Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

The Class of ’74 attended UD during tumultuous times. The Vietnam War, Watergate and the Arab Oil Embargo were just a few of the national headlines during their time as Flyer undergraduates.

The events may have caused division in the nation but, in the student neighborhood, stronger bonds were being made. From porch to porch, these Flyers became active and engaged. Now they’re celebrating their unity of 50 years as they prepare to be inducted as Golden Flyers this year at Reunion Weekend.

“Our class has been number one — or close to it — in participation year after year,” said Steve Mueller, Reunion Weekend co-chair for the Class of ’74. They even led all alumni classes this year in the number of donors during One Day, One Dayton.

“I think all of the social unrest in the nation when we were on campus drew us together, probably like the classes now who experienced COVID-19 and everything else going on,” said Karen Wurmser, fellow co-chair.

From their days on campus forward, Flyers like Mueller and Wurmser make a positive difference by making the decisions to participate whenever they can, like volunteering with the University. They have both helped with Reunion Weekend almost every chance since graduation. You can volunteer with Reunion Weekend, too.

And whenever Flyers get involved, they make things better.

For many reunions, they’d talk to classmates and find things to bring back to remind each other of their times on campus. This year, they heard University Archives was working on a project to find photos and items for a fun display.

“So, just kind of being us, I said, ‘I’d like to go see that and maybe we can help them pick out some things,’” said Mueller. “We weren’t invited to do it. We kind of invited ourselves over there.”

That level of interest and the desire to make things better was a common theme as Wurmser and Mueller talked about their experience with UD.

“Like helping out with Reunion Weekend,” said Wurmser as they discussed their roles as co-chairs of their class committee. “We just kind of inserted ourselves.” They saw a need and knew they could help. That’s been the spirit of their class from day one at UD 50 years ago.

“I think we’re a group that, when there’s an opportunity to do something, we say, ‘Let’s see if we can make it a little bit better,’” said Mueller.

It’s an attitude that has served them well in life, and, in true Flyer fashion, serving others. When they see an opportunity to make a difference, they seize it. In doing so, they’ve made our community a better place, one golden opportunity at a time.