We had been thinking about this trip since December, when Linda Beals first told us Wittnation II was in the works during a Christmas party. We were so excited to get started, and our excitement was well founded! How could we fail to have a great time?
On Thursday morning we met up with Lauren Welch and Matt McDonald outside Bayley Alumni House – the four of us were a team of replacements headed to DC. Lauren and Matt were joining for the rest of the tour. When we heard that Matt was on his way to meet us via his longboard, we thought he would be light on luggage – as it turns out, he just has excellent balance! Together with Ashley and Ben we would be a powerful force of six for three nights on the road.
Traveling was a breeze, musical tastes synched easily with much Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd played (insert the required “this generation is gonna be OK comment” here), and some veggies brought from our garden made for healthy snacks on the road. Peggy Tighe ’81 was our host in D.C. We arrived amidst a lively party for Strategic Healthcare at the townhouse - an auspicious beginning! After a few hours settling in with Taylor, Matt, Lauren, Ashley and Ben (and Brad Folta ’10 and BreAnna Kimble ’10) we called it a night.
Friday night at the Hill location was the main event, and a wonderful evening ensued! Peggy wore the mascot suit and told hilarious stories! The townhouse was filled with Wittenbergers (alums, parents, current students, new students) and the party easily overflowed onto the lovely brick patio in the back. Rest assured the DC group bleeds Wittenberg red; we had incredibly stimulating conversations with so many people. Given the location and the expertise and experience of all the attendees, I’m sure we had potential solutions to many of the world’s challenges, but where are tape recorders when you need them? We reconnected with Stacy Raustaukus ’98, Ryan Nuss ‘07, Dan Foreman ‘08, Molly Knepper ‘07, and Leigh Hendrix ’08, and met many others for the first time, including Serge Thomas ’98, Hannah Hoffman ’13, and others, having some intense and illuminating conversations. The evening didn’t wind down until after 1:30 am, and then only because we would be up bright and early to head for Philly!
If you view the videos, you can see that our graduates are involved in some serious work to improve the wider world. Dan, for example, is teaching English in a DC high school, introducing students to novels for the first time. He spoke compellingly of the serious challenges these students face, and very convincingly of his time at Witt in the English department and his love for Mac and Darcy’s classes. Also, Serge is working with the Central Union Mission in DC as a grant writer. The Political Science department was his home at Witt (as with many DC attendees!), and he loved the experience. Just as Witt gave so much to these folks, they are now in positions to pass it on, and they welcome your help at their respective institutions.
A quick night’s sleep later (and we mean really quick, as the night didn’t wear down until laaaaaate), we were on the road at 7:30 am, minus Taylor who drove the minivan back to Witt as we headed out. Can one be exhausted and energized at the same time? Absolutely!
- Michael and Heather
