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During Mike Weisend’s college visit to Heidelberg, he was searching for an elusive biology professor as he contemplated a major in physics or biology. The nowhere-to-be-found professor, Dr. Bob Murray, was eventually located in a dark room, singing and strumming his guitar with students. "From that moment, I knew this was the place I wanted to be. That was the way I hoped I could interact with faculty. It was so cool," said Weisend, ’87, now a renowned neuroscientist. The folk-singing biology professor, a faculty icon who is now retired, may have been the catalyst, but there was much more that Weisend discovered at Heidelberg. That encounter, though, did set the stage for four productive undergrad years that led to master’s and doctoral degrees in behavioral neuroscience from the University of New Mexico.

“Sweet Alma Home” is a little bit sweeter this time of year. " At least once a day, I think about the words or I sing it or listen to it, so it’s a part of my being," says Ed, who returned to campus for Alumni Weekend to again organize and conduct the Alumni Choir. For the past 20 or so years, a collection of former Concert Choir members has relived their glory days by performing at the annual Alumni Weekend luncheon. Early on, the draw was the chance to once again sing for the legendary Dr. Ferris Ohl. Ed understands that; he was among those singers. He also understands that he now stands where a giant of Heidelberg music once stood, and that’s not only humbling but a huge honor.

Tom Dunn, ’72 BS in Business Administration, Accounting and Economics Rick Hills, ’72 BS in Business Administration, Accounting and Economics Greg Kirk, ’72 BS in Business Administration, Accounting and Economics Rick Brunner, ’72 BA in Music Jake Moyer, ’73 BS in Health and Physical Education

I do a lot of writing. A lot of painting, too. I try to intermittent mix the two.

My biggest fear is complacency. Anyone can be an agent of change and have the power to create the learning experiences that they want.

We had our senior skip day in high school and if we didn’t do something productive with our day, we would get a suspension. A couple of my girlfriends and I came to Tiffin and went around town to fill out applications, just to show we did something with our day.

Theirs is the classic Heidelberg love story: Excelsior guy meets Philalethean girl at a Greek party, makes her lunch the next day – “he’s an amazing cook, always has been” -- and 28 years later, they are still inseparable. “I found the love of my life at Heidelberg,” says Jeff Sweeney, who married Hope Porta, ’93 &’97 MAC, the same year she graduated with her undergrad degree. Because they had such great experiences at Heidelberg, they were thrilled when both of their sons chose Heidelberg as well. What’s even more rewarding is that Paul, a junior, and Will, a sophomore, are having the same great experiences their parents had. That has motivated Hope and Jeff to find ways to give back to Heidelberg.

I spent a year in Ulsan, South Korea in 2015. I didn’t know any Korean when I got there.

At the time I thought I was OK and had everything together but people are so ignorant at that age. Even though I had a lot of experience prior to that and knew what I had to do, I was still so inexperienced.

I like anything with an adventure. You can label it as landscape photography, but it’s anything where I have to walk through this or climb up this to get to that. My photography allows me to be adventurous.

I started getting prepublication books this way and fell in love with them. I’m often one of the first people to read a book and by the time it gets published, I can hopefully meet the author or get an autographed version.

I grew up in Montréal in a truly bilingual family. My father always spoke English to me and my mother always spoke French.

To me, if I can’t do it to its fullest, I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to be on the sidelines. I wasn’t able to do it to my fullest potential so I had to part with it.

So, yeah, I watched my team win a championship on a small TV on the Texas-Mexico border.

Co-owner, along with her husband, Brad, of Tiffin Aire Inc. The Newmans take great pride in being a family-owned and operated business that was founded in 1968 by Kim’s parents, Dwight and Jeanne Gnepper, with only three employees. When her parents retired in 1989, Kim and Brad bought Tiffin Aire and have grown it tremendously in almost three decades. Today, Tiffin Aire offers aircraft charter, flight instruction and rental, aircraft sales and maintenance, parts and oil sales and propeller/governor sales and service and de-ice boot sales/installation.

You never know when it could happen. Older kids and adults know what they can have and what could happen to them. My little guy could see a peanut on the floor, pick it up and eat it.

I have an amazing group of friends who are strong, independent women who know exactly what they want. They’re fierce. They’re ambitious. They’re so loving and kind. They inspire me to be more than I am.

It’s symbolic to me. Forever, I’m going to have my kids’ names on me but in their handwriting.