June 3, 1997 Contact Maureen Shine (541) 346-3145 Source: Kelly Evans, UO Alumni Association, (541) 346-5878 EUGENE--For Marguerite Wittwer Wright, 50 is a lucky number. Last year she celebrated 50 years of marriage to her college sweetheart. This year the Portland resident will attend her 50th reunion at the place where she met her mate--the University of Oregon. Wright and the Class of `47 will return to campus June 12-14 to commemorate their golden anniversary with a weekend celebration including an early-morning breakfast, a campus tour, a luncheon with UO students and a banquet during which class members will be formally inducted into the Order of the Emerald Society--a special fellowship comprised of alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago. Reunion weekend events also include a 9:30 a.m. brunch on Saturday, June 14, for all members of the Order of the Emerald Society, who will then assemble for the UO's 120th spring commencement which gets underway at 12:30 p.m. at Hayward Field, 1580 E. 15th Ave. Wright, who was Marguerite Wittwer in her college days, recalls some interesting times at the UO, in particular her tenure at the student newspaper, the Oregon Daily Emerald, where she was 1946-47 editor. When she became engaged to be married to her co-editor, Tom Wright, Class of `48, she claims the arrangement caused a small controversy as student editors were not permitted to wed. Ultimately, George Turnbull, dean of the School of Journalism, gave his blessings to the couple and both were allowed to continue at the paper. Wright says she also was at odds with the university administration about an exposé she wrote about faculty salaries--a story she says was never printed. And during her senior year she authored a contentious editorial entitled, "We Are Not Impressed," after a speech on campus by Randolph Churchill, the son of England's former prime minister, Winston Churchill. These days Wright is busy working with the UO Alumni Association and other members of the Class of `47 to organize their 50th reunion. She says the reunion is "a time to help us recapture those green and golden hours, when it seemed there was nothing we could not do." Wright and her classmates agree that a great deal has changed in 50 years. On dates, women were decked out in dresses with peplums and sequins while their escorts donned cordovans or black brogues. In the post-war environment, the GI Bill boosted UO enrollment to an all-time high and for the first time in its history, the university had to accommodate large numbers of married students, students with children, and the disabled. Campus was overcrowded, but with war behind them the Class of `47 celebrated their days on campus--something they plan to do again this time around. For more information about the Class of `47 50th Reunion or Order of the Emerald events, contact the UO Alumni Association at (541) 346-5656. -30- #F-4095/Local,PDX