Eisenhower Alumni Re-visit Seneca Falls

Alumni of the former Eisenhower College returned to Seneca Falls August 4-6 to celebrate their annual homecoming weekend at New York Chiropractic College, once home to Eisenhower College. This year’s event marked the 30th anniversary of the Class of 1976 and the 25th anniversary of the Class of 1981. Though held in the dead of summer, celebrations included a “New Year’s Eve Party,” in keeping with the long-standing November tradition at Eisenhower College. On Saturday, alumni enjoyed a picnic lunch and presentation of Eisenhower College Alumni Association (ECAA) scholarship awards to Mynderse Academy students Jonathan R. Young and Matthew B. Quinn. ECAA Archivist Virginia “Gigi” Carnes lectured on the Eisenhower archival collection’s history and the alumni association’s future goals for archiving presidential and college memorabilia currently on display in the New York Chiropractic College library. There was also a rededicated of Punkin Park, a grassy expanse named for Joseph Andrew “Punkin” Campbell. The son of Eisenhower College philosophy professor James Campbell and his wife, Mary Ann, Punkin lost his life in a tragic accident in 1973 at the age of 8. On Saturday, NYCC faculty and graduates currently serving in the New York Guard conducted a flag-raising ceremony to commemorate the 40th anniversary of President and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower‘s gift of the campus flagpole, presented by their son John on December 12, 1966. The flag they raised was flown over the U.S. Capitol building on May 28 of this year to honor the 34th anniversary of the graduation of Eisenhower College’s charter class, and in honor of NYCC. Pam Havens, ECAA chair, expressed the organization’s wishes to “acknowledge our very special and unique bond to this area and to our hosts and friends at New York Chiropractic College.” The ECAA Legacy Award, presented this year to New York Chiropractic College, traditionally recognizes those who have made significant contributions to perpetuating the legacy of Eisenhower College, its world-studies education, or the ECAA itself. Drs. Frank Nicchi, president of NYCC, and Beth Donohue, NYCC’s liaison to Eisenhower’s alumni association, received the award on behalf of NYCC on two separate occasions. Donohue was lauded by the ECAA for having helped pave the way for collaboration between the former and current colleges, and was named as an “Honorary Alumnus” of Eisenhower College. A cocktail party, dinner and awards ceremony honored distinguished alumni and faculty and closed the homecoming events. According to Havens, the Eisenhower College Alumni Association has thrived for nearly 25 years and will continue to work to keep the unique memory of Eisenhower College alive.