Homecoming 2011
Picture-perfect fall weather graced the Houghton campus for Homecoming & Family Weekend, October 7-9, 2011. Record attendance resulted as students, alumni, parents, family members and community members filled Houghton’s campus.
Alumni reunions moved from the summer months to coincide with Homecoming this year. Class years ending in ‘1’ or ‘6’ celebrated their reunions with class gatherings on Friday and a reunion banquet on Saturday evening. The Class of 1986 met again after 25 years, the active Class of 1971 had a reception at the home of Richard ’71 and Virginia (Alexander ’71) Halberg, and alumni from as far back as the 1946 made the journey to Houghton!
Click here for images of Homecoming 2011
Friday’s festivities began with the Founder’s Day chapel, where Cornelius Plantinga was the featured speaker. Plantinga, a former president of Calvin Theological Seminary, has published more than 230 articles and essays and has authored five books. During the Founder’s Day service, Rolland Kidder ’62 was presented with the Alumnus of the Year Award. Kidder currently serves as director of National Fuel Gas Company and previously served as a patrol officer in the U.S. Navy, a New York State assemblyman and earned a law degree from State University of New York at Buffalo Law School. Other Friday activities included a golf tournament, the Homecoming College Choir concert followed by fireworks on the Quad, and a Cirque do Soleil-inspired dance held by students in the parking lot between the Campus Center and Gillette Hall.
Saturday began with the 5K Fun Run and continued with the Fall Festival on the Quad (with inflatable games, face-painting and balloon stations, pie-smashing contests, and more) and athletic contests. The day ended, as usual, with the widely anticipated, intricately planned SPOT. Activities coinciding with the Paine Science Center dedication also occurred throughout the weekend, including the well-attended Interactive Science Experiences. (See Science Center article for details.) Many parents and families made the trip to see their students and participate in the weekend’s activities, culminating with a Family Weekend Worship Service and breakfast reception with President Shirley A. Mullen ’76 on Sunday morning.
