Samford University’s 2016 homecoming weekend Nov. 11–12 had an especially festive flair with several nods to the school’s 175th anniversary observance.
Opening events Nov. 11 included a festival procession and convocation that allowed the Samford community to celebrate the anniversary in fellowship and worship. The program highlighted the rich history of the school, which was founded by Alabama Baptists in 1841 in Marion.
“Is it possible to love a place?” Samford President Andrew Westmoreland asked during his remarks at the convocation.
“I lack the philosophical framework to answer the question with the rationality I would prefer,” he said. “All that I know is that, when that place is Samford, I can only say ‘yes.’ I love this place. And thousands of people across the planet today, many with Samford degrees but many without, would say the same.”
Throughout the weekend, throngs of alumni — and many others — displayed their fond affection for their alma mater and had a good time doing it.
Several thousand students, alumni and guests also attended an elegant Anniversary Ball in Samford’s Hanna Center, which was transformed from an athletic arena for the occasion.
During a brief program, the 2016 alumni award recipients received commemorative medals from Westmoreland.
Alumni awards
Honorees were: William Baggett, Class of 1957, a longtime higher education administrator from Atlanta; Keith Herron, Class of 1987, a banking executive from Birmingham; Fred Kingren, Class of 1982, a Birmingham attorney; and Anne Glaze Stone, Class of 1967, an educator and community volunteer from Huntsville.
Katie Murnane, Class of 2007, an accountant in Edinburgh, Scotland, received the Outstanding Young Alumna award.
The inaugural Humanitarian of the Year awards went to: Carolyn Maull McKinstry, a 2008 master of divinity graduate from Birmingham who has dedicated her life’s work to the ministry of reconciliation; and Stephen B. Moss, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a 1968 law graduate who is founder of Mission United, which helps veterans with housing, legal assistance and health care.
Seniors Micah Green-Holloway, a management major from Birmingham, and Margaret Hehir, a nursing major from Atlanta, were named homecoming king and queen. They were chosen by vote of the student body.
Additional events
The Nov. 11 events also included department open houses, an alumni association meeting and a Golden Bulldog luncheon for graduates of classes of 1966 and earlier.
At the luncheon, retired U.S. Marine Col. Carl Cooper, of Vestavia Hills, a 1943 graduate, received the David Lockmiller Award as the male present from the earliest class. Mary Louise Hodges, of Homewood, also a 1943 graduate, received the Lockmiller award as the female present from the earliest class. Each received an engraved clock.
A highlight on the morning of Nov. 12 was the journalism and mass communication (JMC) department’s Wall of Fame ceremony that honored 1963 JMC graduate and longtime Samford public relations director William A. Nunnelley, of Birmingham. He earned a master’s degree in history at Samford in 1983.
The Bulldogs’ afternoon football game against the Mercer Bears ended with a Samford win, 24–19.
At the game, it was announced that the Samford classes celebrating reunions in 2016 had raised more than $38,000 in scholarship funds as part of their reunion activities. Representatives from the classes of 1961, 1966, 1991 and 2006 presented a symbolic check to Westmoreland and W. Randy Pittman, vice president for advancement.
Fans at the game also had their first opportunity to see the new Bulldog spirit mark that was launched as part of the anniversary celebration and homecoming weekend.
In the days leading up to homecoming weekend, students were challenged and inspired through a series of classroom lectures led by alumni distinguished in various fields. They also enjoyed a festive Bulldog bash with music, food and a 175th birthday cake. (Samford)
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