“Nice seeing you again.”

This common phrase was repeated during the Golden Grads Luncheon on Wed, Sept. 28. The event, gives golden grads ?” alumni who graduated fifty or more years ago ?” a chance to reunite and be honored for the foundation they had set for Sacramento State.

According to Joseph Sheley, executive vice president of the university, the luncheon is a tradition that has taken place for the last five years. This year the luncheon celebrated the graduating classes of the years 1949 – 1955. Sheley mentioned that it is important to remember and honor this particular generation for their contribution to the university’s establishment.

“They helped launch Sac State,” he said.

The event is held in conjunction with homecoming week at Sac State for a reason, Sheley said. “We try to time this along with homecoming, because, in a sense, that’s exactly what it is. It’s 50-to-60 people coming home.”

The Alumni Center was full of smiles as the event began. Many laughed and looked through the yearbooks of their graduating classes.

Pictures of the establishment of the campus were displayed in front of the room. They noticed that the campus has undergone various changes throughout the years.

Bruce Swinehart, class of 1951, realized how much the university had developed. He mentioned that when he attended Sac State a lot of the classes were held at Sacramento City College.

“It’s interesting. As we drive around and see how much the area has changed,” Swinehart said. Many enjoyed the company of their former classmates, including Swinehart. Ferole Corbet, who received her Bachelor’s degree in 1952 and her Master’s in 1969 in education, also enjoyed the luncheon.

Corbet has been an attendee of the event since its start to stay updated with the university and to see old friends.

“Seeing some of my old classmates is the best part,” Corbet said. “It also gives me a chance to reconnect with the campus and the university.”

Dave Morse, one of the first students from the university to graduate in 1949 and the first president of the Alumni Association, explained that the intent of the association is to do just that.”The Alumni Association keeps a tab of everybody. Everybody that has gone out into the world and it keeps a track of what they’ve done. It gives them a chance to get back together and see each other,” Morse said. “This is wonderful.

“To come back together again.”

Morse recalled the days when Sac State was not a unified college. He described the process of building that united campus.

“We weren’t a college in the sense of having unity and organization,” he said. “We had to build that. “We enjoyed starting the first paper, the fight song, the first yearbook, and being a part of the first graduating class. All these things gave unity.”

“We started to make a unified school,” Morse said. “When you started talking about Sacramento State, it meant something. It gave you spirit.”

Board members agreed that these golden grads are important to the history of the university. Larry Augusta, board member of the Alumni Association, said that this generation was the cohort which got the campus started. They were the students who chose the school colors, mascot and composed the fight song, he explained.

“These people are pioneers,” Augusta said.

Throughout the years the event has grown, according to Sheley the first event only had about ten attendees compared with the 50-60 attendees at the event on Wednesday afternoon. The association expects that it will expand as time goes on.

“We intend to continue this tradition,” Sheley said. “And each year it expands.”