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Donning gold regalia, members of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Class of 1967 were invited to campus to participate in a special Golden Graduate reunion. The distinguished guests received a commemorative medallion Saturday, May 6 as they walked across the stage during the final spring 2017 commencement ceremony.

“It was an honor to shake hands with this distinguished group of alumni, and present them with a commemorative medallion,” said Chancellor Randy Pembrook. “The memories they hold are to be cherished, and this milestone anniversary allowed for a grand celebration of their life accomplishments.”

It was a meaningful and reminiscent reunion weekend, hosted by the SIUE Alumni Association. A video highlighting the golden graduates’ experience is available here.

“When we graduated in 1967, we graduated in a field,” recalled Golden Graduate Darlene Roy. “There was not a building large enough to hold us. Now, I actually get a chance to cross the stage at the University I graduated from.”

Roy remembers applying to attend college at the East St. Louis campus with a group of her friends.

“A group of us got together and decided we’d apply for this new college down in East St. Louis, so that’s what we did in May of that year,” Roy said. “We got accepted, and we started in September. We got engaged in all of the activities on campus, having a good time and meeting new people.”

Fifty years after graduating, SIUE’s campus has grown and flourished. Roy has also flourished, finding personal and professional success in the area as president of the Eugene B. Redmond Writer’s Club, the first vice chair of the Mid America Workforce Investment Board and retired director of the Department of Human Services’ East St. Louis Office, among other accomplishments.

“I got the basic training, made the correct connections and have been able to give back in a lot of different ways, and I’m incredibly proud of that,” she said.

Fellow 1967 graduate Gary Gorrell is quick to emphasize the transformative role SIUE played in his life. He calls his quest for admission to SIUE, the “greatest story of my life.”

According to Gorrell, it was at SIUE that someone in admissions gave him a chance.

“I drove up to Alton, to what was then Shurtleff College, and asked for the admissions office,” Gorrell remembered fondly. “They told me it was just one guy, so I went up to him and introduced myself. I said, ‘Sir, I guarantee you right now I’m going to be the best student I can possibly be. I don’t care what my background is. Give me a chance.’ And that was my story. Simply, that’s it. And the man listened to me.”

Gorrell went on to prove himself by passing two summer courses. He then completed a bachelor’s in business at SIUE.

“It’s an institution that’s pretty well made me for whatever I am,” he said. “It’s made me an educated person. I’ve done well. And, all of that came from SIUE. It’s just a fact.”

As the Golden Graduates from the class of ’67 crossed the stage, they carried with them lives full of memories, accomplishments, challenges and triumphs. Each journey has been different, but each individual began with the solid foundation of a college education from SIUE.

During the Golden Graduation Reunion, the alumni also attended a reception hosted by Chancellor Pembrook and participated in a campus bus tour.

Photo: Donning gold regalia, members of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Class of 1967 were invited to campus to participate in a special Golden Graduate reunion.