The UA Alumni Association is inviting generations of Wildcats back to campus to reminisce on their past and celebrate their achievements with their children.

With the help of the UA Parents and Family Association, the Alumni Association is putting on a Legacy Luncheon to allow past generations to return to campus and enjoy a weekend with their children during Family Weekend.

The luncheon will be held on Saturday in the Rincon Room of the Student Union Memorial Center.
During the luncheon, the parents will get up and introduce themselves along with their children. This year, the Alumni Association has invited Marvin D. “Swede” Johnson’s fourth generation to represent the meaning of a continuing, family generation attending the UA. Marvin D. Johnson is the namesake of the Alumni Association’s building.

“We have these luncheons as a way to recognize the Wildcat family tradition,” said Jill Hall, vice president of student and alumni outreach. “To reinforce you came to our school, you’re a Wildcat and your children now attend the same university.”

Lynn Johnson Engel, a UA alumni who holds the current chair of Alumni Association’s national board, will be the keynote speaker at the event.

Engel’s nephew, Marshall Riebe, is among the family’s fourth generation to attend the university.

Although not much has changed in terms of the campus, the parents’ memories will differ from those of the children, though the tradition will continue on, Hall said.

“For students, you pick your school and you move on, but then you see how much your parents loved it and they pass that love on to you,” Hall added.

During the speech, Engel will discuss how the legacy of just one generation can continue on when the students carry on the same passion, she said. Engel plans to emphasize the importance of believing in the tradition of the Wildcat family and the love and passion that each person at the luncheon carries with them, she added.

“I can remember as little girls we would go to all the football games and the alumni event with my father,” Engel said. “And we would talk about how wonderful the family weekend is.”

With four generations of the Johnson family attending the university, Engel said this means they’re spreading their love and passion for the university throughout the family.

“The university is just like familyhood. We are just so intertwined.