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Ever heard of the Thunderbird Yearbook? If the mere mention of it has left you befuddled, then you have been missing out on a treasure trove.

The Thunderbird Yearbook is not just lists and photographs of activities, faculty, staff and students that have passed through the Glendale campus: it chronicles the history of the School. Each year’s yearbook is a snapshot of life at Thunderbird. The yearbook collection represents graduating classes from 1947-1998. Beginning with the first yearbook published in 1951, as a tribute to the first five years of the American Institute for Foreign Trade (as Thunderbird was known, way back when) and encompasses the first five graduating classes. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown the last yearbook published was in 1998 and the tradition ceased thereafter. The older yearbooks are have been digitized and added to the collection that can be viewed here.

Recent times at Thunderbird have had their ups and downs. As students, we’ve balanced classes, regional nights, club activities, presentations, case competitions, modules abroad, TEM labs and more while riding the roller coaster of uncertainty of the future of the school we hold so dear. To be a tbird is a badge of honor, a matter of pride to anyone that has ever been a student here; but, with the challenges we currently face, it has become harder for students to cling to what we know to be true : that, to be a tbird is something that goes beyond words such as mystique and mindset. As many student get ready to bid adieu, it would be unfortunate to have “brand tbird” fall by the wayside.

This leads to the proposal from the soon to be graduating Spring 2014 batch – revive the yearbook. While it may appear to be just a token of memory, yearbooks allow us to remember the moment that one felt that a place became a home and became something beyond a singular feeling. Spearheaded by Soumya Sivadas and Sneha Gayatri, a team of students is trying restore the yearbook tradition and create one for students to remember their time at Thunderbird. Given that graduation is barely 4 weeks away, it is a race against time to collect all photos, memories and quotes from all parties involved. It would be quite the fait accompli to pull of this mammoth task, and they need your help. The team has reached out to all graduating students to provide their professional photos as well as student club activities on campus since they arrived at Thunderbird, particularly the batch that began in Spring 2013. To this end, Spring 2013 students have been asked to upload these photos at this link before 5pm on 14th April 2014.

So, come on and make your Thunderbird life last a lifetime and make the Spring 2014 yearbook a reality!