Slideshow: Back to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ weekend debuts with ‘force, spirit, and Bobcat zen’
On Friday evening of Back to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, athletics director Kevin McHugh praised longtime ski coach Bob Flynn for being “the force, the spirit, and the iconic Bobcat zen” of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ athletics.
“Force, spirit, and zen” — let’s borrow those nouns to describe the family vibe we all felt at Back to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, a “new” weekend event for alumni, parents, and families, Oct. 2-4.
This photo story about Back to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ weekend features photographs by Phyllis Graber Jensen, Josh Kuckens, and Rene Roy.
We say “new” because the name “Back to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½” has a splendid and storied history, as it was the name of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½’ alumni homecoming weekend for much of the 20th century.
Mothballed since the late 1990s, the name made a comeback this fall after ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ decided to combine parents weekend and homecoming into one big, three-day bash.
Thanks Harry! Making a comeback this year, “Back to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½” was long the name of the fall alumni weekend and was coined a century ago by the legendary Harry Rowe, Class of 1912, college editor, dean, and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ booster.
Big it was, more than doubling the campus population, from the usual 1,700 students to a giant Bobcat clowder of some 3700 alumni, parents, family members, students, and friends.
The Friday evening event honoring Bob Flynn celebrated the naming of donor-funded, renovated Alpine and Nordic ski rooms in Alumni Gym in his honor.
A legend in Maine skiing circles and beloved by his athletes, Flynn has been associated closely with ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ skiing as a head coach or assistant coach since 1968.
Friday evening also typified just how much ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ force, spirit, and zen there was to go around.
In the hour before the Flynn event, for example, was a panel discussion by the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Africana Club; a dinner presentation on “Navigating Together” by young alumni and seniors about adjusting to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ life; Shabbat evening services and dinner; a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Museum of Art reception for the exhibition “Black Maps and Other Dilemmas” by photographer David Maisel; and a men’s rugby game under the lights at Garcelon Field.
Whew!
Honoring contributors to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ enterprise and to the betterment of the world at large.
And right after the event was the traditional concert by the college’s student a cappella groups, easily the best-attended student concert of the year.
Traditional alumni homecoming activities marked the weekend, including Saturday’s recognition event to honor alumni contributors to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ enterprise and to the betterment of the world at large.
Alumni awards for volunteer contributions and achievement went to:
- Jennifer Guckel Porter ’88, who received the Bruce Stangle ’70 Award for Distinguished Service to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Community for her exemplary volunteer service and for sharing her expertise in leadership development and for coaching alumni on their careers.
- Wiley Todd ’08, Henry Mye ’08, and Jonathan Steuber ’08, who received the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Alumni Community Service Award for establishing the Valpo Surf Project, a nonprofit that educates, motivates, and teaches life skills to underprivileged and at-risk children in ValparaÃso, Chile.
Earlier in the week, Lisa Genova ’92 received the Sesquicentennial Award, given to recognize academic, artistic, or scientific achievement, for her novel Still Alice, which “opened hearts and minds about an urgent matter of public health and public policy.”
Also at Back to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, the college presented ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½’ Best awards to several alumni and parents for their significant volunteer contributions to the college.The date for next year’s Back to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½: Homecoming and Family Weekend, is Oct. 7–9.
