RELEASED: October 29, 2009

By Leigh Ivey

DANVILLE, KY—Last weekend was anything but ordinary at Centre College.

For Homecoming weekend, hordes of alumni returned to their alma mater to take part in two days of reunions, campus tours, concerts, art exhibits, receptions and, of course, football.

Differentiating this from past Homecoming weekends were several extraordinary events, including a concert by Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, an art exhibit and gallery talk by Paul Oberst '77, a tour of the brand new Campus Center and parachute jumps took place before kickoff of the football game.

Friday's festivities
At noon on Friday, Oct. 30, the Pearl Hall dedication ceremony took place in the lobby of the spectacular residence facility. Completed last year, the building is the first in Kentucky to receive Gold LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Pearl Hall also has the highest LEED rating of any residential facility in the state.  

Also on Friday, alumni visited the AEGON Gallery in the Jones Visual Arts Center (JVAC) to view an art exhibit by Paul Oberst '77. The exhibit, Ceremonial Objects, Tents, Temples, and Blankets, included a range of pieces that depict various temples, which Oberst calls "a locus in my mind for transformation and passage of the human spirit." 

On Friday afternoon, Oberst gave a gallery talk, which was followed by a reception for the artist.

Several sports events took place Friday night, including men's and women's soccer games, a swimming and diving meet, and a field hockey game.

Later that night, Lyle Lovett and his Large Band hit the stage in Newlin Hall of the College's Norton Center for the Arts. Lovett is a captivating performer and one of America's most highly regarded songwriters.

Saturday's events
Saturday was filled with even more exciting events. Before the football game, alums took part in a Homecoming 5K, a tour of the newly completed Campus Center, Greek open houses, an alumni luncheon and a book signing featuring C. Thomas Hardin '63, editor of Our Standard Sure: Centre College Since 1819.

The newly published book, which includes more than 700 photographs and is the most complete history of the College ever written, is available for purchase at the Chenault Alumni House, The Centre Bookstore and online.

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the weekend was the parachuting event that took place just before kickoff in the football game between Centre and Rhodes College. A little after 2 p.m., two Army ROTC members from the University of Kentucky jumped from a helicopter and delivered the game ball to the head official.

After they landed, the Centre football team—which boasts a 7-1 overall record and is 4-1 in conference play—defeated Rhodes College 37-10.

Also taking place on Saturday afternoon were field hockey and volleyball games, a diversity student union reception, and reunion parties.

Sponsored by Student Activities Council and the Alumni Office, a "Music in the Park" concert was held in the first floor of the Warehouse.

"The Alumni Office has been partnering with SAC for many years now to put on first-class concerts for students and alumni," says Jacky Thomas '02, director of alumni giving. Musician Dave Barnes was this year's performer.

Also during annual Homecoming celebrations this weekend, the five newest members of the Centre College Athletic Hall of Fame were inducted and honored.

Sheila Lloyd Hiestand '90 was a basketball standout, playing on Final Four teams in 1989 and 1990. She holds school records for most-career games and most-career blocked shots, as well as the single-game record for blocked shots and the season record for rebounds. A four-year starter, her teams boasted a record of 91-27.

Dewey Kimbel-1923 was a multi-talented athlete. He lettered in three sports and was a member of the 1921 Praying Colonels football team and also excelled in track and baseball. As captain of the track team during his senior year, Kimbel set the state track records in the mile and half-mile, both of which he held for many years.

Sara Morgan '99, a soccer star at Centre, is the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference's all-time leading scorer. She was named the SCAC Women's Player of the Year in 1998 and was a four-time, first-team All-SCAC pick. During her senior season, she led her team to a record of 11-5-2 and broke her own scoring record with 26 goals and 10 assists.

Jon Oldham '97 was named an All-American swimmer four-straight years at Centre. He holds eight individual Centre records, four Boles Natatorium pool records and five Centre relay records. Oldham secured a third-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly at the 1994 NCAA nationals.

John "Buck" Rogers '68 was a four-year letterman in football and served as captain of the 1967 team. He holds the distinction of being the last Centre football player to play the entire 60 minutes of a game, playing every down on offense, defense and special teams.

With so many interesting events in which they can take part, alumni of all ages greatly enjoyed the Halloween Homecoming weekend.

"Centre Homecoming is such a special time on campus for alumni and friends," Thomas says. "Alumni didn’t just attend Centre—they enjoyed an extraordinary experience. Being back on campus for this fun-filled weekend is an opportunity to relive a bit of that experience. I honestly believe that Centre will always feel like 'home' to so many alumni."

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail leigh.ivey@centre.edu with your feedback.

- end -

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.