Clear blue skies, bright sunshine, and warm weather welcomed alumni and families of current students to the 2017 Garnet Homecoming and Family Weekend, Oct. 6–8. Community members and more than 600 visitors took advantage of a full schedule of events including the Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame dinner and induction; the annual Thomas B. McCabe Lecture; open houses with the Black Cultural Center, the Women’s Resource Center, and the Intercultural Center; a panel discussion and other events hosted by the Swarthmore Black Alumni Network; tours of campus gardens and green roofs provided by the Scott Arboretum; and perennial favorites such as the Garnet Weekend Tailgate and the President’s Welcome.

This year’s McCabe Lecture, “An Urgent Case for Laughter,” was given by Paul Young ’92, an Emmy-winning producer whose credits include Key & Peele, black-ish, and Central Intelligence. In his lecture, Young shared his personal story—at times a difficult one— and the important role laughter has played in his life. He also explained how laughter can be a first step in grieving and healing the divisions in our lives, on college campuses, and in our country.

The sixth class to enter the Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame includes Steve Brown '84 (tennis), Madeline Fraser Cook '95 (soccer and lacrosse), Gil Kemp '72 (cross country and track & field), Katie Robinson '04 (basketball), and athletic trainer Doug Weiss.

Following the completion of the Crum Creek Viaduct last fall, the Crum Regatta returned to the Crum Creek from its two-year hiatus in Ware Pool. The annual tradition to race “anything that floats” began in 1972 and has remained a time-honored tradition for students to win awards for speed, creativity, and even the “Jacques Cousteau Award for Crum Regatta Spirit.”