TSC/TCNJ Reunion 2026

Reunions at my alma mater hold a special place in my heart because it was at Reunion 1989 when I met Don in (I kid you not) Don C. Bliss Hall. I was a student worker in the alumni office, and he was a young alumnus, a member of the Alumni Board, who took a week off to help with running the reunion.

At the time our school was called Trenton State College. Eight years later it controveriosly changed its name to The College of New Jersey. By then I was an alumna serving on the Alumni Board and my sister (Melissa) was a student.

There school has had many name changes over its 171 year old history, but this is the one that feels the most visceral.

History of names:

1855 New Jersey Normal School

1908 New Jersey State Normal School at Trenton

1929 New Jersey State Teachers College and State Normal School at Trenton

1937 New Jersey State Teachers College at Trenton

1958 Trenton State College

1996 The College of New Jersey

If you do the math, it was TSC for 38 years, and has been TCNJ for 30 years (and counting). We were promised at the time they would continue to carry TSC merchandise (I think someone realized it was a bad idea to tick off 38 years of alumni in the new-internet era). The pickings are usually slim, both in size and variety of offerings. Typically the bookstore is replenished leading up to the reunion.

We returned in 2022 with my fraternity friends for my thirtieth reunion and had a good time. We all wore our TSC attire. It was fun.

Fast forward four very fast years. We received a notice that we could buy a brick. I erased my email. Don wanted to act on his. After much debating over the words, including visiting the campus to see what others wrote, we agreed on Don '86 &, Jacquie '92, Bliss Hall<3 with the all important TSC logo.

Living locally, we swung by the campus to pick up our mini brick without intending to stay for the events. Instead, we bought some swag (a long-sleeved tee for him, and a baseball cap for me from the much-cheaper pop-up tent). 

Don spent a lot of time at the Ambassadors table. He was a member of the first class of Ambassadors, which gave him the perk of living on campus his senior year at a time when only freshmen and sophomores were guaranteed housing. I applied twice to be an Ambassador. The first time I made it to the second round. The second time I was rejected after the first round. Rejections that still sting, but I did not bring them up while Don was enjoying the glory of being an alumnus ambassador. He answered the "Are you smarter than an Ambassador" question effortlessly and won a sticker that showed the combination of sports jacket he wore in his time, and the blue and white rugby shirt worn by more recent classes.

We met the current president, and had our picture taken with the giant TSC
letters before walking over to the bricks to find ours, and take the above picture. It was great seeing the campus so alive. It helped instead of having separate events, they now combine Homecoming, Reunions, and Parents Weekend. Most everyone was wearing TSC or TCNJ attire, including us who remembered to don ours before heading out (a point Don made after we were there since he felt he was part of a greater club). 

I hope my fraternity friends gather again for a reunion. I don't know if it will happen. The year we went, Marc and Michelle's daughter was an Ambassador. Since then Chris's son has been a student (might still be), and sadly Karen and Darrel's son, Frank, was a student. Frank only attended a semester before cancer took his life this summer. A scholarship is named after him.