Indiana has never been a Diller’s family home but Diller’s have spent a cumulative 14 years there 🤔 That’s because of Taylor University in Upland, IN. Vince’s Mom and Dad were there from 1965-1970, Vince from 1991-1995 and brother and sister-in-law from 1995-2000. Taylor University’s colors are purple and gold and alumni often talk about “the Purple Thread” that can be woven into the fabric of so many TU family’s stories. The Diller’s have a lot of purple in our fabric so we converged on Upland for a 55th, 30th and 25th reunion to refurbish the luster of that Purple. For Vince it was his first extended visit back to campus in 30 years. While the campus has grown substantially with a number of new modern buildings and athletic facilities, the core of this “Christ filled” institution remains the reason for its continued health and growth.

Reuniting with Vince’s best friend from his class, DeeAnn and her husband Matt, was a blessing. We also saw a few familiar faces from the class of 95, although the turnout for ‘95 wasn’t as large as we hoped, it was a reminder of why TU is such a special place. The relationships and people are bound together is a way that doesn’t require proximity and even casual acquaintances from 30 years ago recanted how that purple thread stretched across three decades to now.

It was Homecoming and Parents Weekend so plenty of other alumni were present. An old PBA colleague and TU alum Jeremy and Sara were there with their eldest a TU Sophomore, as well as their burgeoning family of 7 kids 🤯 A few Football teammates of Vince’s Dad were present and it was heartwarming to see those memories and stories pour out.

Best of all, the Diller’s all enjoyed Sunday worship back in the Rediger Chapel & Auditorium. The Chapel was once the gymnasium and is now at the center of the Student Center, with a massive project to build a new Chapel that can house all the TU community at once. It was surreal to have 3 generations of. Diller worshiping at TU in this memorable space 🙏❤️😊

Lots of memories and a lot of faith represented in this picture… the Lord is good!

The family taking it all in as we pass through the Student Center.

Don Odle was an iconic TU Coach during Vince’s Dad’s years at TU and Paul Patterson was one during Vince’s years. We each had the pleasure of seeing some exceptional Christian men who were exceptional coaches!

Aunt Danae was Robert’s favorite reunion buddy! Michele and I couldn’t agree more :)

Vince’s old residence hall Bergwall… he was 2nd Berg 216… before it was renovated.

Vince and Jeremy catching up on PBA time on TU time :)

TU lost the Homecoming game but there was a good crowd cheering and supporting our TU Trojans!

The Lake has been an iconic stop at TU for years so made sure the boys knew where some fun could occur… if you’re creative.

Jayden flexing it up as he waits for his Ivanhoes! YUMMIE

Jayden was hungry… the cup didn’t satisfy while he waited for his shake but hearing some Nana and Papa stories helped!

Vince walking his girlfriend to Chapel :)

LIttle Cracker Barrel with the family and John and Deb, Vince’s Dad’s teammate and roommate in The Shacks.

Vince caught retired Dean of Students Walt Campbell in the DC. Walt was a fantastic Dean and mentor in higher education to so many, including Vince.

A surprise PBA connection just outside of Upland, IN with a former student Kelly from Michele’s days as the RD of Johnson Hall.

An added treat to our Hoosier reunion tour was a stop at Great Aunt Julia’s house. Julia is Michele’s Mother’s, Mother’s Sister so to our boys she is a Great Great Aunt. We had spaghetti and parked our huge RV in her street to make all the neighbors wonder 😊

While we made stops in Ohio last year in September, this time was quicker. With a boon-docking stop at a Cracker Barrel north of Columbus, we caught up with Harriet and Russ. Harriet was a babysitting client of Michele’s when she was a teen in St Petersburg, FL. Crazy how some relationships grow from such simple beginnings and span 4 decades!

Indiana-Ohio: Friends, Family and a Purple Thread!

Michigan: Yoopers, National Lakeshores, Mackinac-ing & Friends and Family