Alums come home to Centre for the weekend

RELEASED: Oct. 26, 2006

DANVILLE, KY—Centre's Homecoming has always been a special celebration for its alumni, and this year was no different. Young and old alike flooded the campus last weekend to "share the story" of their Centre experiences.

In addition to traditional festivities—alumni reunions, football and field hockey games, and recognition ceremonies—the weekend consisted of other exciting activities, including an art exhibit by Emil Robinson '03, concerts by BILLYBLUES as well as Nervous Melvin and the Mistakes, the annual Alumni Homecoming 5K Run and the Homecoming Gala featuring Natalie Cole.

"We had a fantastic weekend," says Shawn Lyons, associate vice president for development and alumni affairs. "The weather was cooperative, and we had a great turnout."

One of the weekend's highlights occurred at the Alumni Recognition Ceremony held Sat., Oct. 21 at Weisiger Theatre in the Norton Center for the Arts. Each year, Centre's president is presented with a check that represents the total amount of gifts and donations from Centre classes celebrating their five-year incremental reunions. This year, Centre President John Roush was presented a check for just over $6.9 million.

Other Homecoming highlights occurred during the Alumni Recognition Ceremony with the presentation of several awards. Four individuals were inducted into the Centre Athletic Hall of Fame: Laura Boswell '94, Kris Garrett '96, Cawood Ledford '49 and Emmet O'Neal 1907.

Three individuals were awarded Distinguished Alumnus Awards: James I. Huddleston Jr. '57, Harold H. Smith '64 and Valarie Ziegler '76.

Laura Boswell '94 was awarded a Young Alumnus Award.

Also during the ceremony, an Honorary Alumnus Award was presented to Charles W. Campbell III, Paul G. Blazer Professor Emeritus of Economics, who has been a part of Centre's community since 1968. The award was accepted by Eloise Campbell Longenecker '96 on behalf of her father.

"Dr. Campbell was an exceptional member of the economics faculty here at Centre and an extraordinary mentor to hundreds of students over the years," Lyons says. "The Honorary Alumnus award isn't something that's given out every year. This year we felt Dr. Campbell deserved this special recognition."

A cum laude graduate of Marshall University, Campbell received his doctorate in economics from the University of Virginia. He is a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international economics honor society; Delta Sigma Pi, a professional fraternity that fosters the study of business in universities; and the American Economic Society.

For a look back at these and other 2006 Centre Homecoming events, click here for the photo page.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.