On Friday, May 19, La Salle hosted its second annual Golden Falcon Luncheon. This year’s event reunited the class of 1973 after 50 years.

Although this new tradition was originally set to begin in 2020 for the fiftieth anniversary of the graduating class of 1970, it was canceled due to the pandemic. The ongoing COVID-19 mandates then led to the cancellation of the celebration for the class of 1971 in 2021. Instead of happening then, the inaugural event was held last year and was a combined celebration with classes 1971 and 1972. 

Although different classes have gotten together for other big reunions supported by La Salle, the fiftieth reunion is the only one that the school officially plans.

This event took about three months of preparation, and the planning involved setting a date on the school calendar at the beginning of the year to get people invited early enough, finding a caterer, and getting decorations for the luncheon itself. 

In addition, communications content manager Mr. Sam Valdez made sure to put together a slideshow of their yearbooks to play during the luncheon.

“It’s really a celebration of people who graduated from La Salle 50 years ago,” said Ms. Michelle Crimmins, Director of Giving and Alumni Relations. “It’s an opportunity to invite them back to the school, have them see what it looks like now, [and] have them interact with students who are seniors fifty years behind them in school to see what’s the same and what’s different.”

Through email, family ties, and connections to the school, La Salle has been able to stay connected with many alumni throughout the years.

“I think more than 40% of the incoming class next year is related to someone who is attending La Salle or has attended La Salle, like a sibling, a grandparent, a parent, an aunt, [or] an uncle,” Ms. Crimmins said. “So there’s a lot of family connections. And we mostly communicate with our alumni through email, old-fashioned phone calls, and they follow us on social media.”

The schedule for this event involved a Mass held in the chapel with senior student participants followed by student-led tours. The event concluded with the actual luncheon, which began at 11:15 a.m.

Throughout the entire experience, the “Golden Falcons” were able to reflect and catch up on their lives since graduation.

“It’s great to see all my classmates,” Michael Orth said. “I do see some of them occasionally, socially, and some I haven’t seen since the day of graduation.”

Many of the Golden Falcons commented on the familiarity of the layout of the school and mentioned how the hallways, courtyard, cafeteria, and lockers looked identical.

Not only were some of the physical aspects of the school familiar to some of the Golden Falcons, but many mentioned the feeling of community and inclusivity they felt back then also present 50 years later. 

“The same, I think, is just the community aspect of La Salle,” said Susan Kahut, formerly known as Susan Kocher.

Since 1973, La Salle has undergone many physical changes, including the building of the Saalfeld Athletic Center and reconstruction of the theater lobby, that several of the Golden Falcons admired.

“I’m impressed with how the school looks, how it’s grown … all the new additions and how it’s expanded,” Terry Joy said.

Despite having graduated five decades ago, the Golden Falcons fondly revisited the place where many memories were once made.

“There is truly something special about this place, and it’s hard to put into words,” Joy said.