INFORMATION FOR
Fifty years is a milestone worth celebrating, and on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, the Class of 1976 will return to campus to do just that.
Classmates will gather for a 50th Reunion Luncheon at William Paterson, followed by a campus tour. The celebration will also include a special welcome into the Pioneer Society for alumni who graduated more than 50 years ago — a distinction the Class of 1976 will hold for the very first time.
Reunion ambassadors Linda Niro ’76, of Florida, and Pat Pagana ’76, of New Jersey, are looking forward to reconnecting and reliving the memories that defined their college years.
Linda Niro
“It will be wonderful to connect with our classmates from 50 years ago! Fifty years is such an important milestone. It will be fun to look back but also to see what everyone has accomplished during the years since graduation,” says Niro, a longtime member of the University’s Board of Trustees and Foundation Board. She served for years as chair of the finance committee for both boards.
An education major at William Paterson, Niro spent more than four decades in the banking industry, retiring as a chief accounting officer. A scholarship recipient as a WP student, Niro paid it forward by creating an endowed scholarship for Pioneers with academic promise and financial need.
Pagana, who majored in social and behavior sciences at WP and went on to careers in real estate as well as in corporate research and recruitment services, shares Niro’s enthusiasm about the reunion. “Fifty years! It will be amazing to reconnect with old friends and perhaps connect with others who remember when you had to walk through the woods to get to Buttermilk Falls. I am looking forward to seeing the changes in the campus and finding out about future plans for WP.”
Of course, no Class of 1976 reflection would be complete without mention of the infamous Billy Pat’s Pub, where both Niro and Pagana worked when it first opened.
Pat Pagana
Washing the “big, heavy” beer glasses and calling the WP radio station to put in their song requests while mopping the pub’s floors are among the friends’ favorite memories.
And then there’s the long-debated Billy Joel story.
Pat “swears” Linda was the one working the entrance when Billy Joel came to Billy Pat’s after playing a show at William Paterson — and that Linda refused him entry because he didn’t have a photo ID. “It was right after we had a lecture about letting people in without IDs,” Pagana explains.
Niro says she doesn’t recall Billy Joel. Refusing someone entry does, indeed, sound like something she’d do, though, she adds with a laugh.
Beyond the laughter and memories, both women credit their college experience with shaping their lives and careers.
“WP exposed me to people and experiences that opened my world,” Pagana says. “Going into college I had no idea what my plans for my life were. WP gave me options, taught me to love learning, and to always keep an open mind. I have lifelong friends that I met through a sorority and especially working at the pub.”
“As a first-generation college student, I had opportunities that my parents never had,” says Niro. “While attending William Paterson, I met students from all over the United States and the world. The diversity and sense of community was inspiring. Having a college degree enabled me to begin my career that was successful for over 40 years.”
Now, 50 years later, the Class of 1976 is invited to come home: to reconnect, reminisce, and celebrate the legacy they helped build. Luncheon invitations will be mailed to all Class of 1976 graduates.
Registration deadline is Friday, April 23. To register, contact Courtney Como, Alumni Engagement and Philanthropy, at comoc@wpunj.edu or 973-720-2175.
