Alumni Gather to Celebrate I-House Centennial
Hundreds of alumni from around the world converged in New York September 14-15 for a beautiful late summer weekend of activities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of International House’s opening in 1924.
More than 450 former I-House residents from the 35 different countries from every corner of the globe returned to 500 Riverside Drive to re-connect, share memories, and celebrate the Centennial at a series of events tied together with the theme “100 Years of Common Ground.”
The festivities began with a “strolling brunch” in the Hall of History and Davis Hall, where President Sebastian Fries welcomed attendees, and Board Chair Frank G. Wisner cited the ongoing relevance of I-House today, and New York City Commissioner for International Affairs Edward Mermelstein read a citation from the mayor noting I-House’s “longstanding legacy of global friendship and inclusion.”
Throughout the day, alumni toured resident floors and the Donald L. Cuneo Hall of History, gathered on the ninth floor terrace and participated in a scavenger hunt in the neighborhood.
Events continued with a Centennial Salon Night featuring alumni performers representing five decades of music in a variety of genres and styles in Davis Hall. Following a reception, the event began with a presentation by the leadership of Freunde des I-House of a painting by a Berlin artist commissioned in honor of the Centennial.
Trustee Peter M. O’Neill ’92, great-grandson of I-House co-founder John D. Rockefeller Jr., started the program, noting that he is the only member of his family to have actually lived at I-House, and recalling musical performances from his resident days. Each performance was introduced by alumni contemporaries who reminisced about their time at the House.
A highlight of the event was a video tribute to the late Herman “HR” Rottenberg, followed with remarks by Dan Rottenberg who recalled his father’s long association with the House and introduced an abbreviated fashion parade once associated with Fall Fiesta.
Salon Night was followed by “Club I-House,” in the Main Lounge and beneath a marquee erected on the Abby O’Neill patio, where alumni joined by current residents, danced the balmy night away and took part in a midnight toast by Sebastian Fries to officially welcome the Centennial.
Sunday began with an alumni speaker program in Davis Hall introduced by Trustee William Dodge Rueckert, who recalled his founding family’s involvement with the House which preceded its construction by several years.
Richard Stengel, former US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, then led a lively discussion with Alyson King OBE ’00, British Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tom Nichols ’84, staff writer for The Atlantic, and Professor Emeritus at the Naval War College, on the topic “Democracy and the Rise of Authoritarianism.”
The weekend was capped by the Centennial Sunday Supper, which began with a performance by the I-House Centennial Chamber Orchestra, comprised of current residents and alumni musicians led by Klaus Bauer ’79. The evening included remarks by Honorary Trustee Daisy M. Soros ’51 – the only attendee who had been present at the 25th anniversary celebrations, as a resident, in 1950 – and a keynote conversation with James Gorman ’87, Executive Chairman of Morgan Stanley with I-House resident Erick Perez.
President Sebastian Fries acknowledged special guests, including members of the Board of Trustees, World Council of Alumni, and descendants of Harry and Florence Edmonds, and invited attendees to start “dreaming big…Let’s shape our next 100 years together.”
“When we opened our doors in 1924, I-House was a revolutionary idea, he concluded. “It defied the norms of the time. We need that spirit of boldness again today.”