Berkeley - Alumni from as far back as the class of 1925 will gather at the University of California, Berkeley, October 13-15 to reminisce and celebrate when the campus holds its annual Homecoming, Reunion and Family Weekend. More than 3,000 people are expected to attend.

The weekend will offer a stimulating mix of activities: a Spirit Rally and football game against the UCLA Bruins followed by a big Post-Game Bash on the Campanile Esplanade; a University Orchestra concert; museum open houses and campus tours; a career expo and networking fair, as well as a wide variety of reunion parties.

In addition, more than 25 of the campus's world-renowned faculty members will give homecoming lectures - from Orville Schell on the American media and Marian Diamond on the aging brain to Kenneth Jowitt on the end of communism and Alex Filippenko on cosmic "antigravity."

Special activities for parents will give them a chance to learn more about what UC Berkeley is like, and there will be a Cal CubFest 2000 for younger siblings and children of alumni.

A new feature this year will be the Post-Game Bash, starting at approximately 6 p.m. Saturday on the Campanile Esplanade. All homecoming participants and the campus community are invited to enjoy the live music, entertainment, no-host food and beverages, and more.

Homecoming 2000 will be especially memorable because three members of the class of 1925 - Reva Coon of Dunsmuir, Carr E. Bentel of San Francisco and Rudolph Peterson of Piedmont - will hold their 75th reunion. All in their mid-90s, these alumni took classes with legendary professors like Charles Mills Gayley and Alfred Kroeber and remember when the university president rode a horse around the campus.

"Young" alumni from the classes of 1950 to 1995 will also be holding reunions throughout the weekend, which is cosponsored by UC Berkeley and the California Alumni Association. The Class of 1970, for example, will hold a breakfast Saturday morning on the steps of Sproul Hall, the scene of many protests in their day. Special guest will be University of California President Emeritus Clark Kerr.

Pre-registration is strongly recommended, but registration at the door will be accepted for most events. UC Berkeley alumni, parents, families and friends are invited to participate whether they choose to come for the whole weekend, or just the football game and the Post-Game Bash.

For a detailed schedule and registration information, call 1-888-UNIV-CAL or visit the homecoming Web site at www.urel.berkeley.edu/homecoming.