Homecoming 2000 Promises a Wealth of Activity

"The Celebration of the Century," OBU's Homecoming celebration Nov. 10-11, promises a wealth of activity for participants.

The weekend will offer more than 60 events, including special reunion programs for alumni from class years which end in "0" and "5."

"We anticipate a great time as alumni return to Bison Hill and rekindle friendships and recall the experiences that helped shape their lives," said Martin L. O'Gwynn, executive director of the OBU Alumni Association.

Homecoming will offer several "firsts" for OBU, including the first basketball games for the University's new head coaches and the first events in the newly-renovated Potter Auditorium in Raley Chapel.

Members of the 50-Year Club, from the Classes of 1949 and earlier, will kick off the activities with a 10:30 a.m. reunion on Friday. The 50-Year Club luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m., as will the Class of 1950's 50-Year Reunion Luncheon, and a 60th Anniversary Luncheon for the Class of 1940. Members of that class have invited members of classes of in that era, along with other friends, to join them in their anniversary celebration.

The Homecoming Golf Tournament will start with a 12:30 p.m. luncheon at Shawnee Country Club. The tournament will be a four-person scramble format on the 18-hole course. Tournament entry fee is $45 per person.

The weekend also will feature an OBU Bench and Bar Association gathering on at 2 p.m. Friday.

The Harvest Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. Friday in the Geiger Center, with about 400 people expected to be part of the event. The dinner features the presentation of two Alumni Achievement Awards and induction of three new OBU Athletic Hall of Fame members.

The Warren M. Angell College of Fine Arts will present its annual Musical Gala at 8:30 p.m. Friday in Raley Chapel, followed by the Alumni Reunion Reception, featuring free Coke floats in the lower level of the Geiger Center.

Saturday events will include reunion activities for more than 15 organizations, and the annual Homecoming basketball doubleheader.

At 10 a.m., the Homecoming Chapel and OBU Alumni Association Annual Meeting will begin in Raley Chapel's Potter Auditorium. During the program, the 13 Profile in Excellence Award recipients for 2000 will be recognized. The service also will feature a special rededication program for the refurbished auditorium.

Class reunion luncheons will be the focal point of activities from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The third annual GOLD Luncheon, for alumni from the past 10 years, will offer a pizza dinner in Clark Craig Fieldhouse before the start of the Homecoming basketball doubleheader.

There will be an open house at the President's Home, 616 University Parkway, from 1-3 p.m. Saturday. OBU First Lady Rhonda Brister will greet guests during the open house.

Homecoming will again conclude with the Alumni Showcase and Harvest Festival, beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday. The program will include a rare reunion performance by former and current members of OBU's instrumental groups. Dr. James Hansford, OBU director of bands, and Pancho Romero, director of the Bison Jazz Orchestra, are coordinating the reunion effort. The alumni will offer a mini-concert during the Saturday evening event. The Harvest Festival, featuring the crowning of the Harvest King and Queen, will cap the Homecoming celebration.

More Homecoming information is available in the alumni section of OBU's website (www2.okbu.edu).