Gottlieb ’22 (left) with grandfather Gorin ’57 P ’90 GP ’22 ’25 at Homecoming in 2008. c/o David Gottlieb ’22, Senior Staff Writer

This weekend is the first Homecoming and Family Weekend since 2019 due to the pandemic. It is a fun weekend on the school calendar for a variety of reasons. For some, it’s an opportunity to enjoy a nice afternoon of football as the undefeated Wesleyan Cardinals take on the Amherst Mammoths in a Little Three showdown. For others, it’s a chance to catch up with family and friends who they haven’t seen in a while.

For me, this weekend has always been a special one and this one will be no different. Alongside the football, I will get to watch my friends play in a NESCAC women’s soccer playoff game at home for the first time. The weekend will also be bittersweet; it will be my last Homecoming as a student and the first one without my grandfather, Robert Gorin ’57 P ’90 GP ’22 ’25, who passed away in the spring of 2020. 

Growing up in a family where both of my parents as well as my grandfather graduated from Wesleyan, this school has been a part of my life since birth. I grew up coming to campus for numerous events, including reunions. However, my favorite Wesleyan tradition that I looked forward to every year was the trip to Middletown with my grandparents to watch the Cardinals play in the annual Homecoming football game.

My grandfather and I had a close relationship, and given the fact that I liked sports, he thought it would be a great idea to take me to the game, just like he took my mom when she was a kid. So in 2008, he brought me for the first time. We then went every year after that. These trips were some of the best times I ever spent with him. We both enjoyed sitting in the bleachers on Andrus Field along with my grandma, and we bonded while watching his and my parents’ alma mater play football. He would tell me stories from his experiences at Wesleyan as well as from when my parents were students. If you know me, you know how much I love these stories and sharing them.

Over the years, we saw some really ugly games that ended in losses, but we also saw some great wins, including in 2013, when Wesleyan defeated Williams 19–17 and won the Little Three Title for the first time since 1970. No matter the score, I cherished being there and spending the time together.

In 2018, this tradition took on a new and special meaning when I decided to attend Wesleyan as a member of the class of 2022. While making those trips with my grandfather as a kid, I honestly never envisioned myself being on this campus as a student, despite my grandparents saying to me that maybe one day I would end up here. The fact that I chose Wesleyan made the last couple of years that I got to spend with my grandfather that much more special. He was so proud of the fact that I was following in his (and my parents’) footsteps. It made the Homecoming weekends in 2018 and 2019 so meaningful for both of us. 2019 was a particularly fun game as we saw Wesleyan once again take the Little Three Title for the second time in four years with a dramatic overtime win over Williams.

Now, as I prepare to spend this upcoming weekend with my mom and siblings, including my sister, who is now a first year (something I am sure that my grandfather is extremely proud of too!), I do so with him in mind. His absence will feel both strange and sad, but I will take great comfort and happiness from knowing how proud he is to have both me and my sister on this campus, keeping the family tradition alive. I love you and miss you, Grandpa.

David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu.