For decades, local alumni clubs affiliated with out-of-town colleges and/or universities have had social gatherings to welcome the new students, along with their parents, and to offer graduates trips down memory lane. Vanderbilt University, University of Virginia (UVA), and Washington and Lee University (W&L) did just that at impressive receptions.

Commodores

Bearing the name of benefactor Cornelius Vanderbilt, a shipping and railroad magnate, Vanderbilt University was established in 1873. The private research university is in Nashville, Tennessee, and claims Mr. Commodore — often shortened to Mr. C, and named after the university’s founder — as its mascot. The colors are black and gold.

As they have done for decades, alumnus Darryl and Louellen Berger and their family have hosted the

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