Reunion
That evening, after commencement, alumni attended the scheduled Reunion dinners and events.
Reunions prior to 1922 were not "all class reunions" and were limited to those classes celebrating an anniversary divisible by five. The Centennial brought about a shift in this tradition. Wanting to include Reunion with the Centennial celebration, it was decided to include all classes in Reunion festivities in 1922.
Reunion dinners were held at two locations, with Classes meeting in groups rather than individually—the Classes of 1900 through 1921 met at the Hotel Gibson while the Classes of 1856 through 1899 were at the Hotel Seneca. The benefit to this plan was that on Reunion night, all Alumni in town for the Centennial would have a place to go to reconnect with friends of surrounding classes in addition to their own.
After dinner all Alumni gathered at the annual Alumni Smoker, held in the Hobart gymnasium (Williams Hall). It was at the Smoker that the final tally for the Centennial Campaign would be announced. Two days previous the total stood at $775,000, and some additional contributions had been made as alums arrived on campus; however, the Campaign would see a boost at the Smoker.
The Hobart Herald reported on the evening that:
From all over the gymnasium came the shouts “I’ll give a thousand if anyone will match it”; “I’ll give five hundred if anyone will match it,” etc., until the time when it seemed that the fund was to stop at $825,000. Then one of the younger alumni rushed to the platform and said he would be one of a group to give $100 each. There was a stampede for the platform, until, when heads were counted, it was found that nearly $10,000 additional had been given. Then a group of fifty dollar men went to the platform and then a group of undergraduates at twenty‐five dollars each. It was a thrilling hour in Hobart’s life.
By the end of the evening, an additional $67,000 had been pledged, bringing the total to $850,000.