Dear Friends from the USM Class of 1974,

We are so excited to see you all this summer on June 21 and 22 for our 50th reunion.

As you may know, USM is in the advanced gift stage of the Our Commitment to Excellence campaign to help our alma mater broaden instruction for the next generation of learners, leaders, and citizens. One of our campus needs is reforestation and expanding the outdoor education programs for our students. To celebrate our 50th reunion and leave a lasting legacy for the Class of 1974 on our campus, we are raising funds to create an outdoor educational landscape that would be used to help all students foster a love of, and appreciation for, the outdoors. One of USM’s strategic priorities as a school is to utilize our gorgeous 130 acre campus more fully to help instill in our students, present and future, an appreciation for nature and reverence for the outdoors.

Our goal for our class is to raise $250,000 as a reunion gift from the Class of 1974. This gift will include:

• An educational pond, strategically located close to campus, so that it can be used by students in all divisions for scientific study.
• Two scrapes (ephemeral ponds) to help diversify the existing vernal ponds in our campus near our head of school’s residence, allowing students to explore the ecosystem of shallow water environments. 
• A structure that can be used by students and faculty as an outdoor classroom space that would be located near the educational pond.

To help encourage our class to support this great project, one of our classmates has generously offered to make a 1:1 match of any donation made to the Class of 1974 reunion gift, up to $500,000, making the potential total gift amount from the Class of 1974 $1,000,000. Half of this gift would be earmarked for scholarships, and the other half for the outdoor educational project initiatives listed above (ponds, scrapes, and structure). 

We have set up this web page to assist with donations for this project. You can make a one-time gift, or pledge your gift over the course of three to five years. Please consider your wonderful experiences, lifelong friendships, and lasting impact of your University School of Milwaukee education. This meaningful gift from the Class of 1974 will further enhance the USM educational experience for future generations of Wildcats. 

We thank you for your thoughtful consideration and look forward to celebrating together with you all during Reunion Weekend as we come together for our 50 year reunion! As another great piece of news, two of our classmates, Kip Jacobs ’74 and Mark Hansen ’74, will receive the Alumni Service Award for their continued passion, dedication, and care for our alma mater. We are thrilled for them and hope that you can make it to the Summer Soirée cocktail party on campus, Friday, June 21. The cocktail party is from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and the program to honor Kip and Mark will take place at 6:15 p.m., prior to the start of the cookout at Dudley Godfrey’s home at 7 p.m. 

Looking forward to seeing all of you!

The Class of 1974 Reunion Giving Committee:
Leona Chen, David Chester, Dudley Godfrey, Cynda Rohmer