As they rekindled friendships and shared memories, alumni of Quinnipiac College and Larson College were treated to a fine dining experience, a live jazz duo, gifts from the university, and a special archival display of yearbooks, photos and news stories. As a very special highlight, members of the Class of 1975 were celebrated at the October 17 event as Quinnipiac’s newest Golden Bobcats, receiving their commemorative 50th reunion pin.

Greg Knott, associate vice president for development and alumni affairs, greeted the group attending the annual heritage luncheon.

“This is one of my absolute favorite events each year because we welcome back people from different eras of the university’s and college’s history, and we get so many insights and amazing stories from the times that you had here,” Knott said.

Held at the new School of Business building on South Quad, the luncheon also helped showcase the dynamic and aspirational growth of Quinnipiac.

“I think you’ll agree that this is a pretty spectacular venue. More importantly, it’s a really great place for our students to learn,” said Knott. “At Quinnipiac, we find new ways to learn, grow and adapt to technology to put our students in a position to be successful in whatever they may do after they graduate.”

Knott said some members of the Class of 1975 may recall the interesting times they were living in while attending Quinnipiac College 50 years ago.

“We had all sorts of things going on, from unsavory things like Watergate to highlights like Bruce Springsteen’s album ‘Born to Run’ coming out,” Knott said. “A little closer to home at Quinnipiac, we saw the beginning of the men’s ice hockey program, and some of you might know we’ve risen to really high heights as recent national champions. We’re proud of that success.”

Martin McLoughlin ’75, remembers the early days of the men’s ice hockey program.
“I think I went to one of their first hockey games when they were a club team. They played a game at Hamden High School because Quinnipiac didn’t have an arena yet,” said McLoughlin.

McLoughlin said he still loves to follow Quinnipiac ice hockey and basketball and has enjoyed catching up with his friends at alumni game watch events.

Now retired, he said his Quinnipiac business degree helped launch his professional management career at a nuclear power plant.

“I was an inventory control specialist when I started, and then I went into management as a supervisor,” said McLoughlin.

Linda Odaynick ’73, who received her Golden Bobcat pin in 2023, came out to celebrate with her sister, Suzanne Odaynick ’75, as she joined the Golden Bobcat family. To their absolute delight, they found their yearbook photos while perusing the archival display organized by university librarian Robert Joven.

With their family living in the area, both sisters commuted by car at a time when Quinnipiac was “a big commuter school,” said Linda Odaynick. She earned a liberal arts degree and credits Quinnipiac for making a pivotal referral which landed her first job and led to her career.

“I wanted to work helping people with Social Security and needed a little more office experience, so they referred me to a job opening at a nursing home. I went on to get my nursing home administrator’s license, and 40-plus years later, I finally retired from the nursing home industry,” she said.

The Class of 1973 alumnus said she’s always felt like a valued member of the Quinnipiac family.

“When it became a university, I got a new diploma that said, ‘Quinnipiac University,’ and I’m really proud to be a Quinnipiac graduate,” said Odaynick. “When I see it today, it’s such a wow. It’s unbelievable. It was such a small college when I was here. There was only Tator Hall for our classes, and the gymnasium was being built. We used to have walk on planks over the mud in the parking lot!”

Enrolling at Quinnipiac two years after her sister matriculated, Suzanne Odaynick was one of the first students to make use of Quinnipiac’s original gym, which is now known as the Burt Kahn Court and is part of the Recreation and Wellness Center on the Mount Carmel Campus.

“I was a psychology major, but everyone had to take gym. I had to buy a gym suit!” she said, laughing. “And going from Tator Hall to the parking lot and the old library building, you walked across dirt. They had just built what was called Dorm A, and that’s where I had philosophy class.”

Suzanne Odaynick said her Quinnipiac degree helped her in her human resources career. Living locally, she’s enjoyed keeping tabs Quinnipiac’s growth through the years.

“It’s very impressive. The school is huge. We lived right around the corner from the North Haven Campus, so we toured it when it opened. And the last time we were here it was two years ago, for my sister’s luncheon the York Hill Campus, which is also amazing,” she said.

Larson College alumni and friends Ruth Barnett ’52, a medical studies major, and Marilyn Gerard ’52, who studied liberal arts, graduated the year Larson College merged with Quinnipiac College.

“Our degree was from Larson, but the president, Sam Tator, gave us all Quinnipiac degrees, as well,” Gerard recalled.

From 1952 through the construction of the Mount Carmel Campus in 1966, the Larson complex, which included residential buildings and athletic facilities, served as Quinnipiac’s main campus. Barnett and Gerard attended classes at the complex, located at 1450 Whitney Avenue in Hamden.

Over the course of 73 years, Gerard and Barnett have stayed connected with Quinnipiac, often returning to enjoy alumni events.

“I love seeing old friends and seeing how the school has progressed. I have always been impressed by the school and the students,” said Gerard.

Barnett said many of her Larson connections became deep friendships.

“The camaraderie with the girls grew, like my friendship with Marilyn, which has gone on for years and years. The friendships we made go on forever,” said Barnett. “It wasn’t a diverse group like it is now, but I was always treated well, and the education I received was excellent. To see how far Quinnipiac has come today is just overwhelming.”