By Anna Catherman
For the first time in a while, Houghton College alumni were invited to campus March 29-30 for the three-day Alumni and Family Weekend. With many events canceled or limited to current students over the past two years, Alumni and Family Weekend gave Houghton College a long-overdue opportunity to welcome back former students. The event was a smorgasbord of activity, kicking off with the Alumni Awards Chapel and continuing throughout the weekend with sports games, open houses, and more. Besides the specific alumni-focused events, the weekend was also show time for Houghton College Lyric Theatre’s production of The Pirates of Penzance.
Director of Alumni and Community Engagement Phyllis Gaerte shared that she was pleased with the turnout, despite the fact that it was hard to pin down an exact number of guests. “As we have seen with other events during the pandemic, pre-registrations were very low. Guests are waiting until the last minute to decide whether or not to attend an event. That being said, I observed a large number of guests on campus on Saturday – parents with their students and especially alumni athletes who came back to take part in athletic competitions. We were especially privileged to have the alumni board and the athletics advisory board members on campus at the same time that weekend for meetings and to take part in honoring alumni award and athletic hall of honor recipients.”, she shared in written remarks with the STAR.
Athletics played a starring role in the weekend, with numerous home and away games played by the current Houghton sports teams and a total of six alumni games played. These included games of volleyball, basketball, field hockey, and volleyball. There was also a dedication for the new KidsZone space at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex. Houghton Athletic alumni were invited back to campus via social media and mailings, and Dr. Matt Webb, Director of Athletics, was delighted with how many returned to play. In an email to the STAR, he noted his favorite part of the weekend was “[s]eeing the alumni just loving being back together and on the court/field etc. with each other again. The family atmosphere of our extended teams was evident. It was a great day!”
Dr. Douglas Gaerte shared how Houghton College’s alumni are well known for the enthusiasm they have for their alma mater. This was evidenced in the one-two punch that was the Alumni and Family Weekend followed swiftly by the One Day Giving Challenge on April 1. He was grateful that a weekend of reenaging former students preceded the challenge.
Dr. Gaerte was one of the presenters at the Alumni Awards Chapel, which he highlighted as a favorite event of his. “I love it because it reminds me of what amazing alumni we have”, he said, adding how he’s constantly blown away by the ways they impact the church and their community. ★
