Alumni Weekend: bringing Bisons back

Chris Pepple | 

Alumni returning to campus to “Paint the Town Purple” found plenty to keep them busy. From social club reunions to a science circus, from ball games to plays, the activities delighted alumni and their family members who gathered to reconnect with professors and friends from their college days. Evening strolls through the campus provided a glimpse of both old and new buildings illuminated with purple lights. Daily events offered plenty of opportunities for alumni to witness the excitement on the Lipscomb campus now.

 

Science Circus


Excitement filled the air in McFarland as faculty members held a science circus for children and alumni. Children giggled as Dr. Carroll Wells introduced them to topology. He used geometry to thrill them as he cut small paper into large necklaces, formed hearts with simple cuts and removed a wedding band from knotted string. Other faculty members introduced the audience members to robotics, physics, chemistry, psychology and biology. Optical illusions on a large screen made everyone look twice to see what was really before their eyes. Robots performed tasks on command. Pens balanced on loops, then dropped perfectly into a bottle below. Magnets shot to the ceiling, and liquid nitrogen froze Twinkies. Clear water changed to blue as children wished it to happen. The event ended with a parade of preserved animals. The children squealed as spiders, bugs, an octopus and a two-headed cat appeared before them. 
 

Vince Huegele (’78) remembers setting up similar events during “high school days” when he was a physics major at Lipscomb. “I helped set up demonstrations for visiting high school students. It’s interesting to come back as a graduate and show my children what my college days were like. It’s interesting to see what has changed and what has stayed the same,” said Huegele.  His eleven-year-old son Benjamin added, “This was really cool.”
 

“Hands down this was the best event of the weekend,” said Laneita Clark Henderson (’84) who attended with her husband Alan (’84) and children Levi and Josiah. Robyn (’97) and Dan (’96) Carmody agreed that the science circus was fun for the entire family. Their children, Jack and Maggie, lingered after the event to view slides of bee stingers and bed bugs.
 

Alumni receptions

The weekend offered plenty of opportunities for alumni to meet with former classmates. Former Homecoming Queens gathered for a Queen’s Coffee at Longview. Sport’s teams reunited to relive memories of past athletic events. Social clubs gathered to catch up with news of friends who studied, served and socialized together during their Lipscomb years.
 

Mary Green (’07) attended the Adult Studies Reception in Swang. “This is a great opportunity to come back to campus and catch up with friends. I studied accounting here and hope to see some of my professors. This event brought me back tonight, but I try to come back occasionally for concerts and other special events. Lipscomb has a lot to offer on campus,” said Green.
 

The Medical and Dental Alumni Coffee hosted by Dr. Burton Elrod, Dr. Steve Staggs, Dr. Ronnie Hunter and Dr. Tom Whitfield drew together alumni who realized a common thread in their group. Many of the participants had served around the world on medical mission trips since leaving Lipscomb. Around 35 alumni gathered at the home of Dr. Elrod to chat about their practices and their service while reconnecting with classmates and professors.

 

Multicultural reception

The alumni reception held by the Office of Multicultural Affairs scored big with a visit from a Lipscomb Athletic Hall of Fame member and the first female African American to enroll at the university.
 
Bruce Bowers (’72) of Nashville, was recruited by Ken Dugan in 1968 to play basketball. Playing basketball alongside some students who had never seen, befriended or roomed with an African America was a sometimes difficult, but rewarding experience, said Bowers at the reception held in the Ezell Center
 
“I brushed my teeth the same as they did their,” chuckled Bowers, remembering nights on the road with the team. “Sports for this university served as an adhesive that really worked at drawing people together,” he said. “It was the glue that assisted in opening lines of communication.”
 
Rosalind Jenkins (’72) of Nashville, who was the first African American female to be enrolled at Lipscomb in the summer of 1966, also attended the reception.
 
“What I like is how Lipscomb has come so far from what I saw (in 1966) to then hear what the president says today,” said Jenkins.
 
Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry attended the reception and told attendees, “I am committed to this university being a very gracious place to lots of different people.”
 
The president described how students of various ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds find Lipscomb a safe and welcoming place. He wanted the university to be a place that is “inclusive of any constituency who shares our vision.”
 

