Alumni enjoy exploring Rhine River region as part of first Pioneer Travel trip

Tusculum had a presence on a recent Viking River cruise of the Rhine River. Posing under the Tusculum flag on deck were Viking Program Director J.P. Smith, Lynn Battle '62, Jane R. Battle '62 (with Pete the Pioneer Bear), Jane L. Morse '77, Dr. Nancy Moody, Angela White-Wilson '77, Heather Patchett, Karl Wilson.

A few weeks ago, “Pete the Pioneer Bear” was featured in photos on Facebook with a group of Tusculum alumni who were exploring the Rhine River valley as part of the first Pioneers to Europe cruise, the inaugural event of a new alumni travel program.

The alumni, who included Lynn and Jane (Rausch) Battle ’62 ’62, Jane (Lovvorn) Morse ’77  and Angela White-Wilson ’77. The Pioneer tour group also included Jane’s husband, True, Angela’s husband Karl, and Jeanne Ray as well as Heather Patchett, Tusculum’s vice preisdent of institutional advancement and Tusculum President Nancy B. Moody and her daughter, Mykel. And Pete the Pioneer Bear. Alumni are encouraged to take Pete along with them on their travels and post on the “Pete the Pioneer Bear Went Where” Facebook page.
The group took a river cruise on the Viking Cruise lines and were able to visit towns along the Rhine in Holland, Germany, France and Switzerland to visit historic sites and soak up a bit of the local culture. The group were also able to visit Tusculum alumnus Jonas Winkelmann ’16 in his native Germany.
More trips are scheduled in the alumni travel program, including a cruise to Antartica and a trip to explore “Cicero’s Footsteps” in Italy. More details to come. To see more photos from the cruise, visit the Pete the Pioneer Bear Went Where Facebook page.

Jonas Winkelmann '16 (left, pictured with Tusculum President Nancy Moody, joined the Tusculum alumni group one of the cruise's stops in his native Germany.