NTID Reunion, Day 2

Went to one workshop, on career networking, and it was almost standing room only. In fact, most workshops were career focused, a reflection of current economic times. There have been many layoffs in the Rochester area in recent years.

Spent some time walking around the campus, observing what was old and what was new. There are quite a few new buildings, including a new Student Life Center. Getting to the bookstore and library is a bit of a chore because of needing to detour through the Interfaith Center. They are in the process of building a huge field house next to the old gym, and it will be like a sophisicated health club, with a huge pool, dance studio, and indoor race track.

The evening's adult entertainment consisted of performance skits by alumni. One alumnus was dressed like a cat, pulled on a leash. There were ABC stories, a restaurant skit, singing and signing (the music was so loud that the parents with young hearing children had to leave for fear the noise would damage the ears of their little ones!), two humourous mime acts, a deaf dating game, and more.

It was like the old days of going to watch theater performances in what is now the Panara theatre (it used to be the EET). While the performances were continuing, alumni crowded into the college union cafteria area to talk and listen to music (it is now the Student Alumni Union).

Grace Watson cafeteria is closed for the summer so was unable to see that. In the vendor area of the LBJ (main NTID academic building) alumni working for Sprint relay, AT&T relay, Fuse Communications/T-mobile Sidekick, a real estate agency, a web design/computer services company, and several more were busy demonstrating their wares and chatting with old friends.

Right after dinner I was able to go for a short swim in the RIT pool; do I envy the future NTID students who will get to swim in the huge new pool being built now!

At a special reception yesterday for alumni and current and past faculty and staff, I found that almost all of my former teachers from the NTID days are retired now. Only one was there, and she did not recognize me nor did I recognize her as so many years have gone by.

There was another special reception for honored alumni, but I missed that one. We are fortunate that our dorm room has a shared bath; many dorm rooms don't have a bath and students must go out in the hallway to go to the shower - and I and other almuni share not-quite-so-fond memories of the embarrassment of walking out there in a towel or robe where anyone, especially the boys, could see us.