Downtown Block Party featured at DPU Alumni Reunion Weekend

More than 1,200 DePauw University alumni will be returning to campus and Greencastle this weekend for what promises to be an eye-opening Alumni Reunion Weekend of activities.

Many of the alums will be seeing a new-look campus with the addition of Hoover Dining Hall, expanded athletic facilities and an upgraded Lilly Center along with laying their eyes on an ongoing renaissance in downtown Greencastle for the first time.

South Indiana Street during DePauw Alumni Block Party in June 2017.

The Thursday-Sunday event will see 1,270 alumni attend gatherings with classmates, take part in special activities planned for the group and enjoy the campus and community.

Among the featured events will be the second annual DePauw Downtown Block Party, sponsored by Old National Bank, on South Indiana Street between Washington and Walnut streets in downtown Greencastle.

It was for the inaugural block party event that the signature lighting above that city block was unveiled in 2017 and has continued to be a part of community activities like First Friday and Second Saturday ever since.

"Our alums really loved that," DePauw Vice President for Development and Alumni Engagement Steve Setchell told the Banner Graphic Tuesday, noting that the block party staged amid such attractions as Tap 24, Moore's Bar, Starbucks, Scoops and Completely Nuts & Candy was one of the highest rated events of the entire weekend last year.

"I'm not sure 15 years ago I could have imagined an alumni-community event," Setchell added, "and now it's a highlight event of the weekend."

Meanwhile, the community is invited to hear some of the speakers planned this weekend as well. A couple of the more notable offerings will feature DePauw alums Jim Stewart, Class of 1973, and Ken Owen, a 1982 graduate.

Stewart, an author, New York Times columnist and former Wall Street Journal editor, will address the topic "How Lies and Fake News Are Ruining Our Country" in a 2-3 p.m. program Friday in Meharry Hall of East College.

On Saturday, Owen, the former TV newsman who serves as special adviser to DePauw President Mark McCoy, will be joined by alumni benefactors Tim and Sharon Ubben for a program titled "Bringing the World to DePauw -- The Ubben Lecture Series" set for 9:30-10:30 a.m. in Thompson Recital Hall of the Green Center for the Performing Arts.

"We love having the community involved and participating," Setchell said of planned activities this week. "We're proud of the renaissance downtown."

Specific class years to be honored this weekend at DePauw are 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013.

Some of the major events planned include:

THURSDAY, JUNE 7

* 9-11 p.m. -- 50th Reunion gatherings: Stargazing experience with Professor Howard Brooks, McKim Observatory.

FRIDAY, JUNE 8

* 9:30-11:30 a.m. -- 50th Reunion programming featuring Doug Smith '68, Green Center for Performing Arts, Thompson Recital Hall.

* Noon-1:15 p.m. -- 50th Reunion Lunch featuring Ken Owen '82, Inn at DePauw, Social Center.

* 2-3 p.m. -- 50th Reunion Panel, Union Building Ballroom.

* 2-3 p.m. -- Class of 1958 program featuring Jim Stewart '73, East College, Meharry Hall.

* 3:30-4:45 p.m. -- University Update with President D. Mark McCoy, Union Building Ballroom.

* 8-11 p.m. -- DePauw Downtown Block Party sponsored by Old National Bank, Indiana Street, downtown Greencastle.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9

* 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. -- Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Conversation with President McCoy, Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media, Watson Forum.

* 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. -- Bringing the World to DePauw -- The Ubben Lecture Series featuring Ken Owen '82 , Green Center for the Performing Arts, Thompson Recital Hall.

* Noon -- All-alumni picnic lunch. Advanced registration required, East College lawn.

* 1 - 4 p.m. -- Art galleries open at Richard E. Peeler Art Center, featuring "Controlled Identity: Portraiture from the DePauw University Permanent Collection."

* 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. -- Alumni College: A Liberal Arts Approach to Design featuring Dave Berque, dean of academic life, executive director of the Hubbard Center, and Greenleaf professor of computer science, Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media, Watson Forum.

* 8 - 11 p.m. --All-alumni reception and entertainment, East College lawn.