Dear Friends:

We have called many places home: Michigan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Texas and California. During the holiday season, when thoughts naturally turn to home and family, ours come back to the place where destiny and good fortune have brought us: Kalamazoo College. The snowy Michigan winters cannot diminish the warmth with which we have been embraced here, nor dim the glow of this institution.

That light is embodied in the symbols of Kalamazoo College, from the beacon atop Stetson Chapel to our motto, Lux Esto: Be Light. And it shows in the way our students and alumni approach life – graciously, with the enlightenment that comes from being at home in the world.

It also illuminates our hearts. While we may live apart and represent the rich variety of humanity, we – the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Kalamazoo College – have a common focal point in our lives: our shared experience as part of this extraordinary community.

No matter who we are, where we live or what our cultural backgrounds may be, that special spirit binds us as a family – one that shares, in K, a common home. And home is where the heart is – never more so than at this time of year when we celebrate enduring bonds.

In the kinship of the Kalamazoo College community, we wish you a season when, in the words of our Alma Mater, “hope and joy renew.” And if, in the coming year, your travels should bring you this way, we will welcome you home.

Sincerely,

President Jorge G. Gonzalez and Suzie (Martin) Gonzalez ’83