Moving Homecoming from winter to fall was an idea whose time had come. The question was how to avoid a large gap between the February 2014 Homecoming and the 2015 event. The answer: hold a second Homecoming in the fall of 2014.
Nov. 13-15, hundreds of alumni welcomed the opportunity to return to campus for the weekend.
One of the highlights was the Friday night worship service. Former campus pastor Dr. Robert “Brother Bob” Stamps spoke on God’s plans for the university and alumni, and said that being called to come to ORU in 1968 “was the most wonderful invitation I ever had in my life.” David Stearman (1969-74, ’75-’76) and Ross and Aimee Duncan Parsley, who are both 1992 graduates, led worship with music from their eras. President William M. Wilson presented alumni and faculty who were at ORU between 1965 and 1974 with special certificates while students from ORU’s 50th freshman class gave each of the honorees a unique medallion.
Stamps’s wife, Ellen, was the guest speaker at the Women’s Luncheon.
“There’s nothing better than to go back to a place you have loved and where you have been loved,” she told alumni.
TulsaTalks, a daylong business strategies conference, was one of the new Homecoming events. It drew more than 170 registrants—alumni and students as well as members of the Tulsa community—who learned ways to navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.
“I am very proud of our 11-member alumni board who planned and hosted the event, along with several alumni who served as workshop presenters and speakers,” said Cristi Eschler-Freudenrich, assistant professor in Communication, Arts and Media. “Their willingness to commit the time and energy to this project was validating to me as a faculty member.”
For the third straight Homecoming, the Innovate@50 Expo brought in organizations that coordinator Blake Fite ’98 said “are committed to the global expansion of the gospel.” With 26 groups setting up booths on LRC 3, alumni and students had a chance to talk business and ministry and explore career options as well.
“It is a thrill to be back,” said Amick Byram ’77, recipient of a new Alumnus of the Year award. He received a standing ovation in chapel when students learned that he sang the role of Moses in The Prince of Egypt. His performance of “Into the Fire” was also met with thunderous applause.
If alumni were wondering what’s been happening at ORU in the past few months, they found answers at the Presidential Update. Dr. Wilson and members of his cabinet gave updates on campus improvements, student leadership development taking place in Student Life and Spiritual Formation, ORU’s return to the Summit League and student-athletes’ involvement in outreach and international missions, student recruitment in other nations, cash-saving initiatives in the finance department, expansion of online enrollment, plans for the 50th anniversary celebration, and the University Planning Council’s five-year adaptive plan to keep ORU in a proactive, forward-thinking mode.
The capstone of the weekend was the banquet, where the president shared details on ORU’s 50th Anniversary Campaign, “To the Uttermost Bounds of the Earth.” He described how Baby Mabee, where the banquet was being held, would be transformed into a Global Learning Center to make whole-person education more accessible to students around the world.
Richard McCutchen ’70 won the trip for two to the Jerusalem 2015 Experience, being held May 20-25.
After the banquet, alumni made the short walk from Baby Mabee to the Mabee Center for the men’s Homecoming basketball game. It was a perfect ending to the weekend. The Golden Eagles defeated the University of Tulsa’s Golden Hurricane, 77-68, and captured the PSO Mayor’s Cup for the second year in a row.
