Webb hosts Alumni Weekend 2022, Centennial Celebration

The Webb campus welcomed over 700 guests for Alumni Weekend 2022, which included a special event in recognition of Webb’s 100^th anniversary during The Centennial Celebration on Saturday evening.  

The weekend opened Friday with alumni being welcomed into classrooms to sit alongside students to learn about the current educational process here at Webb. Alumni sat in on innovative algebra, science, humanities and world languages classes throughout the day. Vivian Webb Chapel hosted alumna AJ Hess ‘12 as the chapel speaker Friday morning, when she shared a message of her own journey with her identity, career path and how Webb impacted her. John Scalzi ‘87, award-winning author, hosted a book reading over lunch in Ahmanson Lecture Hall. Classmates, staff, students and other alumni were able to hear Scalzi talk about his books and get copies signed. Later in the day, alumni learned about Webb admission, college guidance and summer programs from campus leaders. Visitors also visited the newly renovated Hooper Community Center to see how the community uses the updated space, complete with new technology, a café, student workspace and offices.  

Friday evening brought the 30^th annual Peccary Society Dinner to Centennial Field, the Alf Museum’s annual fundraiser, which provides critical funds for the museum and supports education and outreach, collections, research and so much more. The program celebrated the incredible work of the museum staff and volunteers, as well as the research projects of this year’s Peccary Scholars. Guests heard presentations from Museum Director Dr. Andy Farke, Augustyn Family Curator Dr. Mairin Balisi, and Director of Visitor Engagement and Education Gabriel-Philip Santos. The Raymond M. Alf Award was presented to Dr. Don Lofgren, and Larry Ashton ’70, chairman of the museum board of trustees, led attendees in the Peccary Song to close the evening. 

Reunion classes and Webb alumni also met off campus on Friday evening at Old Stump Brewery in Pomona. More than 100 alumni gathered to see their classmates and friends, and meet fellow alumni over food and beverages.  

Saturday was a full day of programming and events. In the morning, alumni visited the Crossroads near Alamo dorm to check in and enjoy breakfast at the newly constructed McMillin Park, complete with new seating and a custom mural honoring Larry McMillin. The park was a gift from the class of 1967, and many others, to honor the tenure and impact of their beloved teacher. It is now an outdoor amphitheater park with a monument dedicated to McMillin’s career with art by Steve Farley ‘81. Alumni joined a tour of the Alf Museum led by Farke. Guests saw the Hall of Life and peeked behind the scenes into the labs where fossils are processed, prepped and studied by Webb students and visiting paleontologists.  

Director of Equity John Choi and Assistant Director of Equity Gretel Barsotti hosted a DEI information session highlighting the efforts of the school around diversity, equity and inclusion. Alumni heard from Webb Board members and students on the programming and goals. The Robert A. Hefner III ‘53 Observatory was also open to visitors to see the variety of scopes in Webb’s collection. Appleby Dorm was open to alumni to see recent renovations and upgrades. Guests joined Head of Schools Taylor B Stockdale in the Liu/Cheung Theater for an overview of the school and an update on The Centennial Campaign. 

For lunch, alumni and guests joined the rest of the community for a barbecue at Faculty Field while watching the WSC football team take on St. Jeanne. The Webb Dining Hall served lunch, and alumni relaxed under the tent on the picturesque field. Throughout the day alumni could also enjoy Archival Displays across campus that highlighted the early years of the schools, campus activities and unique aspects of the Webb experience. You can find digital versions of those displays on the Webb website.

The afternoon was filled with more gatherings; the classes of 1972 and 1970 celebrated their 50^th and 50^th+ reunions at the Vivian Webb Chapel, events that included their class pinning ceremony. The traditional Alumni Chapel Service was once again led by Rev. Bill Ripley ‘60 and included a chapel talk by 50^th reunion class member David Ditz ‘72 and a scripture reading by Leilani Aguila ‘17.  

Alumni, guests, faculty and staff gathered in the Liu/Cheung Theater to recognize the 2022 Alumni Awards recipients, along with honoring award winners from 2020 and 2021, when the events were virtual. This year’s recipients were Summer Swee-Singh ‘07, John Scalzi ‘87 and Chip Greening ‘62. You can read more about the recipients here.

The weekend culminated with Webb’s largest-ever event on campus, the Centennial Celebration Dinner. Over 700 alumni, staff, faculty, parents and Webb community members joined us under the tent on Centennial Field to celebrate the first 100 years of Webb and to look forward to the Next 100. Guests were treated to specialty drinks and dinner while hearing from Chairman of the Board Sanjay Dholakia ’87, former Head of Schools Susan A. Nelson and current Head of Schools Taylor B. Stockdale. Webb students performed an orchestral piece specially written by Webb parent Andy Street P ’16, and guests were treated to a video celebrating our first 100 years. After the dinner and program, guests danced the night away with Los Angeles DJ and SiriusXM radio host Richard Blade.  

The Webb community is thankful to all who attended Alumni Weekend 2022 and the Centennial Celebration and to everyone who supported Webb during our first 100 years. We look forward to seeing our community across the country in the upcoming months and again here on campus very soon. Please visit our online photo album of Alumni Weekend 2022 to see a curation of photos from the weekend.