Close to 50 Knox alumni, parents, and friends ventured to The City Club of San Francisco on Tuesday, April 22, to celebrate Knox’s history and future and, coincidentally, Earth Day. Trustee Susan Blew ’75, who welcomed attendees, noted the significance of an event celebrating our Prairie College with the nation’s second prairie restoration site, Green Oaks, on the annual day dedicated to the importance of environmental awareness.
Blew also emphasized the importance for all members of the Knox community to participate in the Venture Boldly comprehensive campaign. She was followed by Anne Thomason, director of Seymour Library, who shared a new vision for the College’s beloved and historic library. Thomason talked about how important a 21st-century library is to the student experience, as well as how the College can improve the humanity of the library, particularly as it relates to accessibility. Her talk was accompanied by slides showcasing renderings for a reimagined Seymour Library, designed to better connect the library to the campus and student experience.
President C. Andrew McGadney then took the stage to celebrate Knox’s current momentum–thanks to the opening of the new Knight Living & Learning Facility at Green Oaks, a record-setting fall 2025 class, and updates to residence halls and other buildings on campus–and to share his vision for the College’s future growth–the foundation for the Venture Boldly campaign. He also took a moment to take a selfie with his Executive Assistant and proud Knox parent, Stacia Mattan P’26, as part of a demonstration on how to be a social ambassador for Knox.
Senior Director of College Engagement & Stewardship Megan Rehberg ’06 led everyone in singing the Knox Hymn, after which attendee Dennis Puglisi mentioned that he had never sung the Knox Hymn because it wasn't his school or his song, “but I did tonight.”
Attendees closed out the evening with community and conversation, during which several younger alumni expressed their delight in how many Bay Area alumni were in attendance at the event. See Venture Boldly San Francisco photos on Knox College’s Flickr page.
Our final domestic Venture Boldly event is on Friday, May 2, with a grand return to Knox and Galesburg.