Founder's Celebration set for Oct 1 to 3

The Green and Gold will shine a little brighter Oct. 1 to 3, when alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends come together for SUNY Oswego’s annual Founder’s Celebration.

And Lakers everywhere are invited to be part of the celebration.

"We are excited about the many ways alumni, students, faculty and staff can come together to celebrate Edward Austin Sheldon and show their Laker pride," said Michael Paestella, director of alumni engagement. "Make sure to wear your Green and Gold on campus and all over the world during Founder's Celebration. Visit campus, if you can, or post and tag your pictures in social media if you can't be in Oswego for Founder's Celebration. Participate from afar."

Founder’s Celebration honors the legacy of Edward Austin Sheldon, who founded the institution in 1861, while celebrating the people and traditions that continue to make Oswego special today. This year’s three-day celebration offers plenty of opportunities to reconnect, reminisce and show your Laker pride.

The celebration gets underway at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, with the 1861 Giving Challenge, a two-day opportunity for alumni and friends to make a difference for today’s Lakers while honoring Oswego’s founding year.

Alumni employees are invited to gather at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday at King Alumni Hall for the Laker Loop Social for Alumni Faculty and Staff. This event brings together alumni serving their alma mater and Oswego's students.

Don Little, on Friday, Oct. 2, a three-time Oswego alumnus and Syracuse City School District history teacher, will explore the "Fascinating Life and Legacy of Edward Austin Sheldon" during a presentation at 10 a.m. in 205 Marano Campus Center.

At 12:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, the entire Laker family is invited to the Marano Campus Center bus loop for the Green and Gold Day Laker Family Portrait. Alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends are encouraged to wear their favorite Oswego gear and join the crowd for this special campus-wide photograph.

People anywhere can take a photo, tag @OswegoAlumni and use #OswegoPride to share their Laker pride and let fellow alumni know they are part of the Founder’s Celebration, too. Lakers also can [email protected] with a photo to be included in the Green and Gold Day Album.

Later on Friday, at 1 p.m. in 215 Penfield Library Rm. 215, 1966 alumnus George R. DeMass '66, the Town of Oswego Historian, will give a presentation about Mary Edwards Walker, namesake of SUNY Oswego's health and wellness building. This talk will focus on the incredible life of Walker, the only woman to date to receive the Congessional Medal of Honor, and her experiences as a surgeon before, during and after the U.S. Civil War.

Friday’s festivities also include an invitation-only Scholars Celebration at 4:30 p.m. in the Hewitt Hall ballroom.

The celebration continues Saturday, Oct. 3, with an Admissions Open House and Alumni Panel.

That evening in the Sheldon Hall Ballroom, the university will honor six Lakers whose accomplishments have left their mark on Oswego athletics.

For more information, visit the Founder's Day website, alumni.oswego.edu/founders.

— Submitted by University Advancement