Mississippi University for Women invites alumni, friends and guests to a weekend filled with entertainment and activities for Homecoming festivities Thursday through Saturday, March 22-25.
Homecoming starts Thursday at 4:30 p.m. with the Homecoming Court Dinner Party at Hogarth Student Center. Student performances will follow at the Bryan Green Gazebo.
From 6 to 7:30 p.m., the Nell Peel Wolfe Lecture Series, presented by the Ina E. Gordy Honors College, hosts Southern Foodways Alliance Director John T. Edge. Edge is author of “The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South” and a contributor to Garden & Gun and Southern Living magazines. Barnes & Noble will offer his book for sale in the Hogarth Student Center. Edge will sign books following his lecture in Parkinson Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
Thursday’s events will conclude with a free 8 p.m. performance by students from the Department of Music in the Kossen Auditorium.
Friday events
Homecoming registration will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the lobby of Welty Hall.
A campus tour led by President Jim Borsig begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Old Maids’ Gate near the College Street entrance. During the tour, participants will see campus improvements and visit senior honors students.
The Golden Girls Luncheon honors the Class of 1968 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Pope Banquet Room of Hogarth Dining Center. Tickets are required for this event. Members of the Class 1968 receive a complimentary ticket with their registration.
At 2 p.m., a tour and update of campus will be offered by the Office of Admissions, with shuttles available. The tour begins on the second floor of Welty Hall.
From 2 to 3:30 p.m., “Reading, Writing, Living” features the work of three alumni. First, celebrate the life of Mississippi’s most noteworthy conservationist and 1911 II&C graduate, Fannye A. Cook. A glimpse at Miss Cook’s remarkable life unfolds in a half-hour, biographical performance by wildlife biologist Cathy Shropshire.
Next, Barbara Black Travis (1970) takes a trip down memory lane with a fun-filled, interactive class just as it was presented in the ’60’s and ’70’s, but with an entertaining new twist.
Last, Dusty Thompson (1993), a self-described displaced Southern gentleman, discusses his latest book “Almost Odis: My Preppy Life with My Redneck Dad.”
The MUW Alumni Association Annual Meeting will take place at 3:30 p.m. in the Kossen Auditorium, Poindexter Hall.
From 4:30 to 6 p.m., the MUWAA Lowndes County Chapter hosts “The Art of Terry Cherry” and “Unique Visions: Elayne Goodman and Herbert Reith” at the MUW Galleries in Summer Hall. Alumni and friends will also celebrate the naming of the main gallery in honor of Ralph Hudson. Food will be provided by the Lowndes County Chapter.
The Long Blue Line Auction and Gala is set for 6 p.m. in Hogarth Dining Center, second floor. All proceeds benefit the MUWAA Legacy Scholarship. For more information, visit longbluelineauction.com. The auction is free. Dinner is $40.
Saturday activities
Saturday morning begins with breakfast at the Wesley Foundation from 8 to 10 a.m. Registration will be available at 8 a.m.
From 8:30 to 9:15 a.m., The MUW Social Organization Alumni Council Planning Committee hosts an informational meeting outlining the mission, goals and first steps toward forming a single and united voice of communication between social organization alumni, students and the university.
Class reunion photos take place on front campus at 9:30 a.m.
From 1:30 to 5 p.m., the Black Alumni Reunion celebrates black excellence with special guests, food, fun and fellowship next to Bryan Green Gazebo. Cost is $7.
All speech-language pathology and audiology alumni are invited to the MUW Speech and Hearing Clinic to enjoy complimentary coffee, tea and cake with the faculty and students at 2 p.m.
Beginning at 5 p.m., celebrate the 2018 MUW Alumni Association Award recipients with wine and cheese in the atrium of Fant Library.
The Class of 1968 Reunion Dinner takes place at 6 p.m. in Summer Hall, while the Gingko Gathering, a dinner for all, will be in the Pope Banquet Room, Hogarth Dining Center at 6 p.m.
“Last Call” at 8 p.m. celebrates the career of Professor William “Peppy” Biddy with a concert from musicals of the last 30 years, with alumni and students reprising their original cast roles. Premium seating is available, with funds benefiting the theater program. Tickets are $10 general admission and $50 for premium seating at the Black Box Theatre in Cromwell Communications Center.
Sunday conclusion
Sunday events begin with a 9 a.m. chapel service, led by the MUW Wesley Foundation. It will be a remembrance of those who have died since the previous homecoming.
Brunch will follow at 10:30 a.m. in Hogarth Dining Center; tickets will be available at the door.
For more information about Homecoming, call 662-329-7148 or visit muw.edu.
homecoming MUW
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