Monmouth College Homecoming is Oct. 17-19

Monmouth College’s second annual President’s Homecoming Gala will be among the highlights of Homecoming weekend at the college Oct. 17-19. The college will also induct Dr. Frank Fitch, Class of 1951, into its Hall of Achievement and four MC athletes into the M Club Hall of Fame. In addition, a free concert featuring the Monmouth Chorale will be performed and the Fighting Scots’ football team will host Ripon College.

All Monmouth College alumni are invited to return for the weekend, which will include reunions for the classes of ’68, ’73, ’78, ’83, ’98,’03 and ’07. For the first time, the college is hosting “cluster” reunions for select years, welcoming back the classes of ’02 and ’04 and the classes of ’77 and ’79 to help their old friends celebrate.

Also new this year is the opportunity for attendees to purchase long-sleeved Homecoming shirts. The red shirts have a small design on the front with a large “M” on the back and the phrase “I Want to Go Back, I’ve Got to Go Back to Old M.C,” which is taken from a popular college song. Shirts are $15 and can be ordered through the college’s alumni office.

The President’s Homecoming Gala will begin Friday at 6 p.m. in the fieldhouse of the Huff Athletic Center. Tickets for the event are $40 and are available through the alumni office. Advance registration is required. The semiformal event, which will begin with a wine and cheese reception, includes musical entertainment by MC students, a candlelight dinner and an address by President Mauri Ditzler. Also in the program will be the announcement of Fitch’s induction into the Hall of Achievement, which is the highest honor Monmouth College bestows upon its graduates. The Albert D. Lasker Professor Emeritus of Medical Sciences at the University of Chicago, where he taught full-time for 39 years, Fitch pioneered medical technology involving monoclonal antibodies, which serve as complementary elements in the areas of genetic research, immunology and therapeutic applications.

The gala will be followed by the traditional Homecoming spirit shout at April Zorn Memorial Stadium at 9 p.m. The celebration, which will feature the introduction of Homecoming royalty, will conclude with a fireworks display.

Saturday’s events begin at 8:30 a.m. as Monmouth College inducts four athletic greats into the M Club Hall of Fame. The ceremony for football-track standout John Warfield ’89, three-sport star John Jacobs ’94, champion distance runner Dan Schisler ’94 and All-American sprinter Heather Furrow ’98 will be held on the main concourse of the Huff Athletic Center.

The Homecoming parade will begin at 11 a.m. Sponsored by the college’s Association for Student Activity Programming (ASAP), it will include the Monmouth College and Monmouth-Roseville High School and Junior High School marching bands, last year’s Homecoming king and queen, the M Club Hall of Fame inductees and the 25th-year reunion class.

The Homecoming theme “Scots Fever” will be reflected in several floats by student organizations. Leading the parade will be Monmouth police and fire department vehicles, the Monmouth College Pipe Band and President and Mrs. Ditzler. The community is invited to view the procession from anywhere along its route, between Sixth St. and Ninth St.

At 11:30 a.m., there will be an all-alumni cookout on the lawn of Quinby House, home of President and Mrs. Ditzler. The new event will have an Oktoberfest and Scottish Highland Games atmosphere.

There will also be a reception for Crimson Masque alumni in the Wells Theater at 11:30 a.m. that will feature clips of some of MC’s past theatrical performances.

The Homecoming football game against Ripon will kick off at 1 p.m. at April Zorn Memorial Stadium. Earlier on Saturday, the volleyball team will host its annual Alumni Game at 11:30 a.m. in Glennie Gym.

At 3 p.m., the college’s three Greek women’s organizations will host open houses. Holt House, founding home of Pi Beta Phi; Stewart House, founding home of Kappa Kappa Gamma; and Marshall Hall, which houses the chapter room of Alpha Xi Delta, will all be open for tours until 5 p.m. Open houses will also be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at two college facilities that opened in 2007 – Gracie Peterson Hall and Weeks House.

Homecoming activities Saturday evening will include a free concert by the Monmouth Chorale at 7:30 p.m. in the Kasch Performance Hall of the Dahl Chapel and Auditorium.

An alumni mixer, open to all alumni, friends, faculty and staff, will be held at 9 p.m. at the American Legion, 1110 N. 11th St.
To see a full schedule of events, visit www.monm.edu/alumni.