The class of 1959 graduated to Golden Eaglehood Friday, an occasion punctuated with laughter, hugs and handshakes — even when the classmates didn't quite remember each other after 50 years.

"I have not recognized a soul yet,"said Mary Sue Gay Vantrease ('59, '64 M.S.), who came from a long line of Green Jackets that included her mother, sister and aunt.

But that didn't stop Vantrease and about 55 of her classmates from basking in the half-century milestone.

Shirley Fielder Greenfield ('59), who went to the 25-year reunion, came to the Golden Eagles reunion to reconnect with her classmates and see where life had taken each of them in the intervening years.

"The luncheon is about renewing friendships and seeing everyone who has made it this far,"Greenfield said.  

The university celebrated its new class of Golden Eagles with a luncheon and an awards ceremony.

Noting all of the new buildings, Greenfield marveled at the changes her alma mater had undergone.

When the class of 1959 attended North Texas, the university had about 7,000 students and classes were taught in what is now the Hurley Administration Building, which was only three years old at the time.

Today, UNT is Texas' fourth-largest university with 36,000 students and a crop of new buildings such as the Pohl Recreation Center and LEED-certified facilities that are under way, including the Life Sciences Complex, the Business Leadership Building and a new stadium.

 

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