7, 2025
Michigan State’s Independent Voice
HOMECOMING EDITION
Zeke comic
Introducing The State New’s new exclusive Zeke the Wonderdog comic strip!
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First Holden Hall residents return for 58-year reunion
The first MSU students to reside in Holden Hall returned to visit their original dorm hall for its 58th anniversary. The members of the group attended Michigan State from the late 60s to early 70s and have managed to stay friends for that entire time, thanks to strong brotherhood and a reliable network of people willing to show up.
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Alumni edition crossword
In Michigan State University’s 170 years of operation, it’s produced some pretty cool alumni. Test your Spartan knowledge with our crossword puzzle!
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Michigan State’s Sparty mascot poses during a game against the University of Washington at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan on January 9, 2025. Michigan State won 88-54. State News file photo.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: WE’RE STILL HERE
“We’re still telling the stories that matter on campus, still holding ourselves to the highest standards of reporting and still serving as a space where students learn, grow and lead.”
Satvik Shubham State News Editor-in-Chief
By Satvik Shubham sshubham@statenews.com
Dear Readers and Alumni,
Our newsroom has always stood on a simple mission: to inform, engage and represent our community with accuracy and care. That commitment hasn’t changed, and it’s what keeps us moving forward today.
Each article we publish carries the same spirit that defined this organization when you were here. We’re still telling the stories that matter on campus, still holding ourselves to the highest standards of reporting and still serving as a space where students learn, grow and lead.
In the past year, our staff has taken on ambitious projects, expanded our coverage and found new ways to reach readers, but the foundation remains the same. What unites us across generations is the belief that journalism is a service, and that our work strengthens the Michigan State community.
We’re proud of where we’ve been, and even more excited for where we’re headed. Thank you for continuing to be part of our story.
Sincerely,
Satvik Shubham Editor-in-Chief
The State News
Satvik Shubham.
Photo by Ari Saperstein.
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Comic
Julian Ajluni.
First Holden Hall Residents Return for 58-Year Reunion
By Victoria Winfield vwinfield@statenews.com
Walking into the dining hall in Holden Hall on the morning of October 1, you may spot a group of people that sticks out for more than one reason.
The group of diners sporting matching green shirts with joyous expressions is not just your average alumni group, they are some of the first students to ever reside in Holden Hall. 13 of the original 50 residents, accompanied by several of their spouses, are the proud members of the C. W. Moss Living and Learning Institute. The name is a loving title they chose for the floor they all shared in 1967 while living in Holden Hall on the 2nd floor of the east side of the building. The inspiration for the name came from the story of Bonnie and Clyde; they chose the duo’s getaway driver as inspiration.
Not every floor is bonded in the same way. In fact, they are one of the only alumni groups of their kind still meeting and staying connected. This is in large part due to the effort from several group members, with member Paul Vigilanti being a key factor in the group’s longevity.
“This group has so much chemistry in friendships and everything that we knew it was going to be wonderful if we stayed in touch,” Vigilanti said. “Michigan State meant so much to all of us, and then to be on the same floor, we all wanted to get together as friends.”
Vigilanti entered Michigan State in 1968 and lived in Holden Hall his first year on campus. He majored in Television, Radio and Journalism and worked as a sports broadcaster for 25 years. Although it was his position at the MSU Alumni Office during the 80s that proved the most useful in organizing the reunions.
“I was lucky to have worked here to understand the university a little bit more as far as how it operated and who you contact, and that’s when I called the Alumni Development Office,” Vigilanti said. “I knew Lisa Parker was in Alumni Engagement and that she would enjoy the story because it is so unique. She said that nothing’s ever happened like this where a group of alumni have come back in our demographic, in their mid-70s.”
Lisa Parker is the senior director of Alumni Engagement at MSU, and she worked with Vigilanti to organize the time and place for their 2-day reunion, ensuring they could visit Holden Hall and other important locations.
“This is a very specific group that lived here in Holden, and so they have a shared experience,” Parker said. “We like to engage them through their heart, which is that past memory, and invite them to join us in the present and tell them about our aspirations for the future.”
Parker also spoke about the role Vigilanti played in orchestrating this reunion for the first class of Holden Hall residents.
“This is a group of people who kept in touch for
sure, but there was one individual in particular, Paul, who took ownership in making sure the group continues to get back together,” Parker said. “Every group needs that person... take that initiative, don’t worry about what you’re being left out of, and just think about what you can create to include others.”
That spirit of inclusion is evident among the C.W. Moss floor residents, and although many have dubbed Paul the organizer, he made sure to mention another member’s efforts to keep the group together.
Bryan Dunlop arrived at Michigan State to study economics in 1967 and lived in Holden Hall during its first year of operation. He went off to attend the University of Michigan’s medical school and afterwards practiced as an anesthesiologist. Dunlop spoke to some of the unique bonding moments the residents shared during their time at Holden Hall.
“We had a remarkable number of good athletes, so we had success playing flag football, which was one of the intramural sports at the time,” Dunlop said. “We went all the way to the University Intramural Finals, where we lost to a fraternity team, so those were remarkable bonding experiences for us.”
The group of men has managed to keep in contact for over 50 years, thanks to small yearly gatherings and bigger get-togethers for milestone years.
