Fifty years after crossing the stage as a member of Stockton State College’s Class of 1976, Dan Dunn ’76 found himself back in a cap and gown, leading another graduating class into Commencement.

As he carried the alumni banner into Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall this spring, Dunn joined fellow Golden Ospreys in a tradition that has quickly become a meaningful part of Stockton’s Commencement ceremony. Golden Ospreys, those celebrating 50 years since graduation, escort the University’s newest graduates into the ceremony, symbolically welcoming them into the alumni family.

For Dunn, the moment was more than ceremonial. It was a homecoming.

After graduating in 1976, Dunn built a career first as a teacher and later as a museum professional in California. Though he still maintains ties to New Jersey, he realized recently that he hadn’t set foot on Stockton’s campus since graduation day.

That changed after he participated in an alumni panel and was encouraged to visit campus again.

“I was just so impressed with the place,” Dunn said. “That experience brought me back 50 years. It was the same lake I walked around when I got frustrated with my classes. It was some of the same buildings, but an awful lot of buildings I had never dreamed of seeing there.”

Like many members of Stockton’s earliest graduating classes, Dunn was part of something new. Stockton had opened its doors only a few years earlier, and students helped shape the culture and traditions that continue today.

Much has changed since 1976. New academic buildings, residence halls and facilities have transformed the campus. Enrollment has grown, technology has reshaped the classroom and generations of students have left their mark on the University.

Yet as Dunn walked the grounds again, something felt familiar. “There was a certain feeling on campus,” he said. “I think it’s still there.”

That feeling — one rooted in curiosity, community and opportunity — was on full display at Commencement.

Dunn was originally set to watch the ceremony from the floor, but a last-minute change placed him on stage alongside University leaders. From that vantage point, he witnessed one of the ceremony’s most powerful moments.

When President Joe Bertolino asked first-generation college graduates to stand, nearly half of the graduating class rose to its feet.

“You heard all of their families calling out their names and applauding,” Dunn recalled. “Being up on the stage and being able to see that really showed me how a degree like this not only affects the degree holder, but all of those families who had never had a college degree in their family before.”

The moment resonated deeply. As a longtime supporter of scholarships for first-generation students, Dunn saw firsthand the impact those opportunities can create.

“I kind of looked up and went, ‘This is exactly why I send those checks,’” he said.

For Stockton’s newest graduates, the Golden Osprey tradition offers a visible reminder that Commencement is not an ending, but the beginning of a lifelong connection to the University. The alumni leading the procession once sat in the same classrooms, wrestled with the same questions about the future and celebrated the same milestone.

For Dunn, standing alongside fellow members of the Class of 1976 was a reminder of how far both they and the University have come.

“These were 50-year-older versions of the same people I went to Stockton with,” he said with a laugh.

As Golden Ospreys escorted the Class of 2026 into Commencement, they represented more than five decades of alumni history. They embodied the enduring connection between past and present — a reminder that while Stockton’s campus continues to evolve, its impact on the lives of students remains unchanged.

And for the graduates beginning their next chapter, Dunn offered simple advice:

“Find your way. Find what makes you happy. Find what helps all of us and do your best.”