To identify one event of 2007 as most significant is impossible. None, however, stand out more than the June reunion of the Alumni of the Wooster-in Greece Program, with an emphasis on the founding sessions in the early and middle 1970's. In two “epic” sessions, Friday and Saturday evenings of Alumni Weekend, we shared food and drink and most of all memories of those ten-week sessions, often evoked by the journals kept by participants: marathon races at the ancient stadiums of Delphi and Olympia; group dancing at a country taverna, on the night of our arrival after watching from the temple of Poseidon the sun set over the Aegean; being awaken in the middle of the night by army tanks rolling through the streets of Saloniki, but most of all how those days of learning and living together continue to enrich, beyond words, our lives.

Thanks to Wendy Barlow, David Miraldi, and Susan Smith, 1973 alumni of Wooster in Greece, and the hard work and cooperation of Sandy Nichols and Ericka Vizzo of Alumni Relations, you will find below a composite visual odyssey of our living, learning, and celebrating life in ancient and modern Greece. In addition to the 1973 photographs, there are also 2007 photos of most of those who were able to return for our reunion and their guests, taken at the College of Wooster, our ”Ithaca” of Cavafy's poem (see below Rae Dalven's translation, The Complete Poems of Cavafy, p. 36-37, Harcourt, Brace, and World, Inc. 1961).

Those who were with us in these early WIG sessions and those who traveled in Greece later will recognize most of the sites and even some of the panoramic views of the sea and mountains. You will also be able to relate to the frequent shots of our feasting in celebration of Greek cuisine after our daily climbs to and from the sites. There are many shots set in Athens (the Acropolis area, especially the Parthenon, our friends at the Philippos Hotel and views of the Acropolis from our balconies or the rooftop, Marathon tumulus outside of Athens); in Saloniki and nearby sites (especially the Byzantine churches and the monastery in the mountains); beautiful inspiring and enchanting, for us and the ancients, Delphi; Olympia where two members of our group raced from the ancient starting gates; Epidaurus where we saw an ancient play under a bright moon; Mycenae, where we discussed Mycenaeans and their myths; and our extended stay on the island of Crete. Crete has a special place among the photos not only because of our visits and discussion of Minoan Civilization and sites but also the pleasure of walking a few feet out of our new hotel for a swim in the beautiful Aegean where one of us “discovered'' significant Roman ruins while snorkeling. With our friends in the Alumni Office, I wish you many more journeys to Ithaca and thank you for sharing this special one with me.

Vivian Holliday, Wooster, Ohio, January 23, 2008