a visit to the old campus

Several weeks ago I received a phone call from a member of the Advancement Office at Pitzer College. Interestingly, he was not asking for money, but was wanting to make sure that Terry’s contact information was correct, which it wasn’t. He also has been talking to alumni around the country to learn what their lives have been like since graduation. He offered to come out to Hemet so he could buy me lunch and talk to me. Immediately after hanging up I had the thought, why would I want him to come to Hemet when I could go to Claremont and visit the old campus?

I did that last week. The campus is very much changed. There are new dorms, which are actually multi-use buildings that also house administrative functions. The clock tower and McConnell Center, which housed and still houses the dining hall, have been painted. Other buildings have been remodeled. It was interesting and disorienting. I did, however, get to see for the first time the brick that I donated back in about 2006 or so when I was employed and could afford to do such things.

Steve from the Advancement office took me to a really nice bistro-style restaurant in the Village (so much bigger and so much changed!) where I described my life during and since Pitzer. I enjoyed an incredibly delicious Mexican pizza.

It was a great visit and an enjoyable day.