The first meeting of the Alumni Association was held on the day Trickett Hall was dedicated, in 1918.  Justice John W. Kephart, Class of 1894, was elected President of the Association, a position he retained for many years.  Here is a look back at some other early gatherings of Dickinson Law alumni.

1923

At the meeting in 1923, “[a] proposal to change the annual reunion to one where papers dealing with legal problems would be read was sent to oblivion.”  Dickinson Alumnus, August 1923, p. 23.  A smoker was held the evening before the business meeting of the Alumni Association.  After the business meeting, the first copies of the alumni directory were presented.  The alumni agreed that the directories should be sold for $1.00 each.  A luncheon was then held, and the alumni gathered to play a baseball game, before ending the day with additional refreshments.

The meeting in 1924 was “one of the most representative and distinguished gatherings of law men ever seen in Carlisle.”  Dickinson Alumnus, August 1924, p. 21.  Keeping with tradition, a smoker was held the evening before the Alumni Association’s business meeting.  A hat was passed around and $75.00 was collected on behalf of the Law School.  After the meeting, an orchestra played while the alumni enjoyed a luncheon at the Hotel Carlisle.  The alumni then enjoyed an afternoon at Forest Hills with their families.

1925

“The annual smoker is about as distinctive an occasion as could be arranged.  It is a mixture of whatever comes into anyone’s mind and no very definite plans are ever made for it – other than to have an orchestra in the corner, punch on a center table with more in the cellar, plenty of smokes and Justice J. A. Kephart, of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, on hand to act as master of the ceremonies.”  Dickinson Alumnus, August 1925, p. 28.  The gathering of the alumni in 1925 was described as the largest and most successful one yet, with nearly 100 alumni in attendance.  After the Alumni Association’s business meeting, “alumni were taken in automobiles to the new Carlisle Country Club near Middlesex, where a luncheon was served, which was followed by a program of sports.”  Dickinson Alumnus, August 1925, p. 28.

1926

At the 1926 Association meeting, a plan was adopted to limit the membership of the Executive Committee of the Association to five members, to better plan for future reunions and work by the Association.  Highlights of the occasion were again a smoker, an orchestra, and a luncheon at the Carlisle Country Club.  The luncheon was followed by golf and “various contests staged by the reunion committee,” where “neck-ties and key-containers were presented as prizes.”  Dickinson Alumnus, August 1926, pp. 18-19.  The contests included a golf driving contest, a baseball throwing contest, and a trout fly casting contest.

1927

In 1927, for the first time, an attempt was made to hold individual class reunions, with at least one class, the Class of 1917, holding a class dinner before the Alumni Association program began.  At the business meeting of the Association, it was agreed that class reunions should be encouraged in the future.  The Association also approved the purchase of a framed portrait of Dean Trickett to be presented to the Law School.  The meeting was followed by a luncheon at the Carlisle Country Club.