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Those who were lucky enough to know Mary McLean Evans ’82 described her as the ultimate connector. Fittingly, earlier this year, her friends, including members of the Board of Trustees, established an endowed fund in honor of Evans: The Mary Mclean Evans ’82 Scholarship, which will provide scholarship support and funding for Career Center resources intended for students who demonstrate significant financial need.

A sign displayed in Jon Hind ’80’s home reads, “Happiness is found in the journey, not in the destination.” The maxim resonates with his reflections on his decades-long relationship with Hamilton, from arriving on the Hill as a student-athlete in 1976 to retiring from his 18-year tenure as the College’s director of athletics last April.

“I went to Hamilton because I loved the sense of community there, and I get excited about bringing people together.”

For Dan Trachtman ’75, staying off campus during Reunion Weekend was never an option. “This will sound corny, but I want to be awakened by the Chapel bells,” he said.

Every time Shelley Gertzog Cowan K’75 returns to the Hill for Reunions, she makes new friends. Kirkland College, she said, was by definition a place where independent women charted their own paths, which involved coming and going — Cowan herself spent time abroad in South America doing field work during her college years.

Elizabeth Dolan Wright ’05’s love of returning to the Hill for Reunions took on an added dimension when she brought her two sons to her 15th and 20th reunions. After the 15th reunion, her younger son, Connor told his parents they’d have to move to Syracuse to be closer to Hamilton because that’s where he was going to go.

Tom Ducibella ’69 and his wife, Angela Nannini, believe strongly in the power of mentorship. They know firsthand how the profound relationships between professors and students, mentors and mentees, foster the passage of expertise, guidance, and knowledge across time. In alignment with this value, the couple initiated the Tom Ducibella and Angela Nannini Distinguished Professorship in spring 2025. This fund will support a professorship in the Biology Department to be awarded to a tenured faculty member at Hamilton.

Community is a theme that shows up again and again for Sam Besca ’22. Community is what she has fostered with fellow artists in New York City since graduation, and community is what she was seeking — and found — when she transferred to Hamilton from New York University as a sophomore.

Will Kaback ’20 draws on his Hamilton experience and range of creative and intellectual pursuits in his current role as a senior editor at Tangle News, an independent news startup that focuses on bringing people of differing political backgrounds together to discuss topics in a constructive way.

A constellation of affinities and engagement keeps Peggy Malloy Garte ’01’s heart on the Hill.