During Bill Mottice’s time at Kent State, there were only about 5,000 students on campus and only about 500 people in his graduating class.

Mottice and other members of the class of 1957 will have the opportunity to see Kent State as it is now tomorrow during its 50th class reunion.

The reunion will include a luncheon, a tour of campus and a ticket to the Homecoming football game.

Bill Mottice was an active student when he was here 50 years ago. Some of his activities included being a member of Delta Epsilon, the varsity swim team and the synchronized swimming Sharks Club. He was also president of the Health and Physical Education Club and a member of Phi Epsilon Kappa, a health and physical education fraternity. He was part of Varsity K, an organization for lettered athletes and Blue Key, which was a men’s national honor fraternity.

Mottice even took the time to teach the children of Kent State faculty how to swim.

“See, even us jocks were smart,” Mottice said. “I had a wonderful educational experience at Kent State, but those were the main things I was involved in.”

He talked about how he appeared in “Pork Barrel,” which was when fraternities got together and had to sing, dance and do skits. He said he did that for five years.

“I don’t know about you guys now, but we had a lot of fun,” Mottice said.

He started college at Kent State in 1952 as a business major, but after two years he decided to switch to health and physical education with a minor in psychology.

After he graduated in 1957, he didn’t start teaching. Instead, he became a physical director of YMCA and then worked at the American Red Cross for 35 years.

He is currently an emeritus member of Kent State’s Trumbull campus

“The biggest change I feel is a lack of core values in some faculty and students relating to religion, moral and pride in the United States of America,” Mottice said.

He and his wife Ann have three grown children: Pamela, Scott and Jeff. Jeff was also a Kent State graduate and the first president of the Ambassador Club.

“College life is preparation for real life in all aspects,” Mottice said. “It is a time for learning, not only book learning, but social education and a time for developing and recognizing you’re responsible for the rest of your life.”

Contact news correspondent Emily Andrews at [email protected].