F&M Stories
True Blue Weekend Celebrates Traditions Old & New
Video by Andrew Bilindabagabo
To celebrate lifelong friendships. To reconnect with old teammates. To visit professors who changed their lives.
Franklin & Marshall alumni listed countless reasons they returned to campus for True Blue Weekend Sept. 19-21. More than 2,000 students, parents and alumni enjoyed campus tours, coffee hours, reunion gatherings, academic department open houses and a full slate of athletic contests.
F&Mily Fest – a new feature this year – provided an afternoon of community, connection and celebration on Sponaugle-Williamson Field with music from student bands, games and activities for all ages and numerous local food trucks.
Diplomat spirit soared as the football team dominated Catholic University in a 42-7 final. The women’s soccer and golf teams walked away with sweeping victories, while men’s soccer fell in a 2-1 match.
F&M President Andy Rich and Provost Sunita Gupta Kramer '92 welcomed community members with remarks in the Barshinger Center for Musical Arts.
“Franklin & Marshall College is made for this moment,” Rich said. “We bring students from every background imaginable, people who come from different lived experiences, different ways of thinking, different value systems. And if we are successful, what we do is create spaces where they can exchange ideas, develop themselves and sharpen their ways of thinking.”
For more photos, view the complete 2025 True Blue gallery. More photos will be added through the week.
Related Articles
June 22, 2026
A Career in Emergency Care Comes Full Circle
John Allison ’25 discovered his true calling in emergency medicine at F&M. Today, as an advanced EMT with Lancaster EMS, he mentors student volunteers through the same hands-on training that shaped his own career.
June 8, 2026
Careers Beyond Borders: A Diplomat’s Path to International Relations
Julianna Marton ’25 always knew exactly where she was headed: around the world. After graduating from F&M, she followed this dream to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). “I think if my first-year self could see me now, she would be very impressed and proud that I stayed on this path, and that I’ve only grown more passionate about it,” she said.
June 5, 2026
Colin Presby ’06 Brews Up Beverage Career
Being a brewmaster has taken Colin Presby ’06 around the globe – he even oversaw Carnival Cruise line’s first on-board brewery in 2016. He pivoted to an adjacent career in distilling at Mount Hope Winery & Estate, home to the Renaissance Faire.