Remarkable Connections
![First reunion in 1986 700x467 dsonmagw25 regan85](/images/First_reunion_in_1986_700x467_dsonmagw25_Regan85.jpg")
From left to right, starting second from left: Paul Riggs, Geoff Griffin, Jay Bienkowski, John Collins, Bill Regan, Scott Cook, Jay Erly and Tucker Newberry.
by Bill Regan '85
I applied to ºìÐÓÖ±²¥app in 1980 because it was one of the few liberal-arts colleges at the time that offered a multidisciplinary international studies major, strong foreign languages and a robust study-abroad program. I was not surprised that Dickinson delivered on these educational goals, but I was surprised at how central the college became to something I never considered as a high school senior: lifelong friendships. These friends—some of whom I met on the first day of freshman year—would later attend my wedding, celebrate my children’s births, grieve with me when my parents died and otherwise be there through life’s highs and lows.
Our friend group has met every year since graduation in 1985, and in 2025 we will celebrate 40 years since we walked down the steps of Old West. Eight to 10 of us typically attend each year, and we have taken to renting a beach house, where we cook, play disc golf (badly) and share pictures from the previous year. These get-togethers have always been more about sustaining our friendships than reliving our college days, although embarrassing stories (often the same ones) invariably get told.
Our group formed organically. All but one decided to forego fraternity life, and we developed deep friendships as we lived in independent housing for the remaining three years. Those accommodations were sometimes austere (Morgan basement, anyone?) and sometimes generous (McKenney suites), but they were always welcoming spaces. That openness to others extended to the women who lived in proximity to us. Some remain close friends to this day.
We often gathered at one of the large round tables in the Holland Union dining hall for our meals. If that invokes an image of medieval knights, then John Collins was our King Arthur. (John, whose middle name is Dickinson, is a direct descendant of the college’s namesake.) We came from a range of backgrounds, majored in a variety of subjects, engaged in a broad spectrum of extracurricular activities and sports, and built successful careers in law, business, education, public service and the environment, among others. Most are married with children, and some have grandchildren, whereas others have forged less traditional but no less meaningful paths.
2024 from left to right: Greg Wright, Bill Regan, Jay Erly (rear), Tucker Newberry (front), John Collins, Jay Bienkowski, Ken Porter, Paul Riggs.
It is remarkable enough to have friendships lasting 40 years beyond graduation. It is even more remarkable how our group has stayed connected to Dickinson over the years. Paul Riggs started his academic career at the college, working in academic affairs and the president’s office. Tucker Newberry, who won the Hufstader Senior Prize for leadership, still leads the occasional trip for the Outing Club, which he founded in 1983. Greg Wright has worked with prospective students as part of the Dickinson Admissions Volunteer Society. Jay Bienkowski gave a talk about his FBI career and attended quite a few soccer games (several members of our group played on the team). Jay Erly handed his nephew Christopher Erly ’13 his degree on the steps of Old West. Christopher says his uncle’s lifelong friendships were a major reason he attended Dickinson. In addition, we are financial donors—some in major ways.
When I first proposed this article, several members expressed discomfort at any public mention of their accomplishments at and after Dickinson or their status as benefactors—a reticence that speaks to the quality of their characters. Perhaps I should not have been surprised that this group of Dickinsonians would remain by each other’s side across four decades and counting.
After graduating with honors in international studies and French, Bill earned an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He spent more than three decades working on foreign policy in Washington and abroad, rising to the senior executive ranks. He now lives in Vermont, where he teaches at the university level, serves on nonprofit boards and has at long last heeded the call of the mountains, lakes and trails.
Read more from the winter 2025 issue of Dickinson Magazine.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published March 20, 2025