When the renovated UVM Alumni House opened its doors in September 2016, its beauty, elegance, and grandeur were immediately apparent.

Less visible, however, were the years of dedication that made that renovation possible. Delta Psi fraternity brothers, Alumni Association volunteers and leaders, alumni, donors, university partners, craftspeople, and friends all played a role in transforming 61 Summit Street into a welcoming home for generations of Catamounts.

Now, as the Alumni House celebrates its 10-year anniversary, its legacy is measured not only by its historic restoration but by the countless connections, celebrations, and opportunities it has created for alumni, students, and friends of UVM.

We spoke with four individuals whose leadership and commitment helped bring the project to life and asked them to reflect on their memories of Alumni House and their hopes for its future.

Penrose Jackson ’70, 2023 Distinguished Service Alumni award recipient, is a longtime volunteer with the Alumni Association who served as Vice President and then President in the years leading up to the campaign, and when it was opened at last.

But her earliest memories of the building were from her undergrad years. “I remember the first Saturday of my freshman year. It was at a fraternity party, of course,” she laughed. “I sat in that nook in the front of the fireplace in the main hall during the party and just fell in love with the building.”

Fast-forward through the years, and that building became one of the cornerstone achievements of her Alumni Association leadership tenure.

A self-described “erstwhile architect” with a special love for historic buildings, Penrose remembers her first glimpses of the newly renovated space. In an interview recorded for the 2023 Alumni Association awards, she said, “We opened the house in 2016, 50 years after I had first fallen in love with her and I got to be here at that event and welcome everybody home to the Alumni House and it was extraordinary. I came to appreciate the whole concept of coming home to a place where you would always feel welcome, that you didn’t have to go to a classroom or a gymnasium, that there was a home-like place that you could feel, again, a part of the university.”

She made special note of what the Silver Pavilion offers too. “When I first went in as we were getting ready to open the building, I was so appreciative of the amount of light and engagement with the community around it. As long as it's light out, any day of the year, you can go into the Silver Pavilion and feel at one with the community and the outdoors. You're not just sequestered in a meeting room staring at slides. It's such a nice compliment to the grandeur and elegance of the original building without trying to duplicate it.”

John Irish ’73 is a Delta Psi brother who has stayed active with the chapter, and with UVM. He recalled that when the fraternity chapter decided to sell 61 Summit Street, they were sure of one thing: they fervently hoped the building could remain with UVM.

Irish talked about that decision, and what it meant to his fraternity brothers, in a recent conversation.

“Selling the building to UVM meant that this building, which we all cared so much about, would be restored to its appropriate state. And it also helped us establish a legacy for Delta Psi in two ways. First, we were able to create the Brothers’ Room, a fully restored and maintained space that any visiting brother can enter. Anybody coming back to Burlington, no matter how long it’s been, has a place to go,” he told us.

That room is, of course, about much more than the physical space for the alumni who spent their college years there, he reflected. “You get flooded with memories. You remember the connections and the friendships you made.”

As important as that is to brothers of the fraternity, they take at least as much pride in the second part of Delta Psi’s legacy. John elaborated: “When we sold the house, the proceeds were used to set up a special endowment that funds scholarships for any descendant of a Delta Psi Brother.  Since its inception, the total amount of scholarships awarded exceeds $2,150,000. This is testimonial to a legacy that all Delta Psi Brothers can be proud of.”

Professor Emeritus and UVM Foundation Leadership Volunteer Wolfgang Mieder was a volunteer throughout the project whose dedication continues. He and fellow volunteers learned about some of the unique challenges that are part of an enormous endeavor, like the building’s purchase and historic renovation.

Alumni House is essentially the only building in UVM’s history to have been funded entirely by philanthropy, a special point of pride for Wolfgang and for many others who worked to bring it into being.

He remembered getting the details of how to raise funds for such a big project, and how people were able to take part at any level. He reflected that, “For some people that’s quite a bit, and for a professorial type like myself, it meant we could only give a smaller amount. That was how my wife Barbara and I came to make a fairly modest gift to name the space that’s now used to host small faculty events,” known as the Mieder Emeritus Faculty Room. He now has the pleasure of hearing from UVM colleagues when they use the room for meetings, or to review academic publications, or other academic pursuits.

UVM Foundation Leadership Volunteer Meg Guzewicz ’73 was an early proponent and volunteer who was President of the Alumni Association during some of the most active years of the fundraising and construction. (She was quick to emphasize that she was only one in a long line of Alumni Association presidents, including Tom Amidon ’61, Frank Cioffi ’77, Ted Madden ’92, Dale Rocheleau ’80 and Janet Terp ’80, G’94 who had wanted to establish a home for alumni on campus.)

As highly involved alumni, they knew the critical importance of being able to meaningfully welcome and host the alumni community in a place so dear to them. The volunteers didn’t know precisely what or where on campus that would be, but Guzewicz remembered the clarity that their purpose was “to let alumni know that they still continue to be an integral part of the University community. At the end of the day, we hope that people get involved, feel involved, and have a place to come that keeps them connected with the university. The more we can do that, the better it is for everyone.”

Commitment and Collaboration Made It Happen and Still Sustain It

The most important aspect of the Alumni House, emphasized Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations Sarah Lenes G’10, is the sustained collaboration and commitment that the project required.

“The levels of research and work that went into its creation can’t be exaggerated,” she said. “The Alumni Association and our alumni constituents were vital in the actual creation of the building, from the concept to the collaboration with university administration, to the fundraising piece of the facility, to the operations once it was restored — none of this could have happened without the incredible dedication of many, many people.”

A decade later, its success is measured not only by the events it has hosted, but by the people it has brought together and the sense of belonging it has created. It stands as a testament to what is possible when philanthropy, preservation, accessibility, and community come together in service of future generations.

Looking to an Exciting Future for 61 Summit Street

While its first decade has been filled with memorable milestones, those closest to the Alumni House believe its greatest opportunities still lie ahead.

"We are excited about the future," Lenes said. "There are many more years of connection, community, celebration, and engagement to come at 61 Summit Street."

Guzewicz shares that optimism.

"What excites me most is that you never know who's going to walk through the door," she said. "Someone, whether an alumnus or even a current student, might stop by for a tour, learn about what's happening at UVM, discover new opportunities to get involved, and become a more active participant in the life of the university. We know that achieving our goals requires everyone to be engaged, and the Alumni House provides an incredible opportunity to make those connections happen."

Ten years after welcoming its first visitors, the UVM Alumni House remains what its founders envisioned: a place where Catamounts can gather, reconnect, celebrate, and always feel at home.