TRANSGENERATIONAL EVENT AT THE PRINCETON ART MUSEUM 

By Ruby Huttner

August 30, 2026

EVENT PHOTOS ARE HERE

There are Princeton gatherings – and then there are those rare occasions that seem to capture nearly everything we cherish about our University in a single afternoon. On August 30th, at the Princeton University Art Museum, eighteen members of our Great Class of 1972 (Banisch, Dwyer, Fletcher, Forbes, Geiger, R. Hill, Hughes, Huttner, Kimball, Loomis, Markiewicz, Plummer, Rankin, Rogers, Schneider, C. Smith, Swartz, Tata), fourteen members from the Great Class of 1997 and ten members from the Great Class of 2022, accompanied by some thirty or so other guests, attended for a celebration of friendship, memories, music, art and the enduring ties that bind generations of Princetonians together. The signature event was a tour of the magnificent new Art Museum, accompanied by a luncheon and a lively slide presentation featuring photographs and memorable moments from each of the classes that combined to make the afternoon both enjoyable and unforgettable. It was a first of its kind.

What made the event especially important was its tri-generational character. This was more than merely three classes sharing the same room; it was three generations discovering how much they had in common despite the years separating their Princeton experiences. Each class brought its own history, traditions and personality, yet the laughter, friendships and unmistakable Princeton Spirit proved remarkably timeless. The afternoon demonstrated the extraordinary value of bring older and younger classes together to exchange stories, preserve institutional memory and create friendships that might never otherwise have begun.? 

We also believe, and this is most important, the gathering offered a model for other Princeton classes. There is enormous value in looking beyond one’s class year and creating opportunities for multiple generations of alumni to come together in meaningful ways. By the end of the afternoon, our different years seemed almost incidental: we were simply Princetonians, part of one extended Tiger family. Three classes, three generations, one university – and perhaps the beginning of a tradition that many other classes might enthusiastically embrace.