Posted on Friday, October 16, 2020
It was uncharted territory but Martha Pirkle, Director of Alumni and Community Relations, was determined to have some kind of Homecoming this year after the pandemic caused the cancellation of the annual in-person celebration.
“Homecoming is such a special weekend here on campus with our alumni and students,” she said. “We decided if it was going to be virtual, it was going to be fun – and it was going to last all week!”
Working with a campuswide team and alumni volunteers, Pirkle pulled together a schedule of social media contests, virtual chats with faculty and virtual class reunions.
“We’ve been very pleased with the response we’ve had to everything,” she said. “So many people are telling us how much they are enjoying the virtual sessions because they give everyone a chance to visit, especially with those alumni who can’t travel to campus. We’ve even had registrations from Japan and Albania.”
So far, the most pop
ular event has been the faculty chats throughout the week, she said. Alums registered for whichever faculty member or academic program they wanted to “visit.” They then received a Zoom invitation with instructions on how to sign on for their session.
Dr. Kevin Shirley, Professor of History and Chair of History and Social Sciences, was joined by retired History professor Dr. Joe Cafaro for a lively Zoom reunion Wednesday.
“Joe and I met with about a dozen history alum spanning 1977 to 2012,” he said. “A good chunk of time was spent catching up. Brian Page ’77 and I chatted about #medievaltwitter and Joe and James Robinson ’06 dissected the NLCS matchup between the Braves and Dodgers. Everyone missed Dr. Mills.”
There also was a great deal of talk about the future.
“We all shared the common hope that we can all come together and celebrate at a Phi Alpha Theta history honor society banquet in May of 2022,” Dr. Shirley said.
Kim Barber Knoll, Coordinator of Theatre Arts and Co-Coordinator of Musical Theatre, said she was thrilled with her Zoom chat.
“I was able to visit with people I haven’t talked to in a long time,” she said. “Some of them haven’t seen the Price renovations so I had fun walking through the building with my laptop to show them all the changes.”
Some faculty members have even planned activities for their participants.
“My classes have recently learned about angular momentum, and I am planning on demonstrating something that I showed my students,” said Dr. Kevin Ludwick, Assistant Professor of Physics. “It involves a bicycle wheel and a rotatable stool – it’s a counterintuitive phenomenon that appears to utilize magic, but it's actually just physics.”
But Homecoming 2020 is just starting, Pirkle said
“We have fun events scheduled throughout the weekend,” she said. “President Baxter will kick us off with a special welcome video Saturday morning. We’ve had a very good response to virtual class reunions that will continue through Saturday. Many people have told us it’s the only way they can participate, and they are really looking forward to seeing their classmates.”
A prayer of thanksgiving for alumni and the LaGrange College community will be offered at 11 a.m. Sunday by the Dr. Adam Roberts, Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Life.
Pirkle said she is deeply grateful for the hard work everyone has done to make Homecoming 2020 happen.
“It’s been a journey into the unknown,” she said with a laugh. “But we’ve all banded together, and I’m proud of what we’ve been able to put together.”
Caitlin Vest Burns ’11 perhaps said it best in a Facebook post after her History Faculty Chat.
“Nowhere (besides my parents’ house) have I experienced the sense of love, safety and belonging that I have in the LC history department, no other school, job or organization that I have been part of in the last 10 years,” she wrote. “There are special and brilliant people at LaGrange. Thank you for a fantastic virtual homecoming.”
A complete schedule of the weekend’s activities can be seen on the college’s website.
The annual Tom Duckett Golf Tournament will not be held this year to ensure the safety of friends and alumni. However, the memory of Maj. Tom Duckett ’68 and his sacrifice continue today. Please take a moment to honor this alumnus by watching this where his friends and classmates recount who he was and the legacy he leaves behind for LC student-athletes.
Want to show your Panther pride for Homecoming? Want to help students who are experiencing a new and very different learning environment? You can by purchasing a special LC-branded mask with part of your cost going directly to fund needed resources. These high-quality masks are 100% polyester, three-ply, washable and hygienic. They are available in two sizes – small/medium and large/extra large – and are $15 for one, with $10 counting as a gift, or two for $25 with $15 going to help students. Go to kongtiao11.com/give, make your gift and put “Mask and size needed” in the comments. Shipping is included. For more information on the masks, please contact the LaGrange College Development Department at 706-880-8039 or development@kongtiao11.com.
Campus Life will be hosting the annual medallion hunt Oct. 19-23. More information coming soon.
Panther Activities Committee will host a Mario Kart/Smash Bros. Tournament Oct. 20. First prize is a Roku.
Check LC Connect for Virtual CE events and instructions. For in-person events, all COVID guidelines apply.
THROUGH MONDAY
TED Talk
Women’s soccer
The Panthers earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic award for the 2019-20 academic year. It is the 10th straight year the team has received the award. A team must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The Panthers had a team GPA of 3.39. Read about it here.
Swimming
Nick Beamenderfer has been named Head Coach of the LaGrange College swimming program for the current academic year. This is his first head coaching job at LC. Beamenderfer will continue in his position as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Panther baseball team. He has been on the program’s staff for six seasons, with the first two being in a graduate-assistant role.
For the second year in a row, LaGrange College has been ranked a Top 5 school and a “Best Value” by U.S. News and World Report.
Category: Academics, Events, Faculty, Students, Community, College
Keywords: Homecoming reunion faculty
