Texas Wesleyan’s Office of Alumni Relations held the alumni reunion dinner on Friday at Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards.

Food was served buffet style while a cash bar was available for alcoholic beverages.  Guests were able to bid on a myriad of different items.

University President Fred Slabach said that this was a really exciting time to be a part of Texas Wesleyan.

“All you have to do is show up ready to drink,” Slabach said in reference to the reunion dinner. “I asked the bishop, aren’t you glad we’re a Methodist institution instead of a Baptist?”

Even without the name badges with your graduation date, it was easy to gauge the eras that were most represented at the alumni reunion. Alumni from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s were the most represented.

When asked about the lack of newer alumni representation at the event, former coordinator of alumni relations Branigan Contreras ’15 said it’s partly to do with the lack of relationships being built while in school.

“It was a different time; some students don’t even know who’s in their class,” If you look at the yearbooks in that era (50’s, 60’s) it was more about making lasting relationships and joining clubs and organizations,” Contreras said.

While not as well represented, a few recent graduates did attend the dinner. Recent newlyweds Jesus Saldana ’15 and Gisela Ponce ’16 said they try to attend every event possible.

“We try to go to every one,” Saldana said.

“Texas Wesleyan has given me a lot of opportunities. We met at TCC then followed each other to Wesleyan,” Ponce said.

“She followed me,” Saldana jokingly replied.

During the event, Director of Alumni Relations DeAwna Wood ’05 was inducted into the  Guardians of the Golden Shears, which is been presented to outstanding student leaders, faculty and staff members at Texas Wesleyan for more than 75, according to txwes.edu.

Travel coffee mugs and business card holders were also given out as gifts to those who attended the event.