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When Alvin McNeilly, class agent for the class of 1944, was asked to speak at the Traditions Weekend in the fall of 2006, he was looking to introduce some old traditions to a new class. Speaking to the incoming class of 2010, Alvin challenged the class of “rascals” to step up and exceed his own; perhaps the most generous class the university has seen.
With a total of around $8 million in contributions to the university and another $3 million planned, the Class of 1944′s McNeilly was on hand to receive the award on behalf of his class. Class agents of 2010, Gimbala Sankare and Ashley Robinson, were also on hand as the Class of 1944 has recently “adopted” them.
After finding out that classes no longer elected class officers until senior year, McNeilly wanted to make some changes on campus and started by taking 2010 under his wing. “I expect you rascals to follow the lead of the Class of 1944 and, with your size and energy, far surpass us,” McNeilly said.
He has also promised that the Class of 1944 will assist the Class of 2010 financially. “Not only will we challenge you, we’ll help you,” McNeilly said.
The Class of 2010 is the first in over 50 years to elect class officers before senior year and write their own constitution. “We are strengthening community within our class. They [the Class of '44] were the ones that pushed us,” Sankare, class officer of 2010, said. They will hold a class meeting on Nov. 15 to announce their future projects and their plan to leave the university a gift after graduation.
With a starting size of only a little over 400 members, the Class of 1944 is small compared to today’s standards. Over 60 years later, the class is only a little over 100 members, but they are still going strong in their efforts at the university. Most members are now between 85 and 90 years old.
“Someone has to take on their projects. We have great leadership. We will be able to carry on the torch,” Sankare said.
McNeilly is also pushing other alumni classes to adopt other incoming classes to really push students to leave a mark on the university.
During their time at school, many class members were called to duty in World War II, and 19 members were killed in service. Many members didn’t graduate on time and more were prematurely separated, but the class managed to create a lifelong bond.
Growing up in the Great Depression, McNeilly noted that most members were “damn lucky to be there [the university] and appreciated being there.” They were grateful for school and took it seriously. They appreciated the education because it would mean a good job in the future, something important to them after the Great Depression. When the war tore them away from their studies, they answered.
When returning from the war, the university did all they could to help them acclimate back to school life. Because many members of the service were married during or before the war, the university provided family housing in York Village, in trailers and in cabins. Most importantly, although they were graduating late, the university allowed them to keep their identity as members of the Class of 1944.
“We are very proud of the identity of the Class of ’44,” McNeilly said.
The class pulled together as they entered their first year. McNeilly reminisced about having to know the entire “Stein Song” word for word, wearing a class hat and bowtie and being under “freshman rules” until they could beat the sophomores at football. “Those things bonded us. Talk about knowing who your class was,” McNeilly said.
This bond that was created with the help from the university after the war and the opportunity for a good job after graduation left the Class of ’44 with a great appreciation of the opportunities provided for them at the university. This has provided for their generosity to the school.
McNeilly hopes to instill this closeness in the Class of 2010 and all following classes. “They’ve been through so much, but they [Class of '44] remember; we are graduates of UMaine,” Sankare noted.
The Class of ’44′s projects have included the Buchanan Alumni House, the Class of 1944 Hall, the Bodwell Lounge in the Maine Center for the Arts and the renovation of the Bears Den. For these efforts, they were recently presented the President Abram W. Harris Award at the University of Maine Foundation annual business meeting on Oct. 3.
Bangor Daily News