Again I greet you from the beautiful campus of Montreat College. I think that "beautiful" is an understatement here during the fall season. The mountains that surround this place have been ablaze with color; deep crimsons, bright yellows, oranges and hundreds of shades in between. It is as if God had personally painted each for us to enjoy.

But now, as I write this, we are advancing towards the inevitable winter chill. The color lies in heaps about the yards and soon winter will wrap its chilly hands around us and a new type of beauty will emerge. Montreat is a place that is familiar with seasons. We can all recall various ways in which Montreat has had an impact on our lives. Everyone’s experience here is unique, and some don’t even realize what an impact this place had on them until years after they have left. As alumni, we have all had our season here, and now a new generation is experiencing their Montreat season. I must admit that I am enjoying the show!

I would also like to take this opportunity to update you all on what is happening in the Alumni Office these days. Homecoming has come and gone, as have the beautiful colors and some portion of the hair on the back of my head. We have now settled in to the task of organizing the alumni office, updating addresses, locating lost alumni and making plans for creating a more active Alumni Association.

We do have areas where alumni volunteers are desperately needed. We are looking for alumni who would be willing to help form local alumni chapters in areas where there are several alumni. We also could use alumni volunteers in the Alumni Office at Montreat. If you are able to help in these areas please indicate on the Alumni Update form on page 15 and I will contact you. There are many other areas that we will be trying to improve in the coming months and years, and we welcome your suggestions. You can contact me at: Bob Graham, Montreat College Alumni Office, Box 1267, Montreat, NC 28757 or by e-mail at "bgraham@montreat.edu" or by phone 704-669-8012 Ext 3913.

As always, it is a pleasure to work with such a great group of alumni as yourselves, and I look forward to the exciting things we will be able to do in the future.

Sincerely,

Bob Graham ’93

Advancement Associate for Alumni Affairs

P.S. Recently you received a mailing on the Keystone Fund of Montreat College. This fund is a part of what allows Montreat to continue providing the quality education, scholarships, technological advances and more that make students’ seasons at Montreat as life changing and rewarding as ours were. I encourage you to consider what you can contribute to the Keystone Fund and the continuing seasons of the Montreat that we love!