![](https://www.hamilton.edu/assets/mmlibrary/images/185x/Allen_14Mar08_a.jpg)
Allen Mellen '58, who celebrated his 50th reunion on the Hill two weekends ago, has posted an essay about his deeply personal experience of Reunions '08 on his blog "Morningsider."
Reunions '08 marked the first time Mellen has returned to Hamilton College since his commencement in 1958, excluding a "flyby visit" during a 1975 drive-through tour of Upstate New York that "doesn't really count."
Mellen attributes his longtime absence from campus in part to the anger he has felt toward the College as a result of his failure to receive an invitation to a fraternity during his four years of undergraduate study.
However, upon his arrival June 5 at Emerson Hall for Reunions '08 registration, he was overcome with emotion. "I teared up," he writes, "It was really a homecoming—I've not finished processing the emotions I felt and still feel about the visit."
In his post, Mellen discusses his experiences of the Class of 1958 Dinner, mixed voice Reunion Choir rehearsals, and the Sunday Service of Remembrance.
Responding to Mellen's post, an anonymous Hamilton alumna/us writes, "Hamilton seems to have the formula for Alumni Weekends down—a beautiful mix of nostalgia, educational programs, food, and libations!"
Click here for the full text of the post.