Goshen College Homecoming Weekend 2005 set for Sept. 30-Oct. 2;

Music Gala, alumni awards, one-act plays, showing of ‘Pearl Diver’ movie, athletics and alumni choir concert highlight weekend

 

GOSHEN, Ind. — To walk down memory lane – in this case perhaps, Goshen College Avenue – and to appreciate how this alma mater has grown and changed; that is the heart of a homecoming event.

Goshen College alumni will have these opportunities and to reconnect with friends and mentors during the 2005 Homecoming Weekend, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 on the college campus. There will be opportunities to reminisce, as well as worship, sing, golf, attend sports, music and theater events, and listen to current professors give mini-seminars on their current research and interests.

 

Opening a weekend that will see Goshen College alumni returning to campus to reconnect will be a celebration of four exceptional graduates whose lives have exemplified Goshen College’s core values. Awarded by the Goshen College Alumni Board, the 2005 Culture for Service Award will be presented to 1955 graduate Hans J. Hillerbrand, published scholar and religion professor at Duke University in Durham, N.C., and 1968 graduate Ramzi Farran and 1969 graduate Carol Farran, a high school chemistry teacher and nurse researcher, respectively, from Oak Park, Ill. Justin Rothshank, a Goshen native and 2000 graduate who now lives and works in Pittsburgh, Pa., will be the first recipient of the Decade of Servant Leadership Award. The college will honor these alumni during a public convocation in the Church-Chapel at 10 a.m. on Sept. 30, with a reception following in the Church Gathering Room.

 

View photo albums from past Homecoming weekends

Download the Homecoming 2005 schedule and registration form.

Following is a schedule for Homecoming Weekend events open to the public. All events are free unless indicated otherwise.

 

Friday, Sept. 30

• 10 a.m. – Culture for Service and Decade of Servant Leadership Awards Convocation, Church-Chapel
• 10:30 a.m. – Culture for Service Reception, Church Gathering Room
• Noon – Golf Outing, Black Squirrel Golf Course
  Cost $55. Call Ken Pletcher at (574) 535-7491 to register.
• 6-8 p.m. – Professor of Art John Blosser Sabbatical Art Exhibition Reception, “A Place Observed,” Hershberger Art Gallery
  This exhibit features oil and watercolor paintings, as well as drawings, of Northern Indiana and Ohio that Blosser created on his recent sabbatical.
• 7 p.m. – One-Act Plays, Umble Center
  Presentation of all plays is less than one hour in duration. All seats $3.
• 8 p.m. – Homecoming Music Gala, Sauder Concert Hall
  The music department presents its annual showcase of ensemble talent: Orchestra, Chorale, Chamber Choir, Men’s Chorus, Women’s World Music Choir and Lavender Jazz. Cost $8.

 

Saturday, Oct. 1

• 7:45 a.m. – Fall Classic 3K Walk/5K Run, Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center
  Cost $12 in advance or $15 on site.
• 9:30 a.m. – Back to the Classroom sessions, Music Center
  Associate Professor of Spanish Dean Rhodes, 1972 graduate, will lead a seminar on “Journeys in Peru: Service worker to SST leader,” in Music Center, Room 100.
  Director of International Education and Associate Dean Tom Meyers and Associate Professor of History Steve Nolt will lead a seminar on “An Amish Patchwork: Indiana’s Old Orders in the Modern World” in Music Center Room 110.
• 10 a.m. – Alumni and varsity volleyball, Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center
• 11 a.m. – GC Ponderosa Cross Country Invitational, Shanklin Park, Goshen
  Intercollegiate men’s and women’s races.
• 11 a.m. – Women’s varsity tennis vs. Taylor University, GC tennis courts
• 12:30-2:30 p.m. – Book signings, GC Bookstore in Union Building
  Professor Emeritus of English Ervin Beck will be signing his new book, “MennoFolk2: A Sampler of Mennonite and Amish Folklore” (Herald Press, 2005), which includes engaging folklore written by former GC students.
  Alums Gerald and Marlene Kaufman will be signing their new book “Monday Marriage” (Herald Press, 2005) about discovering the wonders in the daily routines of marriage.
• 1 p.m. – Homecoming Hymn Sing, Rieth Recital Hall
• 2 p.m. – Men’s soccer vs. Grace Bible, GC soccer fields
• 4 p.m. – One-Act Plays, Umble Center
  Presentation of all plays is less than one hour in duration. All seats $3.
• 5-7 p.m. – Homecoming Picnic, Connector patio
  During the picnic tours will be available of the newly renovated residence areas and senior apartments. Cost $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 4-10, free for children under four.
• 7 p.m. – “Pearl Diver” movie, Umble Center
  Sidney King, 2000 graduate, wrote and directed “Pearl Diver,” which was filmed in Goshen in 2004. Parental guidance is suggested. All seats $4 at the door.
• 8:30 p.m. – J.D. Martin Coffeehouse, Rieth Recital Hall
  Alumnus and award-winning songwriter/singer J.D. Martin (Jerry Derstine, 1970 graduate), and his wife, singer/songwriter Jan Garrett, will be in concert featuring “music to open the heart and refresh the spirit.” Cost $10.

 

Sunday, Oct. 2

• 2 p.m. – Alumni Choir Concert, Sauder Concert Hall, Music Center
  To celebrate the 50^th anniversary of his graduating class, alumnus Vance George, in his final year of conducting the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, will conduct an alumni choir for an inspiring and uplifting 45-minute performance.
• 3 p.m. – One-Act Plays, Umble Center
  Presentation of all plays is less than one hour in duration. All seats $3.

 

For more information about Homecoming Weekend, to order event tickets or to register, call the Alumni Office at (574) 535-7565.

 

Editors/photographers: Culture for Service winners will be available for photos at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 30 on the College Mennonite Church steps. For more information, contact Jodi H. Beyeler at jodihb@goshen.edu or (574) 535-7572.

 

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