Celebrating a Golden Weekend

A record-breaking 55 Golden Warriors from the class of 1976 returned to campus May 8-10 to celebrate their 50th reunion and march in the Commencement procession with the class of 2026. Many of them arrived on Friday and kicked off the weekend with a talk by Steve Porter, senior research fellow and executive director of Westmont’s Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture. He presented “For Such a Time as This: How to Cultivate a Credible and Compelling Christian Witness.”

President Gayle D. Beebe and members of the Westmont Board of Trustees welcomed the Golden Warriors at a special luncheon in their honor. Two trustees from the class of 1976 spoke about their college experiences, Celeste Keith White and Mark Zoradi, as did Carl LaBarbera. That evening, Zoradi and his wife, Cathy Pezzoni Zoradi, also a Golden Warrior, opened their home for a festive dinner.

The Golden Warriors arrived early Saturday morning to don academic regalia and march in the Commencement ceremony amidst cheers, applause and congratulations. Michael Kidd and Cathy Zoradi led the way, carrying the banner.

The weekend concluded with a moving worship service in the Nancy Voskuyl Prayer Chapel. Presbyterian pastor Jay Shirley preached a heartfelt message about the blessing of the lives we’ve been given, noting that while no one knows how much time we have on this earth, we do have today. He invited fellow Golden Warriors to embrace the joy of supporting and encouraging the church and to remain attentive to daily opportunities to lovingly share the good news wherever the Holy Spirit leads us.

Look for more Golden Warrior photos at westmont.edu/alumni.