Samford homecoming not dampened by rain

A little badly needed rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of some 3,000 alumni and family members who converged on the Samford University campus for Homecoming 2000 Nov. 4.
   
The first significant rain in weeks on the Homewood campus didn’t deter a crowd of Bulldog football fans who sat through overtime to watch their team defeat Charleston Southern University 21–14.
   
Eddie Oliver, a 1969 graduate, and his wife, Betty, were among Bulldog fans who preferred to get wet rather than leave a tied game. “We had left our seats and were on our way out, but when it went into overtime we couldn’t leave,” said Oliver, as the couple stood watching from the sidelines. Their support was rewarded with a game-winning Samford score.
   
The afternoon game was part of a weekend of events ranging from the opening of a 1976 time capsule and burial of a capsule containing items from the year 2000, to lectures by authors Rick Bragg and Wayne Flynt. Both have written on the theme of poverty and the South.
   
George and Patricia Trent Scofield were honored as alumni of the year. The two members of the class of 1949 are the first married couple to receive the award in the same year. He is a Birmingham pathologist and she is a former teacher and a leader in Birmingham area cultural activities. Both graduates of Opp High School, they are leaders and teachers at Mountain Brook Baptist Church, Mountain Brook, where he is a life deacon.
   
Lena Godwin of Hoover was crowned Homecoming Queen. A senior, majoring in journalism/ mass communicationn, she is the daughter of Rick Godwin and Dee Godwin. She is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and Hunter Street Baptist Church, Hoover.
   
Andrew Dye, a senior from Franklin, Tenn., was named Homecoming King. An environmental science and geographic information systems major, he is the son of Henry and Margaret Dye.
   
The honorees were elected by vote of the student body.
   
The Homecoming Court also included: seniors Logan Casey of Selma, Selena Florence of Andalusia, Jason Jeffreys of Brandon, Miss., and Foy Thetford of Montgomery; juniors Lauren Sheehan of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Matt Gaymon of Macon, Ga.; sophomores Emily Klotz of St. Louis, Mo., and Jonathan Barron of Evansville, Ind.; and freshmen Emily Breckenridge of Donalsonville, Ga., and Brad Stockton of Tullahoma, Tenn.
   
The three-day Homecoming observance concluded with a Sunday morning worship service led by J. Robert White, III, a 1968 Samford graduate who is executive director, Georgia Baptist Convention.
   
White met his wife, the former Janice Goodlet, also a 1968 graduate, during their freshman year at Samford. “We fell in love in the BSU Choir,” he recalled. Two of their three daughters are Samford graduates.
   
White based his sermon, “The Power of Influence,” on the Old Testament story of Ruth, who chose to follow the spiritual example set by her mother-in-law, Naomi.
   
White challenged the congregation of alumni, parents and students to live their lives so that they have a spiritual influence on others. “Christians need to stand up for what they believe.” (SU)