Alums come home for the weekend

RELEASED: November 1, 2007

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 and relive their Centre experiences.

In addition to traditional festivities—alumni reunions, intercollegiate athletic contests, and recognition ceremonies—the weekend consisted of other exciting activities, including a glass-blowing demonstration and book signing with Centre art professor Stephen Powell '74, the annual Alumni Homecoming 5K Run and the Homecoming Gala featuring Amy Grant.

"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. 27, in Weisiger Theatre in the College's 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, each class presented Centre President John Roush with a check, in the following amounts: Class of 2002—$13,179; Class of 1997—$35,246; Class of 1992—$52,961; Class of 1982—$55,515; Class of 1972—$62,023; Class of 1967—$69,155; Class of 1977—$77,477; Class of 1987—$184,637; Class of 1962—$589,792; and Class of 1957—$1,849,150. The checks totaled almost $3.4 million.

Other Homecoming highlights occurred during the Alumni Recognition Ceremony with the presentation of several awards. Three individuals were awarded Distinguished Alumnus Awards: Anita Britton '76, Barbara Carnes Cavanaugh '64 and Frances Lambert Johnson '59.

Four individuals were inducted into the Centre Athletic Hall of Fame: Jeff Leonard '87, Lea Wise Prewitt, Janie Robinson '88 and Neil Sterba '81.

Elizabeth Painter '94 was awarded a Young Alumnus Award.

Also during the weekend festivities, Centre, the City of Danville and the Presbyterian Church of Danville held the Thomas A. Spragens Memorial Dedication on Friday. Spragens served as the 17th president of Centre from 1957 to 1981 and was an influential leader within the community.

On Saturday night, a celebration honoring Max Cavnes and his late wife Doris was held at the Danville Country Club. Those in attendance included alumni from the late 1950s through the mid-1980s, current and former trustees, and current and former faculty and staff members.

Cavnes served as dean of men and a professor of history at Centre. He touched the lives of thousands of Centre students—"his kids," as he continues to call them today. At the gathering, the Doris and Max Cavnes Scholarship was announced, which to date totals more than $616,000 in gifts and pledges.

"Saturday night's reception honoring Max Cavnes was a marvelous celebration of the influence that he had on the lives of generations of Centre students, said Richard Trollinger, vice president for college relations. "Few people have had as great an impact on the lives of Centre students as Dr. Cavnes. The reception honoring him and his late wife Doris gave alumni the opportunity to express their affection for and appreciation of Dr. Cavnes. It was a wonderful evening."

In honor of 1826 Centre alum John Todd Stuart's positive influence on Abraham Lincoln, a dedication ceremony for Stuart Hall was held on Saturday. Also during the ceremony, the Kentucky Historical Society dedicated a historical highway marker honoring Stuart, which was placed in front of Stuart Hall.

In addition, during halftime of Saturday's football game, Katie Bouvier '08 was crowned homecoming queen, and Alex Brown '08 was crowned homecoming king.

For a look back at these and other 2007 Centre Homecoming events, click here for the photo essay page.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. 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.