Sign It and Send It In!
Written by Doug Goodnough
When I received this in the mail a couple of years ago, I didn’t quite know what to make of it. It was a letter from Hillsdale College with a few enclosures, including an unsigned Christmas card.
I’m the kind of person who is a “scanner” by nature, so instead of actually reading the letter that probably explained the purpose of the card, I immediately concluded that it was some sort of mistake.
The mistake, it turns out, was mine. The card was part of a unique pitch to alumni to send a Christmas card to students before their finals. Send it in, and the Alumni Office will deliver it to the students.
Cool. So I signed one and sent it in. Done. I didn’t think any more about it. However, when I returned to the College last year and started my current position in the Alumni Office, this campaign became part of my responsibilities.
When this mailing was sent out this fall, I was curious to see how many alumni responded. I was told 300 or 400 signed cards were typical, and by the time they all were delivered to my office, it was about what we expected.
What I didn’t expect, however, was the originality and creativity that some put into their messages to students. There were the usual “good luck on finals” and “Merry Christmas” messages that were probably penned in the same fashion that I did mine a couple of years ago. But I was amazed at some of the effort others put into these cards.
For example, there were heartfelt messages that included what Hillsdale meant to them and implored students to enjoy their special time at the College. Others spoke of their academic experiences, and others were “pep talks” to help encourage students through the grueling finals preparation process.
A lucky few students even got a $5 bill or a coffee gift card stuffed inside the card, which I thought was a very nice touch.
There was one, however, that truly stood out. It came from “Curtis,” who only identified himself as a 1986 graduate and a Phi Sig member. He penned a special letter that he called a “Finals Study Break Option/Field Trip.” It explained that Col. Fredrick Fowler was the person who “spearheaded” the land acquisition for the College to move from Spring Arbor to its current location in Hillsdale. He also talked about his efforts to “round up” College students to fight for the Union in the Civil War.
After the war, he returned to his farm and eventually helped start the Republican Party. It turns out Col. Fowler was Curtis’ great-great-grandfather, and his burial site is about 12 miles from campus near Reading. In fact, there is a monument at the West Side Cemetery memorializing Fowler’s life. Curtis encouraged the student to pay a visit to the site, and even provided a hand-drawn map!
Thank you, Curtis, and all those alumni who participated in our interactive Christmas card initiative. From what I hear, our students appreciated the encouragement.
And maybe I’ll take Curtis up on his field trip suggestion someday.
Happy New Year!
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in January 2023