“We stuck together for 2 years, and then
even in our small groups we went off and lived off campus in Cedar Village, Old City Village, and houses around some of the student ghetto areas around here,” Dunlop said. “Our first big get-together... it was a picnic that we had on a Saturday or Sunday at Lake Lansing when many of us had kids.”
Dunlop lamented the joyful memories he has with this group and spoke to the importance of this 58th Reunion.
“You might ask, why 58 years? I mean, it’s not a silver anniversary or a golden anniversary, it’s just 58 years,” Dunlop said. “We’re all mid-70s and up, people start to drop, and we lost two of our good friends over the last year, and we were all thinking the same thing, why wait?”
The men and their spouses enjoyed two days of catching up, enjoying meals around campus, touring unique locations, and simply looking out at a campus that has changed a lot in 58 years. Although decades have passed, the same young men who bonded years ago are still cracking jokes and sharing inside humor years later. The love across the group was overflowing, and the care and happiness that permeated the space were hard not to notice.
Many of the original members of the C.W. Moss Living and Learning Institute have moved away from East Lansing, and their group is spread out nationwide. However, their dedication to community and brotherhood has allowed their friendships to hold strong even 58 years later.
Michigan State Alumni gather together for Holden Hall’s first class reunion in East Lansing, Michigan on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. Photo by Steven Ray.
MSU alum holding picture of Holden group back in the day, for Holden Hall’s first class reunion. Photo by Steven Ray.
MSU alum speaking with others, for Holden Hall’s first class reunion.
Photo by Steven Ray.
Senior Alum branding “HOLDEN HALL” exclusive shirt, for Holden Hall’s first class reunion. Photo by Steven Ray.
A GLIMPSE INTO OUR ARCHIVE:
The State News was established as The Holcad in 1909, and in the 116 years since, we’ve covered a whole lot of news, both local and national. It’s impossible to show off all the interesting stuff in our archive, but we selected six different newspapers that show our evolution.
10/20/1931: Check out the Lucky Strike cigarette ad in the bottomright corner. As you can imagine, most issues in the ‘30s-40s featured some sort of cigarette advertisement.
9/15/1925: The oldest newspaper in the archive, this 100-year-old edition was printed shortly after “Michigan Agricultural College” became “Michigan State,” as mentioned in then-president Kenyon L. Butterfield’s welcome message.
11/21/1955: The “We did it before and we can do it again” headline proved itself true, as this issue was published two months before Spartan football clinched its second Rose Bowl win.
8/9/1974: Published the day after Richard Nixon resigned from the presidency, most of the content in this edition’s 14 pages deals with the fallout. Fun fact: This one is hanging up in our newsroom, today.
2/7/1952: Many headlines on the front page of this edition deal with Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the British throne a day after King George VI’s death.
4/4/2000: NCAA Champs. This commemorative edition was published the day after Spartan basketball won its second national championship, besting the Florida Gators by 13 points.
9/27/2024: Three State News reporters were awarded the 2025 Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award by the Society of Professional Journalists for this edition which provided an in-depth look into the university’s response to the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.
11/4/64: Check out these prices! Sirloin steak and “Wendy Dolls” for 88 cents? Salad dressing and sliced peaches for 29 cents? What a steal!
CROSSWORD
ALUMNI EDITION
In Michigan State University’s 170 years of operation, it’s produced some pretty cool alumni. Test your Spartan knowledge with our crossword puzzle!
ACROSS
3. Susan Packard co-founded this home improvement and real estate cable channel
5. Fictional universe in which Timothy Zahn’s ‘Thrawn” trilogy is set
6. ___ Smith, star of MSU’s 1966 “Game of the Century” and six “Police Academy” movies
9. “Lite” beer with many commercials starring 6-across
10. The Atlantic columnist and former ESPN broadcaster ___ Hill
11. Nine-time All-Defensive Team power forward for the Golden State Warriors ___ Green
13. One of eight players to conjure the basketball Triple Crown
16. “The Godfather” actor James ___
18. Dan Gheesling won the 10th season of this household reality show
19. WWE Hall of Famer George “The ___” Steele
20. “First ___ ___,” song by rapper Tee Grizzley
22. Television presenter closely affiliated with two NBC shows, including “Dateline”
DOWN
1. A 1998 slasher takes its name from this folkloric concept popularized by Jan Harold Brunvard
2. ___ Stookey, one-third of an iconic folk trio (not Peter or Mary)
4. Amy Astley founded the “Teen” derivative of this monthly fashion magazine in 2003
5 .“Spider-Man” and “Evil Dead” director
7. “___ Box,” a 2014 post-apocalyptic novel by Josh Malerman later adapted for Netflix
8. We’ve heard talks Gov. Gretchen Whitmer earned her degree in this field
12. William David Brohn won one of these prestigious awards for his orchestrations in “Ragtime”
14. 1986 Tom Cruise-starring classic co-written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.
15. Entrepreneur and restaurateur Joe Germanotta fathered this musical Lady
17. Jim Delligatti is the credited creator of this specific fast-food menu staple
19. Final MLB team coached by Kirk Gibson, abbrev.
21. Running back Javon Ringer’s NFL team, abbrev.