There’s something about friendships formed at Penn State that makes them last. Maybe it’s the time spent together in close quarters, the memories that still make you laugh years later, or the shared experiences that keep you connected. Countless lifelong friendships have begun on the first day of classes.

Consider the “Alumni of Fourth Floor Mifflin Hall,” as their alumni courtyard brick refers to them. This group of 12 Class of 1975 alumni, who first met on the fourth floor of Mifflin Hall in 1972, recently got together on the University Park campus to celebrate a half-century of friendship.

“We never had a better time than our years at Penn State,” says Mike Huber. “So many shared memories are the reason why, after 50 years, our connection is still strong.”

Those memories run deep: braving Beaver Stadium in every kind of weather, navigating the uncertainty of the Vietnam War draft, turning 21 and finding their go-to downtown bars, soundtracking their college days to the music of the ’70s, pulling off legendary dorm shenanigans, and even campaigning for one of their own to become senior class president — an effort that ended with both victory and a celebratory party. Each shared story was another link in their ongoing friendship.

The friends purchased a brick in alumni courtyard to commemorate their time at Penn State.

After graduation, the friends dispersed across the country and pursued different careers. In the early days of alumni life, they stayed in touch through letters and attending each other’s weddings, and later, reconnecting more easily via social media. “We lost touch with each other as we focused on career and family, but our strong connection brought us back together for a 35-year reunion in 2010 and again this year to celebrate 50 years,” said Huber.

When they gathered at University Park this summer, it felt as though no time had passed. Huber even sketched a walking tour, leading the group to historic markers, familiar buildings, and a few new ones. “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” Huber adds. “There are so many new and architecturally significant buildings, like Millennium Science Complex and the Westgate Building — yet Mifflin Hall and its sister McElwain Hall look just the same as they did in 1971.

“Most of all, it was amazing how quickly we all renewed our acquaintances and relived our shared memories. We may be much older and have experienced many different things over our lives since college days, but we are amazingly the same in many ways.”

Now, as the Class of 2029 begins its Penn State journey, many things on campus may have changed, but like the looks of Mifflin and McElwain Halls, the potential for lasting friendships is still the same as it was in 1972.

The group’s reunion included a visit to the Hintz Family Alumni Center.

Huber has wise advice for the new class: “Get to know your roommates and neighbors and their friends and participate in shared experiences. Take every opportunity to hang out, have conversations with each other, help one another, and do anything that builds genuine connections. Above all, have fun together. The college experience is so much more than the courses you take. The friendships you gain and the experiences you gain from them can be just as rewarding and last a lifetime.”

Is your Penn State friend group still in touch? We’d love to hear about it! Email your story and photos to [email protected] for a chance to be featured in a follow-up story.