’62 Reunions buddies make many happy returns
Princetonians, try topping this benchmark: 59 consecutive Reunions.
That’s the number Alfred Muller ’62 and Albert Barr III ’62 are aiming for.
You may have seen their photo standing proudly with signs that Barr’s daughter creates for the twosome to mark each year they celebrate. Muller brings the class banner and class dog, currently Truffle, the third cocker spaniel Muller has brought with him over the last 30 years.
It wasn’t always easy to keep the record going. They’ve marched in rain, Jersey humidity and heat, and through the blare of cicadas (expected again this year). Muller flew in from Vietnam to Hawaii to the mainland for ’62’s eighth celebration. Since the early 2000s, Barr has flown in from California to travel north from his home on the East Coast.
There’s been friendly competition — “Dr. Al” playfully suggests that one year, attorney Barr drove past him while he struggled with a flat tire, but Barr insists he has no recollection of the incident. More recently the competition has transformed into a promise to maintain their Reunions streak together.
“I went back each year because it really was a wonderful experience in seeing old friends,” Muller said. “When I was in medical school, Princeton was a calming influence, although Reunions, as you know, is organized chaos. You would see people on the off years that you might not see in the majors and they’d be different each year. So in order to see the most classmates you really needed to go each year.”
And so they did.
Muller (left in the photo) and Barr contributed a video message to this year’s cubs, below. Listen to their words of wisdom here.
