FHU to Celebrate Homecoming Nov. 8-10
Henderson, Tennessee (Oct. 8, 2019)--When Freed-Hardeman University alumni, prospective students, parents and friends come to campus Nov. 8-10 for Homecoming, they will find a full slate of activities to help them celebrate the current university as well as its history.
In a prelude to Homecoming, Lauren Kreuzwieser Fitzgerald, managing partner of The Mom Complex, will be the chapel speaker at 10:30 a.m. in Loyd Auditorium to kick off ALUMination Day. Successful alumni from various disciplines will visit campus Friday, Nov. 8, to continue ALUMination Day. They will share their experiences with current students in various classes throughout the day.
Homecoming events begin Friday, Nov. 8, with activities to attract potential students as well as alumni. Prospective students are invited to visit campus and learn more about the university at Maroon and Gold Day.
The highlight of the day for many will be the rededication of Old Main at 2 p.m. on the front lawn. The building opened in 1908 as National Teachers Normal and Business College with A.G. Freed and N.B. Hardeman as president and vice president. The $5.5 million restoration began in 2018 and was completed this year. The exterior and common areas, including Chapel Hall, lobbies, halls and stairway, have been restored to their original condition. Classrooms and offices, however, are equipped with current technology for today’s students.
Friday evening’s events will include reunions, receptions and concerts. A student talent show is planned for 6:30 p.m. in Ayers Auditorium. A reunion concert by Kid Cruise and the T-Birds and Foxfire, alumni bands from the late 1970s, will take the Chapel Hall stage at 7 p.m., especially for the Class of 1979. There will be more music at 7:30 p.m. when Mark Alan Springer, BMI Country Songwriter of the Year, presents “Behind the Hits” in Ayers Auditorium. Tickets for this event benefitting the Lady Lion basketball program are available at FHUTickets.com. Dessert and coffee receptions for the classes of 1979 and 1989 will begin at 9 p.m. in Old Main and the home of President David and First Lady Tracie Shannon, respectively. Tickets for the receptions are also available at FHUTickets.com.
Athletic events will begin Friday evening at 7 p.m. when the Lion basketball alumni take the Brewer Sports Center court. The Lady Lion volleyball team will take on William Woods University in a conference match at 11 a.m. Saturday. Lion Walk and tailgating will be on the Brewer Sports Center lawn at 11:45 a.m. The Lady Lion basketball team will take on Blue Mountain College at 2 p.m. Saturday and the Lions will play Crowley’s Ridge College at 4 p.m. Game tickets are available at FHUTickets.com. The Homecoming court will be presented and the king and queen crowned at halftime of the women’s game. The 2019 Sports Hall of Fame inductees will be presented at halftime of the men’s game. They will be officially inducted at 7:30 p.m. in Ayers Auditorium. The FHU Associates will host their annual silent auction and vendors’ booths in the auxiliary gym from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The annual Legacy Pinning Ceremony is planned for 1 p.m. in Chapel Hall. The event honors and welcomes freshmen whose parents or grandparents attended FHU. June Hardin Roland, an alumna whose grandfather and father attended college in Henderson, will speak and present a pin to her grandson, Daniel England, who is a member of the fifth generation on both of his maternal grandparents’ sides to attend Freed-Hardeman or its predecessors. His grandfather was Ike Roland; his great grandfather, C.P. Roland; and his great-great-grandfather was I.N. Roland. His other maternal great grandfather was Price Hardin and his great-great-grandfather was H.J. Hardin.
Following the games, guests may enjoy a chili supper from 5 until 7 p.m. in the auxiliary gym of the Sports Center. Tickets are available at FHUTickets.com. The evening will conclude with a period of congregational singing in Chapel Hall beginning at 7:30 p.m. This will be the first singing session since the re-opening of Chapel Hall, long-known for its outstanding acoustics. The public is invited to participate.
A Homecoming worship service will conclude events at 9 a.m. Sunday morning in Loyd Auditorium. FHU President David Shannon will present the message. A complete listing of Homecoming activities is available at fhu.edu/homecoming2019.
