50th reunion

And it’s 1, 2, 3, 4 what are we fighting for?....Country Joe and the Fish

It looks like handsome Johnny with an M15, marching to the Vietnam War….Richie Havens

War, huh, yeah. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing......Edwin Starr

The war in Vietnam was a constant presence during our years in Cambridge. The years 1969-1973 brought to our collective lives anti-war marches, moratoriums, the first draft lottery, the invasion of Cambodia, the Kent State and Jackson State deaths, student strikes, the Pentagon Papers, the Paris Peace Accords and political upheaval. Intense discussions and consequential questions surrounded us. Should I give up my deferment and gamble on them not calling my draft number? Who is more patriotic, the hard hats or the anti-war folks? Can I talk about my brother, who flies helicopters in Vietnam, without alienating my anti-war friends? How do we reconcile our privileged college deferment when others, mostly poor working class boys of color, don’t have a college deferment or political or medical connections to keep them out of the war?

Fifty years later, what we thought about the war in Vietnam and the actions we took or didn’t take continue to influence our thoughts and actions as we react to current events. As young college students we didn’t trust anyone over 30 and thought we could change the world. Now, there is wisdom in our collective experience–and we are still trying to change the world.

Our 50th reunion is a chance to renew previous friendships and kindle new ones. Please come. It won’t be the same without you.

R E S P E C T, find out what it means to me….Aretha Franklin

I am woman, I am invincible, I am strong….Helen Reddy

The feelin’ good comes easy now, since I’ve got the pill….Loretta Lynn

Women in the class of 1973 were a part of the “second wave of feminism.” Outside of Radcliffe and Harvard Yards, “Our Bodies, Ourselves” and “Sisterhood is Powerful” were published in 1970 and consciousness-raising groups flourished. The year 1971 brought Supreme Court confirmation that women were included in the 14th amendment equal protection clause. In 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment was sent to the states for ratification, Title IX became law and restrictions for unmarried women obtaining “the pill” were lifted. Our graduation year saw the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision take place.

Women in our class were admitted to Radcliffe in 1969, and graduated from Harvard in 1973. The ratio was 4:1 male to female students. Some women felt outnumbered and intimidated in male-dominated lecture halls and classrooms. Others had already found their voice and exuded confidence, at least on the outside. There was a “Radcliffe room” in the basement of Memorial Hall, but only a few knew about it and found solace and support there. The “experiment” in co-educational living began in the spring of freshman year, making both women and men learn a great deal in a short period of time in an uncharted social situation.

The women of the Class of 1973 are deeply impacted by personal, social and political events of our college years. Our 50th reunion is an opportunity to reflect on those experiences and hear others’ perspectives. Please come to the Reunion (5/30-6/2/23). It won’t be the same without you.

Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud……James Brown

Picket lines and picket signs, don’t punish me with brutality…..Marvin Gaye

We shall not be moved…..Mavis Staples

In the fall of 1969, approximately 139 Black students arrived to study at Harvard/Radcliffe. It was possibly the largest number of African Americans admitted to date. The next four years would prove to be an awakening for all students to the importance of Black history and culture, the University’s white privileged view of its students and its investments in companies which were engaged in neo-colonial activities around the world, and underscore the urgent need for students to come together to make positive changes in the system. As we observe Black History Month and reflect on our college experiences and our own life paths, let’s celebrate the contributions of our Black classmates to our values and convictions.

Please come to the reunion . It won’t be the same without you.

Those were the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end…..Mary Hopkins

I’m 18 and I don’t know what I want….Alice Cooper

My faith was so much stronger then, I believed in fellow man, and I was so much older then when I was young….Eric Burdon and the Animals

2023, our 50th reunion year, has begun. Most of us have crossed the threshold into our 8th decade. We have had numerous and varied personal and professional experiences since coming to Cambridge in 1969. We have maintained many of our youthful passions and turned them into mature achievements and likely had miserable failures along the way. Our sense of the passage of time is great and there remains a desire to connect with others. Reunion plans are progressing. We will learn from and about each other and our families, discuss world-changing events, both past and present, reconcile any conflicting thoughts and feelings about our “good old” college days and remember who we were when we were young.

by Henrietta Wigglesworth Lodge

"Imagine all the people livin’ life in peace"…..John Lennon

"We should really love each other in peace and harmony"…..Bob Marley and the Wailers

"Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand, put a little love in your heart"…Jackie DeShannon

ClassACT HR73 wishes peace, harmony and love to you, your family, your friends and the world during this holiday season and always.

“Mercy, mercy me, things aren’t what they used to be.”… Marvin Gaye

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot”…. Joni Mitchell

“Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 1970s”…. Neil Young

Where were you on that spring day during our Freshman year? For most of us, mitigating the effects of climate change isn’t happening fast enough, but much has been accomplished since April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day. Back then there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Endangered Species Act and no UN COP Climate Change conferences. Did you gather on the Boston Common that day with 20 million other people nationwide to voice concerns about smog, polluted water and silent springs? How did being a Harvard/Radcliffe student that day influence your thinking about the environment? Have you dedicated your career to the planet? Do you and your family reduce, recycle and reuse or have solar panels on your roof? Are you anxious about the world we are leaving our children and grandchildren? Our 50th Reunion allows us to take stock, compare notes and, perhaps, as we did in 1970, continue to achieve change together.

October 2022 50th Reunion Note

by Henrietta Wigglesworth-Lodge

“Who are you?”..... The Who

“What’s Your Name? Is it Mary or Sue?”...Don and Juan

“Let me please introduce myself, I hope you know my name”….Rolling Stones

Our faces and the length of our hair may have changed a bit, but our Harvard/Radcliffe experiences are constants in our lives. Our reunion will provide plenty of opportunities to reconnect with people we knew then and meet others who shared the same four years in Cambridge. What was your relationship with Harvard/Radcliffe then? What is it now? Do you have vague memories or even complete blanks to fill? How did you expound on McLuhan’s “The Medium is the Message” for the Expos placement test? Did you get lost in the Widener stacks? Did you fill up blue exam books in Memorial Hall? Did you skinny dip in the Adams House pool? Where were you when Harvard Square was filled with rioters? Was there really a chimpanzee living at Cabot Hall? There will be many memorable conversations during the reunion. We hope you will be part of them. Please plan to come. It won’t be the same without you!

By Henrietta Wigglesworth-Lodge

“Come together…” (The Beatles)

“Someday we’ll be together…” (Diana Ross and the Supremes)

“Come on people now, smile on your brother (and sister), everybody get together…” (Youngbloods)

A recent unofficial, unscientific poll reveals that most people from the Harvard/Radcliffe Class of 1973 react with denial when asked to respond to the fact that in a few short months it will be 50 years since commencement. “It can’t be.” “No way.” “How did that happen?” “I don’t (look) (act) like those old geezers from the Class of 1923 that I saw.”

Well, Class of 1973 it’s time to come together and embrace our 50 th . We’ve all achieved, grieved, tried, failed, suffered, rejoiced, loved and learned. Some of us are nationally and internationally known leaders and make significant contributions to their fields and people’s experiences. Most of us have less visible lives but also make significant contributions to the people and communities we encounter. We have a great deal to share with each other.

A reunion is the act of coming together again after being apart. Please plan to be a part of the coming together of the Great Class of 1973. The plans are in the works for a wonderful time in Cambridge. ClassACT HR73, along with the HAA and reunion committee, will keep you updated as the planning continues.