On Saturday, December 16, 2017, some 1,700 students will traverse the Miller Auditorium stage to become WMU Alumni, and at least one of those graduates will have an impressive Bronco cheering section.
Rob (B.S.’88, Mechanical Engineering) and Lauren (B.S.’84, Communication) met at WMU as freshmen in 1981. They later got married, started a family, and all four of their children became Broncos. At the winter commencement ceremony, they’ll watch Samuel, their second child to receive a WMU degree, graduate.
“In our second semester, we both had the same sections of Peter Krauvutschke's German 101 and Professor Pippin's plant biology class, and we used to study together a lot, though we didn't date for another two years,” Lauren said.
The above photo was taken in April, 2016 in the Bernhard Center. From L to R: Lauren, Thomas (Class of 2021), Katie (B.S.’16), Samuel (Class of 2017), Jackie (Class of 2019), and Robert Dayton.
Over the years they’ve visited campus for numerous events. Lauren’s nephew is a current Bronco football player and the family has been excited to support the team. They’ve also been around to visit other family members on campus over the years, including a brother, sister, sister-in-law, and niece.
Additionally, Katie and Jackie were both Student Ambassadors, meaning the Dayton Family has attended many admission events. Finally, the entire family participated in the Homecoming Campus Classic 5k for a number of years, and Rob and Lauren helped WMU break a Guinness World Record for the Largest Vow Renewal in 2016.
Do you come from a long line of Broncos? Tell us about your legacy family at MyWMU.com/MyStory.