A new Virginia Tech tradition recently expanded when more than 400 Hokie alumni from 23 states descended on the Blacksburg campus for the university’s second annual Reunion Weekend.

“This weekend we doubled our attendees from last year,” Matthew M. Winston Jr., senior associate vice president for alumni relations, told a crowd at the Moss Arts Center.

Virginia Tech held its first summer reunion weekend last year. Rather than holding class year reunions on weekends in the fall, the university now gathers Hokies on campus for one weekend in the summer because it allows alumni to explore campus and even stay in residence halls.

“Our second summertime Reunion Weekend is a new tradition for us, and one that is off to an amazing start thanks in part to our amazing Hokie alums,” Winston said.

Participants enjoyed behind-the-scenes campus tours, children’s activities, happy hours, presentations from university leaders, a welcome from university president Tim Sands, a special presentation for the 1979 Men’s Basketball Metro Conference Champions, and much more.

Hokies from all nine anniversary class years, seven colleges, dozens of student groups, and all giving societies were represented during the weekend. The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences had the highest showing among the colleges.

“This weekend was so much more than I expected it to be,” said Dorothy Long ’79, reunion committee member who earned her bachelor’s in communication and master’s in housing, interior design, and resource management, both in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. “The programming was exceptional and I look forward to coming back next year!”

This year’s attendees also included chapter leaders, alumni association board members, reunion committee volunteers, Old Guard Society of Golden Alumni members, and more.

Participants also generously gave back to the university. During the past 11 months, alumni from the nine anniversary years celebrating during the weekend gave $7.1 million to the university, and more than 50 percent of those who attended made a gift to Virginia Tech.

Next year’s reunion is set for June 4-7, 2020. Reunion Weekend 2020 will celebrate milestone class anniversaries from 1975 to 2015, but all Hokies are welcome. Anniversary class reunion committees for Reunion Weekend 2020 are already being formed. For more information, visit alumni.vt.edu/reunion2020.

Written by Annie McCallum and photographed by Leslie King