Although Commencement and Reunion at the College is generally known to attract large crowds, the celebrations this spring drew an unprecedented number of visitors.
More than 12,000 people, including media and secret service officials, gathered on Memorial Field to attend President Bill Clinton's address to the graduating class on June 11.
"He received a rousing reception," College spokesman Alex Huppe said. "A huge number of people watched it on TV," he added.
Aside from the hype surrounding Clinton's visit, "a lot of touching personal events" also marked the Commencement and Reunion ceremonies and attracted a large number of alumni, Huppe added.
Three reunion classes, the Classes of 1925, 1930 and 1945, arrived for Commencement weekend.
Over the next eight days, the College hosted 10 more classes and a total of 1,894 alumni. In addition, 3,603 people, mainly family and friends of alumni, visited Hanover, according to Senior Associate Director of Alumni Relations David Orr.
Four classes each broke two attendance records. The Classes of 1925, 1930, 1935 and 1980 recorded new highs both for total number of alumni present and total number of people, Orr said.
"Though we didn't change much from last year, individual class planning was better this year," Orr said. "Classes come up with their own ideas, that's what makes the reunion special for each class."
Director of Housing Services Lynn Rosenblum said the interim period went "incredibly well" with "very, very few complaints" from alumni. Rosenblum will manage the housing arrangements for next year's reunions.
Additional reporting by Rini Ghosh '97.