The passage of time and distance couldn’t diminish the sense of community for the more than 300 alumni, attendees and friends who came back to Kirksville for the Late ’70s All-Greek reunion, Oct. 6-8, 2018.

Members of 14 fraternities and sororities made it back for the three-day event, which included a golf outing, a “hug fest” at the Days Inn, brunch at the Student Union Building, tailgating at the fairgrounds, a disco inferno at the Kirksville Country Club and an encouragement to do free-form philanthropy in the community.

The reunion wouldn’t have been possible but for the vision that started with Brad (’80) and Teresa (Voss) Borgstede (’86). Nearing retirement after 38 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Brad set out to bring Greek alumni back to campus with the goals of reminiscing, having fun and giving back. To spread the word, Borgstede took to Facebook to track down as many Greek alumni from the late ’70s and early ’80s as possible. Helped by a small army of Kirksville-based Greek alumni, the word spread, and more than 330 people officially RSVPed.

By all accounts, the reunion was a huge success. Not only did hundreds of alumni get a chance to reconnect with one another and their alma mater, they also raised a significant amount of money as a group. By the end of the reunion, in excess of $20,000 had been donated to various Truman State University Foundation funds. One in particular that was highlighted was the Letters Today, Leaders Tomorrow Scholarship fund. The scholarship benefits leaders in the Greek community and was initiated by students.

Buoyed by their success and reinvigorated by connecting with friends and classmates after decades away from Kirksville, the group has already unofficially begun planning for the next reunion, hoping for a return in 2020.