Alumni of the University of Michigan Friars

70th Anniversary Recap

The Friars’ 70th Anniversary Celebration on April 10-11 was a great success, featuring two days of fun, memories, and music. Here's a recap:

• We met Friday night for a banquet at the Ann Arbor Sheraton. Present were eighty Prior Friars, the current Friars, and about thirty guests. Michael Kasiborski (2002-2004) served as master of ceremonies.
• At the banquet, groups representing the early 70s, early 80s, and early 2000s took the stage for a couple numbers each. The current Friars sang two excellent sets that reminded us that the group remains in capable hands. And we're grateful to Glee Club director Matthew Abernathy for leading us in Laudes and The Yellow and Blue.
• Saturday afternoon was set aside for gatherings of the different eras at the League. A number of groups opted to attend the celebration of U-M Men’s Basketball’s NCAA championship, which was held at Crisler Center that afternoon. Those at the League enjoyed catching up and singing the old songs.
• Thanks to the leadership of Mark Webb (1972–1974) we organized ourselves to perform an animated version of “Mess” plus “The Old Friars’ Song” during the Glee Club concert on Saturday night.
• Between those two songs, Steve Ramsey (1965-1967) shared some Friars’ history and thanked the Club for its consistent support. He also recognized Barbara Wybrecht (wife of original Friar Ted Wybrecht) who attended the banquet and the concert.

Photos and Memorabilia

• Photographer Genevieve DeVries shot the action at the banquet Friday evening, including the group photo of all the Friars who attended. You can view the rest of the photos using this link, and can order prints or downloads of any you’d like to keep.
• Genevieve also provided a gallery of shots from a photo booth that was set up at the banquet. Images in this gallery can be shared and downloaded for free.
• Here’s a set of photos from our performance at the concert.
• Here are a few pages from the concert program that commemorate the group and the anniversary.
• Here’s a LinkedIn post from U-M President Domenico Grasso, who attended the concert.
• We’re working on getting a video of the Prior Friars’ concert performance and will send a link if one becomes available.

Thanks to everyone who attended and all who contributed to planning and executing the event!