I attended the Tabor College homecoming festivities Saturday morning.

The Tabor College choir gave an impressive performance at 9 a.m. in the college chapel, after which the beautiful centennial quilt was dedicated.

The creator of the quilt was introduced, and she explained how she chose the symbols depicted on the various squares incorporated in the large wall hanging.

I encountered her a couple of times after that on other parts of the campus.

The first time, I complimented her on the quilt and asked more about it. She graciously answered my questions.

I was at the new Centennial Plaza prior to its dedication when I met her the second time. I asked her to pose for me in front of the statue of the young man offering a loaf of bread. Again, she graciously complied.

As we visited some more and I asked for clarification of the spelling of her name, we both suddenly realized that we knew each other.

In fact, Karen Hauff — that was her name — and I had been childhood friends, growing up together in the small community of McClusky, N.D. We were classmates in school, went to church together, and both graduated from Tabor College more than 40 years ago, she in 1966 and I in 1967.

We lost touch after that. Now a resident of St. Paul, Minn., Karen is a retired pharmacist and a member of the Tabor College board of directors.

We were able to visit only a few minutes, but it was a great reunion. We exchanged emails and promised to stay in touch.

That wasn’t my only encounter with my roots. Lyndon Vix, the lead character in “Fiddler on the Roof,” (who, by the way, did a magnificent job) grew up in North Dakota. He is a lawyer in Wichita and president of Tabor’s board of directors.

I knew Lyndon’s parents. His mother’s family and ours were close friends and often visited each other. Most of her family attended the Centennial Plaza dedication, and it was a pleasure to reconnect with them.

Now isn’t that what homecomings are all about?

— Rowena Plett