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When alumni from the “Classes of 4’s and 9’s” gather on campus June 5-8 for Reunion 2014, the Class of 1939 will hold a Virtual Reunion Reception allowing non-attending classmates to participate.

While alumni from the “Classes of 4’s and 9’s” and from all over the world gather on campus to celebrate their connections to Cornell June 5-8 during Reunion 2014, some will have the option of participating from the comfort of their homes.

Five members of Cornell’s Class of ’39 are expected to attend their 75th Reunion in person, and their classmates have been offered the opportunity to connect online and raise a toast during a Virtual Reunion Reception, June 7 at 5:30 p.m.

Class Correspondent Ruth Goodman ’39, M.A. ’41, sent a letter to classmates this spring indicating her attendance and encouraging them to join her. By the time she decided she was unable to attend, her daughter, Judith Mecklenburger ’71, had suggested that the class hold a virtual reunion.

“Judith is always thinking of things for the university [and] is going to make sure we are a part of it. We are all very devoted Cornellians,” Goodman, 96, said from her home in New Jersey. The idea came from Goodman’s use of FaceTime and other applications to visit with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“Because I can’t go see them – they’re very young, the youngest is only 4 months old – it’s wonderful because I can get a feeling of the things that they can do, crying and all the rest of it,” she said. “It gives me a feeling that I’m part of what’s going on.”

Goodman majored in history, government and English in the College of Arts and Sciences and remembers her professors well, including Carl Becker. “It was such a wonderful experience,” she said. “It’s a remarkable school because of the things that it offers that the other Ivy League schools do not. I’m always touting it.”

“Ruth was really hoping to be here,” said Lisa Bushlow ’91, director of Class Programs for Alumni Affairs and Development (AAD). “The job of Alumni Affairs in the past has been to connect people to one another and to the university. Because of advancements in technology, we now have a way to bring people together where it might not physically be possible to connect them in another way. That to me is so exciting.”

In Goodman’s absence, Austin Kiplinger ’39 will present the Class of 2009 with its first Reunion banner at “The Spirit of ’31: Passing It Forward,” June 5 at the Statler Hotel, hosted by the Classes of ’39, ’44 and ’49. The ceremony, connecting the oldest Cornell classes attending Reunion with the youngest, was initiated three years ago by the Class of ’31 at its 80th Reunion in honor of Bill Vanneman ’31, who was class president for eight decades.

Other Reunion highlights include:

• The Class of 1974 sponsors a talk by Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 on “Bridging Diverse Communities,” June 6 at 10:30 a.m. at 6-2-6, the Center for Intercultural Dialogue, 626 Thurston Ave.
• Glenn Altschuler and Isaac Kramnick give the annual Olin Lecture, June 6 at 3 p.m. in Bailey Hall, “The Way We Were – and Are: Cornell Professors and Students, 1940-Present,” based on research for their forthcoming book, “Cornell: A History, 1940-2015.”
• The Cornell University Chorus and Glee Club concert, June 6, 9:15 p.m. in Bailey Hall.
• The Reunion 5K, June 7 at 7:30 a.m. in Cornell Plantations – a new location for the annual run for alumni and guests.
• President David Skorton delivers the State of the University Address, June 7, 10:30 a.m. in Bailey Hall.
• CUGALA (Cornell’s LGBT alumni association) is holding its first-ever reunion and has several events planned, including a panel co-sponsored by the Law School on the Defense of Marriage Act, June 7, 1:30 p.m. in Milstein Auditorium.
• Provost Kent Fuchs and Vice President Cathy Dove will provide an update on Cornell Tech in New York City, June 7, 3 p.m. in Statler Auditorium.
• Cornelliana Night, June 7, 9:30 p.m. in Bailey Hall.

In addition to the Class of ’39’s virtual gathering, several Reunion events – including Skorton’s address, the Olin Lecture and Cornelliana Night – will be streamed live for those who cannot come to campus.

According to Andrew Gossen, AAD senior director of social media, last year’s live-streamed Reunion events “were viewed by 1,270 unique individuals in 10 countries,” including Australia, Canada, Japan, India, Hong Kong, France and the United Kingdom.