The Things We Keep
Students and Alumni Get Nostalgic About Their College Treasures
By Kenna Caprio
Maybe it’s a shirt, or an old student ID card. Maybe it’s a faded photograph or a well-worn yearbook. These objects bring meaning to our lives. More than knickknacks, they are time machines. Portals to the past — to late-night study sessions, to laughs around a dorm room, to campus traditions and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. These are the items that we’ve kept, and that keep FDU close to our hearts.
Steven Bedrosian, finance major, Metropolitan Campus
“My grandfather Hmayak Bedrosian, AA’61 (Metro), whom I never met (he died in a car crash before I was born), attended night classes at FDU after he got married. Which is interesting because it’s somewhat similar to my story — I turned 31 this year and came back to school while working full time, and my wife and I are expecting. In a way, FDU is giving me a second chance. This feels like an opportunity to make something of myself.”
Steven Bedrosian’s father kept Hmayak’s report card and showed it to Bedrosian after he enrolled at FDU. “Even if it’s just a piece of paper, it has connected me with my grandfather in ways that I have never felt before.”
Denis M. Walsh, BA’77 (Flor)
“Some of my best memories are the Sunday games in the fall and away games at West Point and other schools. The unity of the team against some tough opponents. And, of course, the support from students, professors and families. This is a photo of the Florham Madison Rugby Cub in 1973 and two jerseys we used back then.”
Linda Jean Garlick Wanner, BSN’83 (Ruth)
Linda Jean Garlick Wanner keeps a handful of college mementos, including a “Class of 1983” mug and her nursing pin. She got the pin for her nursing pinning in 1983. “I wore it to work when I wore a white uniform — now just for special occasions. My colleagues always ask about it.”
“Gathering up these items brought back many happy memories. The best was meeting my husband and soulmate, Steve, in 1982. We celebrated the anniversary of him asking me out on our first date every year until his death in 2022. Thanks for the wonderful trip down memory lane!”
Soni Conville, BA’85 (Ruth)
“This shirt is literally the first thing I bought at the Rutherford Campus bookstore on the first day of the Fall 1981 semester. I was the first member of my family to go to college. This shirt symbolizes my pride in that accomplishment. It never fails to bring back great memories of my four years at FDU. And yes, 45 years later it still fits.”
Stacey (Oakley) Davis, BS’01, MBA’07 (Metro), and Sinclair Davis, AA’09, BA’11, MA’16, PSYD’18 (Metro)
“Our love story started at FDU, so it only felt right to keep (and display) all the yearbooks I found over the years.”
Emily Schlessinger, BS’25 (Flor)
“I collected my devil ducks during Devil Days when I was a freshman. At one point, I had at least 10 of them lined up on my desk (I’m down to only two now, don’t worry!). They remind me of all of the events on campus, making great memories and meeting amazing people.”