A Celebration of Rollins' First 125 Years

November 15, 2010

The culmination of Rollins’ 125th Anniversary celebrations, Founders’ Day, November 4, 2010, launched the first of four days of events featuring faculty and student scholarship, notable alumni, family activities, civic engagement and reflection on Rollins’ shared heritage with the Congregational Church and the City of Winter Park. The commemoration honored “the little College we all so love—the struggles of its past, the achievements of its present and the promise of its broadening and ever-broadening future” (“My Commencement,” Hamilton Holt, June 2, 1949). The four days marked yet another milestone in Rollins’ extraordinary history.

		Rollins' Red-Letter Years Now marking 125 years as an institution of higher learning, the College looks back on its distinguished past. View the timeline

		Founders' Day Academic Procession On November 4, members of the Rollins community kicked off the 125th Anniversary celebrations with a procession from City Hall on Park Avenue to the Alfond Sports Center on campus. View photos

		Clay Shirky Delivers Forward-Looking Convocation Address for Rollins' Founders' Day After a symbolic academic procession, the Rollins community filed into Warden Arena to attend the first of many events planned to celebrate the College’s 125th birthday. More...

		Special Delivery at Winter Park Hospital As part of Rollins’ 125th Anniversary celebration on November 4, every baby born at Winter Park Memorial Hospital, a Florida Hospital, on the College’s anniversary date received an official Rollins College “onesie,” complete with a commemorative 125th Rollins anniversary certificate. More...

		Social Media Helps Rollins Celebrate 125 Years To help celebrate Rollins’ 125th Anniversary, the College joined forces with social media entrepreneur Jason Sadler of I Wear Your Shirt.com, who helped promote the anniversary and encourage online involvement from current Rollins community members and alumni. More...

		A Mosaic in Time For Cecil Mack III (Class of 2008 ’11MA), creating a photo mosaic for Rollins was a combination of passion, preparation and opportunity. When he received his first camera at the age of eight, Mack began a lifelong love affair with photography. More...

		Rollins College and the City of Winter Park Celebrate Strong Ties Two proclamations named November 4 as “Rollins College Day” in the cities of Orlando and Winter Park. Mayor of Orlando Buddy Dyer and Mayor of Winter Park Ken Bradley both recognized Rollins for its significant contributions to the economic, social and cultural vitality of the greater Central Florida community. More...

		Alumni Provide Insider's Look at Washington On Thursday, November 4, five alumni were featured in the “Distinguished Alumni Government Service Panel” as a part of the 125th Anniversary celebration. Sharing their stories with an audience of students, faculty and staff, the panelists discussed how their personal interests led them to careers working for the government and how their personal work experience has impacted their perception of the political world. More...

		Alumni Discuss Careers in Media and the Arts One of the most prominent fields of study at Rollins College is the arts, including music, dance, art, art history and theater. On the afternoon of the College's 125th Anniversary celebration, community members gathered in Tiedtke Hall to hear a discussion about current media and the arts, and also where a degree in the arts can take students in today's society. More...

		Alumni Entrepreneurs Talk Business On November 4, Rollins hosted the “Distinguished Alumni: Business and Entrepreneurship” panel which gave three Rollins alumni the chance to share their insights. More...

		Alumni Lead a Life of Service On Thursday, November 4, Interim Provost Laurie Joyner introduced four very distinguished alumni for a panel on social advocacy. These alumni were not famous for fame or fortune, but rather, for something that Rollins holds to a higher value – advocacy, innovation, and service. More...

		Rice Family Bookstore and Dianne's Cafe Friday, November 5, Rollins faculty, staff, students and visiting parents gathered on the Mary Jean Mitchell Green Plaza to recognize members of the Rice Family for their generous gift of the Rice Family Bookstore and Dianne’s Café. More...

		Robert F. Kennedy Outlines a Green Course for Survival “We are living in a science fiction nightmare,” environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared to the amassed Rollins Community. On Thursday, November 4, in celebration of Rollins’ 125 Anniversary, the Winter Park Institute presented a captivating event featuring its Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose lecture was titled Green Gold Rush: A Vision for Energy Independence, Jobs, and National Wealth. More...

		Ice Cream Social On Friday, November 5, an “Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social” was held on Mills Lawn. The event was a fun way for visiting Rollins families to enjoy the sunshine and a classic dessert. More...

		Rollins Rallies for the 125th Anniversary On the evening of Friday, November 5, the Alfond Sport Center shut down its usual operations to host the second annual Rally Rollins. This modern-age pep rally was such a hit last year that the College decided to bring it back bigger and better for the 125th Anniversary. More...

		125th Anniversary Picnic Rollins faculty, staff, students and parents gathered on Mills Lawn on a sunny Saturday, November 5 to enjoy a picnic sponsored by Sodexo and to appreciate the beautiful Rollins campus during its 125th year. Cook-out food was served as attendees played frisbee and listened to the sounds of guitarists on the lawn. More...

		Parents and Students Get Engaged During Family Weekend Of the many events that celebrated Rollins’ 125th Anniversary, one particular event allowed family members to collaborate with students in contributing to the restoration of a Winter Park treasure – the Genius Reserve. In doing so, parents and students took in the scenery at the majestic 50-acre tract, once home to Rollins’ late president, Hugh McKean. More...

		Moveable Feast Takes Participants on Tour of Rollins' Libraries During the hustle of the many events associated with the 125th Anniversary, a small group took time to slow down and reflect on the humble beginnings of the College’s library. When Rollins opened in 1885, the only books in its collection were a bible and a dictionary. More...

		Music Under the Stars As the sun went down on Saturday, November 6, the Rollins community brought the College's 125th Anniversary celebration to a close with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park and Rollins College Concert Choir's collaborative concert event, Music Under the Stars. The concert featured over 200 members who performed a series of recognizable and celebratory works for an audience on Mill's Lawn. More...

		Chapel Services Celebrates 125 Years Rollins College and the First Congregational Church of Winter Park jointly conducted a service in Knowles Memorial Chapel featuring a sermon by President Emeritus Thaddeus Seymour and special remarks by President Emerita Rita Bornstein and President Lewis Duncan. More...

		Rollins and Congregational Church Plant Tree in Honor of Religious Roots Following the Founders’ Day service on November 7 at the Knowles Memorial Chapel—a service jointly conducted by the First Congregational Church of Winter Park and Rollins College, a special tree planting took place on the Rollins campus just outside Mills Memorial Hall. More...