The Enchanted Attic


Lipscomb University’s Theater Department offered a delightful presentation of “The Enchanted Attic” during Alumni Weekend. Audience members joined the adventure to discover a lost treasure in a forgotten attic. A cat named Dimwit came to life on stage. Pirates popped out of windows. Puppets came to life and wished for the days of performances and cheers. Children vowed never to lose their imagination.
 

“I really liked the play,” said Eryn, a first-grade student at David Lipscomb Campus School. “It was funny and fantastic,” she added as she interacted with cast members after the show.
 

“We came to the play to see our nephew, Sawyer Wallace, perform as Lance in the play,” commented Amy (’79) and Doug (’79) Dye. While on campus, they also attended the College of Natural and Applied Sciences Coffee. Doug Dye, a pharmacist, reunited with Dean Roger Davis at the coffee.
 

“Being a pharmacist, I enjoyed the chance to tour the new pharmacy facilities here. The program and facilities are very impressive. When I graduated from Lipscomb, I had to go to UT at Memphis to continue my studies. Roger Davis was on staff there when I was a student. He interviewed me when I applied. It was nice to see him on the Lipscomb campus now,” said Dye.

Bisons basketball and Homecoming

Bisons fans had an opportunity to catch three ball games while on campus. Thursday brought the thrill of watching the men’s team defeat Belmont in the Battle of the Boulevard. Fifty seconds into Thursday evening’s game, the confetti was flying when Lipscomb’s Brandon Brown scored the first two points of the game.  On Saturday, the men’s team cruised past USC Upstate in Allen Arena. The Homecoming game offered plenty of opportunities for cheers.
 

Miss Lipscomb and the Bachelor of Ugliness, Miss Megan Dickerson and Mr. Austin Davidson were introduced to the crowd.  Megan and Austin, both seniors, were selected by their peers as the students whose lives best exemplify the Christian values and principles of Lipscomb University. Lipscomb University’s 2009 Homecoming Queen, Miss Miriam McAlister, was escorted by her father, Mike McAlister. Homecoming Attendants and their Escorts were also announced at the game: Miss Caroline Bumpus and Mr. Andrew Glass and Miss Jocasta Gee and Mr. Amir Shahla represented the student body at large;  Miss Brittany Stevens and Mr. D.J. Farris represented the senior class; Miss April Easley and Mr. Seth King represented the junior class; Miss Kacy Reese and Mr. Jackson Sprayberry represented the sophomore class; and Miss Amber Markham and Mr. Daniel Wakefield represented the freshman class.
 

Though the Lady Bisons lost to ETSU Friday night, their “Think Pink” night brought plenty of excitement for students and alumni. The game was “Think Pink” and “Pack the House” night. Donations were collected from 1,231 fans for breast cancer awareness. The Lady Bisons wore pink socks with their game uniforms and pink warm-up shirts. Cheerleaders and social club members donned pink outfits, and students competed for numerous prizes. Caitlyn Flow, a freshman from Nashville, tried to shoot a free throw backwards to win books for a semester, but barely missed both attempts. Other students walked away with gift cards for free dinners. The evening began with students and alumni filling the SAC for a family fun night. Students caught pink t-shirts tossed from the walking track, and children enjoyed the inflatables and snow cones.
 

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Nashville organization brought representatives to campus for the evening. “We appreciate the opportunity to be on campus and share in this event with you,” said Becky Hamilton, administrative director for the organization. “Seventy-five percent of all money raised tonight stays in our local service area providing funds for health services, community education and research. It’s wonderful to have universities joining in to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.”
 

Accuracy of an Impression

This exhibit of paintings by Michael Shane Neal (’91) drew guests to the Paul Rogers Board Room in Ezell to glimpse the works that have led to the international recognition bestowed upon Neal. The exhibit included videos of a painting demonstration done by Neal in San Francisco and of the unveiling of the Senator Byrd portrait at the Capitol and the Justice Sandra Day O’Connor portrait at the law school named in her honor. His first place award in the 2006 International Portrait Competition was displayed along with numerous paintings.
 

Debbie Price Arnold (’79) came to the exhibit with her daughter, a junior in high school. They traveled from Pensacola, Fla., for the festivities. “This exhibit is a wonderful opportunity to see the work of a Lipscomb alum. I haven’t been back to campus since 1982. It has been fun to come back and see some old friends. I found classmate Ronnie Farris and had fun visiting with him and catching up on his family news. I’ve also run into other classmates and professors I remember. I’m especially looking forward to my social club reunion,” said Arnold.