Mid-morning of June 1st Jean and I repacked the Jeep and headed out from Ann Arbor, MI on the 3 hour, 125 mile back road journey from Ann Arbor, MI to Ada, OH for my 50th year reunion with my fellow graduates of Ohio Northern University’s Class of 1967. The trip through south-central Michigan and north-western Ohio was mostly over straight and flat roads through rural farmland. It timed out nicely that we crossed Ohio’s Maumee River at lunch time where we had our traditional picnic of (you guessed it) peanut butter and honey sandwiches on multi-grain bread at the city park in Grand Rapids, OH.
June 1, 2017: Traveling south into Ohio from Michigan
June 1, 2017: Lunch in Grand Rapids, OH along the Maumee River
We reached Ada, Ohio at around 3pm on June 1st; just in time to check into the Inn at Ohio Northern, a rather well appointed (i.e.$$$) lodging facility conveniently located on ONU’s campus across from the Student Center which was to serve as the focal point for the reunion activities of the next three days.
After settling in to our room, I put on my running clothes and spent the next half hour jogging around the campus, much of which I could not recall owing to the changes that had taken place over the 40 years since our last visit to the campus.
Old Engineering Building
Current Engineering Building
New Engineering Building
(under construction)
As an engineering graduate of ONU, it is quite telling of my age that since my time (1962-1967) when the Engineering Department was housed in the previously vacated original Ada high school, a new engineering building was constructed in the early 1970’s, and currently the University is beginning construction on a new engineering building incorporating the academic, technical, and collaborative accommodations consistent with today’s learning and working environment.
After dinner in the hotel lounge, Jean and I retired to rest up for a full schedule of planned events over the next three days.