For Grandparents, a Slice of Student Life

More than 260 grandparents arrived on campus bright and early on Sept. 25 for Grandparents Day, eager to start the morning by attending classes with their grandchildren. After a warm welcome by Head of School Elaine White in Armour Academic Center, they headed off to classes with their grandchildren leading the way. Some of them learned about the origin of black holes in an astronomy class held in the Class of 1957 Planetarium, others rolled up their sleeves and unleashed their creativity in art classes and still others tackled math equations they hadn’t solved since high school. 

 

Throughout the day, grandparents toured the campus, often locking arms with their grandchildren as they strolled the pathways. They had their portraits taken with their grandchildren, enjoyed lunch in the Armstrong Dining Hall, participated in chapel in Andrews Memorial Chapel and attended athletic contests in the afternoon. By the end of the day, they had a full snapshot of what student life at Westminster was like.

 

For some, the Westminster experience is a familiar one. Ron and Jean Gailun P ’98, ’04 were visiting their grandsons, twins Henry ’26 and George ’26 Baird. They are also the parents of alumni, Emily Oakford ’04, and Elisabeth Baird ’98, P ’26, who is a Westminster trustee. Over time, the Gailuns have visited campus more times than they can count, but they were thrilled to return to Williams Hill this time as grandparents. The visit gave Jean an opportunity to attend art class with one twin, while Ron looked forward to precalculus class with another. “I want to see if he [George] can solve the equations!" he joked.

 

For Thomas Turton ’61, P ’82, ’83,’ 85’, ’88, GP ’25, ’27, visiting Westminster was like coming home. Turton, who delivered the chapel address, spoke about how Westminster has been a part of his family’s life for six decades. Seven members of his family are alumni, including his four sons. Now, he and his wife, Cathy, have two grandchildren at Westminster, Shaw ’25 and Mason Grace ’27 Turton.

 

He reflected on his time spent on Williams Hill –– freezing late nights when the boys had to hose down the outdoor hockey rink to make ice, swimming in a pool that was only 20 yards in length and playing football when it was part of the athletic program. Life has changed on campus since then, but the warmth of the Westminster community has endured, he said. From the time he was a student, the community has always treated him as family. He spoke about how he and Cathy were comforted by Westminster friends and faculty members when their son, Daniel Turton ’85, P ’25, ’27, died suddenly in January.

 

Turton also credited Westminster with setting himself and many fellow Martlets on the right track.

 

“All of us Turtons agree on one thing: We don’t exactly know how, but Westminster kicked us into gear,” he said. “Westy gave us a head start and pointed us in the right direction. And it gave us the grit to make things happen in our lives, and the grace to accept when things were difficult or not exactly as we planned.”

 

For Darlene and John Longo GP ’25, ’26, who have 17 grandchildren altogether, spending time with the oldest ones, Blake ’25 and Owen ’26 Burke, was a rare and special experience. “This is still very new and exciting for us,” said Darlene.

 

Whether they were visiting Westminster for the first time or returning to Williams Hill, there was no question grandparents were thrilled to be at the center of their grandchildren's world for the day.