Crawford County Gorilla Gathering Dinner

Pitt State Alumni & Constituent Relations held their annual Crawford County Gorilla Gathering Dinner at the Axe Library on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The event was held for Pitt State Alumni and their families. The gathering featured dinner from Brick + Mortar, tours of the newly renovated library, and special guest, Brian Wright, the new head football coach at Pitt State.  

“We have many alumni’s who live right here in Crawford County, so this is the Crawford County Gorilla Gathering,” said Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations Jon Bartlow. “We are tonight featuring the library and touring the newly renovated facilities here at the library. We’re also really excited to introduce our new head football coach, Brian Wright, to our alumni.”  

Every year the location for the Crawford County Gorilla Gathering Dinner changes, but this year it was held in the basement of the Axe Library.  

“I think it’s super critical,” said Axe Library learning and outreach librarian Jorge Leon. “I think everybody considers that part of this formative time when they went through school was where were they, what were the research things, what resources were available, and I want others to see the types of things that the students now are getting the chance to be exposed to. I want them to reconnect back. So, I want them to be able to see how the library is being used, the type of resources, (and) the type of departments that we have in here.”  

After dinner, the alumni went on tours of the library to see the new renovations. The special collections room was also opened up for the event.  

“I’m going to be leading a handful of tours with some of my other colleagues to make sure folks get the chance to see as our renovations have finished, what are the things we’ve added and where’s the spaces for the students,” Leon said. “A new sense of community comes from the alumni being able to participate. So, I want to show off all of that.”  

Alumni of all different ages went to the dinner and the event sold out.  

“I’m a new alumni, and I am also working at the college now in the Kelce School of Business, so I felt like I should get involved,” said administrative associate Melissa Payne. “I think it’s really nice for alumni, for all the different years, to be able to come together and have time to see each other that they might not have otherwise.” 

Another part of the gathering was to introduce and get alumni involved with activities.  

“We put on these events so we can keep our alumni up to date with what’s going on in the university, and so we can keep them engaged with the university,” Bartlow said. “We are incredibly thankful for our wonderful alumni support. As I meet our alumni from throughout the country, I’m convinced that this university could not be what it is today without the support of our alumni and friends.”