So many emotions have pervaded Pomona's Alumni Relations Office since the events of September 11. In an effort to connect to alumni in the affected areas, the office sent an e-mail to alumni in New York City and Washington, D.C., the day after the tragedy. We received hundreds of responses--evidence that the Pomona community draws people together across great distances and even great tragedy.

In their heartfelt responses to our e-mail, alumni in New York and D.C. shared harrowing tales about their experiences that day. One alumnus who worked in one of the WTC towers did indeed get to safety, but he stayed nearby to assist in treating other victims. An alumnus in D.C. who heard the explosion at the Pentagon while teaching at a nearby junior high school, spent the day talking with his students--and listening to them. These are two of the many stories that confirm that Pomona alumni continue to bear their added riches for humankind, most especially needed at these uncertain times.

As your alumni director, I work to keep you, as alumni, connected to the College. The events of September 11 re-affirmed how important it is to help Pomona alumni stay connected to each other. As we all struggle to deal with new realities that we never thought imaginable, the Alumni Office will remain a source of information for alumni to reconnect to friends and classmates. Through the Alumni On-Line Community, you can search an up-to-date directory that includes contact information for Pomona alumni. Through the reunion class e-mail listservs, you can exchange news with classmates. And through the regional community e-mail listservs, we will continue to share information about the College. Please visit the Alumni Web site at www.pomona.edu/alumni to subscribe to any of these online services and update your information so that we can help others connect to friends.

Since September 11, the Alumni Regional Communities have hosted 13 events across the nation, and at each one it was clear that Pomona provides a necessary and meaningful way for alumni to reconnect. The Alumni Association Board reminds us that the mission of the association is to "enrich and perpetuate the bonds between the College and those who have passed through its gates for their mutual growth, support and benefit." Along with the many alumni volunteers who work throughout the year to fulfill that mission, we in the Alumni Office work daily to perpetuate those bonds. It is our responsibility to interpret the College of today so that alumni understand how the campus has changed. In spite of those changes, the foundation of Pomona remains strong, and we will continue to build upon that foundation of community and support by offering you a variety of programs and services that keep you connected to the College and to each other.

--Nancy Treser-Osgood '80
Director of Alumni Relations