the best locations, causing strife.
3. Inspired by the longstanding tradition of the P-rade at Reunions, the Pre-rade was introduced in 2004 to do what?
4. When did the tradition of Saturday evening fireworks during Reunions begin?
5. Who is the Poe of Poe Field?
6. In 1870, ground was broken for a five-story building with 70 rooms named Reunion Hall. It stood for 95 years. Which reunion did it commemorate?
7. How long did it take alumni to travel with the “Commencement Special” train from Chicago to Princeton, established in 1911?
8. Who wrote and who illustrated the booklet Going Back: The Uniqueness of Reunions and P-rades at Princeton University (1999)?
9. In June 1897, after Reunions, George “Horse” Edwards 1889, who suffered from tuberculosis, died according to his wishes in his old dorm room at East College, surrounded by friends and former professors. “I want to see one more Yale game and attend another Ivy dinner, and then I shall be happy,” he had told friends the previous year. Where was his “old East College?”
10. When did PAW publish its first Reunions Guide?
11. How many people typically visit campus for Reunions?
12. Who leads the P-rade and what do they carry?
For more Princeton trivia, check out The Princeton University Trivia Book (expected publication May 2024) by Helene van Rossum and Daniel J. Linke.
Answers
1. He was orbiting the Earth aboard Skylab, his final mission in his career as an astronaut.
2. True! The first alumni secretary, Don Griffin 1923, coordinated with class reunion committees to plan events, eliminating the need to compete.
3. To welcome first-year students to the Princeton experience. At the end of Opening Exercises, freshmen march with the president and faculty and are welcomed by older classes and alumni, who introduce them to Princeton songs and cheers.
4. In 1996, when they were held to celebrate the 250th anniversary. It was planned to have them each year for five years so each major reunion class could enjoy them, but they proved so popular that they are now a Reunions mainstay.
5. John Prentiss “Johnny” Poe Jr. 1895, halfback player in 1891-1892, was the third of six brothers who all played on the Princeton varsity football team between 1882 and 1901. After he was killed in action in France in 1915, his classmates and friends provided funds for Poe Field in his memory.
6. A dormitory located between West College (now Morrison Hall) and Stanhope Hall, it commemorated the reunion of the Old and New Schools of the Presbyterian Church. President John F. Kennedy, who attended Princeton for a semester, lived there in the fall of 1935.
7. Twenty hours: It left Chicago at 10:30 a.m. CST and reached Princeton at 7:30 EST the next morning.
8. William K. Selden ’34 wrote the book, which was illustrated by Henry Martin ’48.
9. East College, built in 1833, was demolished later that year to make way for East Pyne. Its twin, West College, is currently used as office space (Morrison Hall).
10. In 1993, 31 years ago and counting!
11. More than 25,000.
12. The oldest member of the oldest class attending holds a black cane with a silver tiger top — a gift from the Class of 1923.