During the years since our graduation many classmates, as you might expect, have become quite prolific. We have made lasting contributions to our chosen professional fields, the communities in which we work and live, and received many important honors. We are accomplished architects, artists, CEOs, clergy, coaches, designers, doctors, editors, educators, engineers, entrepreneurs, entertainers, farmers, financiers, hoteliers, judges, lawyers, nutritionists, public servants, restaurateurs, scientists, veterinarians, and volunteers amongst other occupations and avocations.

Recognizing this, the Class Officers borrowed a page from the book, “The 100 Most Notable Cornellians” by Cornell professors Glenn Altschuler, Isaac Kramnick, and Laurence Moore. We solicited nominations from our class, consulted with classmates and with Cornell’s Alumni Affairs and Development Staff and performed intensive web research on backgrounds and accomplishments. The selection process was extremely difficult as the accomplishments are many and outstanding. We defined a Distinguished Classmate as a person who has made a meaningful, recognizable and lasting contribution to their profession, community, business or constituency. In the end, we identified twenty-five Distinguished Classmates in honor of our 25th Reunion in 2004, thirty in honor of our 30th Reunion in 2009, thirty-five in honor of our 35th reunion in 2014, and forty in honor of our 40th reunion in 2019.

These 130 Distinguished Classmates span eight broad fields: arts/media, education, entrepreneurship, health care/medicine, product businesses, public service, service businesses and service to Cornell. They represent all seven Cornell undergraduate colleges and hail from across the globe. This website contains a short biographical sketch and picture of each of the classmates. We want to thank the Cornell Alumni Association as the development of this website was initially supported by a Cornell Alumni Association grant. We hope you enjoy reading about some of the classmates with whom you shared undergraduate years at Cornell and hope you are moved by their accomplishments and what they have given back to their families and communities.

Following our 40th Reunion, the Class of '79 officers decided to sunset further Distinguished Classmates nominations. As part of the 50th Reunion in 2029, a final update will be added to the page of each Distinguished Classmate.