(I’m sure you’re wondering about the significance of From Down the Hall. It harkens back to my early days at the WVU Alumni Association, when the Erickson Alumni Center was in what’s now the West Virginia University Museum Education Center. As you entered the facility, there was a long hallway and at the very end was the office of the Executive Director, Steve Douglas. Each quarter, our printed newsletter included a message that was authored “from down the hall”. It is with a full heart that I reintroduce you to From Down the Hall. I hope you enjoy! ~ Kevin)
There are few things better than gathering with fellow Mountaineers to share stories and celebrate our pride for West Virginia University. After an impossibly long year of limited in-person activities, I am beyond excited that many of our chapters and interest groups are safely gathering in cities across the country and beyond to celebrate WVU once again!
Just last week, I was able to attend my first in-person chapter event in over a year. Though I’ve certainly enjoyed the many virtual conversations I’ve shared with our alumni, it’s hard to put into words the feeling of being surrounded by gold and blue dressed Mountaineers at a chapter event, raising money to help send students to West Virginia University, sharing quality time together and celebrating all there is to appreciate about being a WVU fan.
In the coming weeks, our chapters and interest groups will be gathering for summer picnics, beach days, golf tournaments, baseball games, pepperoni roll bakeoffs, pig roasts, crab feasts, community service days, shrimp boils, and soon enough, football watch parties. Take a look here to discover a local chapter and join in for a summer event!
Here at the WVU Alumni Association, we are committed to finding meaningful ways to strengthen your bond with West Virginia University, wherever you call home now. Whether country roads have taken you to Seattle or to Miami, to San Diego or to Boston, we are here to help you find fellow Mountaineers in your local community.
Our alumni chapters and interest groups are the heart of our organization; it is the strength of the networks they help build that connect graduates and friends, keeping the spirit of our Mountaineer nation alive. If you’ve ever seen a Flying WV sticker on a car in the grocery store parking lot while visiting a new city or nodded to a traveler in the airport wearing a WVU hat, you have certainly felt the connection we all share as Mountaineers.
To our chapter and interest group leaders, we thank you for the time you spend bringing together Mountaineers and friends. And to alumni everywhere, we hope you’ll find (or start!) a chapter near you to join in these special events with some of the best Mountaineers we know.
I can’t wait to see you at an alumni event this summer.
Let’s go!
Kevin Berry (’94; ’95)
Associate Director
WVU Alumni Association