October 1, 2001

SMU ANNOUNCES 2001 HOMECOMING ACTIVITIES

DALLAS (SMU) -- Southern Methodist University will celebrate its annual Homecoming on Oct. 25-28. Reunions will be celebrated by the classes of 1956, '61, '66, '71, '76, '81, '86, '91 and '96.

During Homecoming Weekend, the SMU Mustang football team will play the University of Texas at El Paso Miners at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, in Gerald J. Ford Stadium. In addition to the football game, SMU’s Homecoming 2001 Weekend includes a luncheon on Friday, a Saturday morning parade, and a musical performance by the SMU Mustang Band. The SMU Homecoming 2001 Weekend officially begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, with the presentation of the Distinguished Alumni Awards. (See details below.)

Organizers include Homecoming Chair W. Bruce Monning of Dallas, Class of 1970 and 1972; Parade Chair LaDonna Carrington of Dallas, Class of 1983 and 1984; and Art Contest Chair Paula Deakins-Molberg of Dallas, Class of 1981. Student organizers include Homecoming Chair junior Erin Michel and Student Parade Chair junior Kristin Corcoran.

The complete schedule of Homecoming activities is as follows:

THURSDAY, OCT. 25

• Youth Art Contest Display will be at the new SMU Bookstore, 3060 Mockingbird Lane, featuring creative artwork of local elementary school children.
• SMU Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner and presentation will honor billboard advertising businessman George T. Reynolds III, geologist and Sugar-Buster’s Diet author H. Leighton Steward, CBS drama “The Education of Max Bickford” actress Regina Taylor and pharmaceutical executive Myra Nicol Williams. The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel, 2201 Stemmons Fwy. (black tie optional). Tickets are $125 each. Call Mindy Rowland at (214) 768-2586 VISA/Mastercard are accepted.

FRIDAY, OCT. 26

• Homecoming Luncheon, “e-Technology: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” moderated by SMU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ross C Murfin, will be at noon in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Promenade Ballroom, 3140 Dyer. Featured speakers include Peter Raad, engineering professor and director of SMU’s Linda and Mitch Hart eCenter; Richard O. Mason, director of the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility; and Marcia Armstrong, associate dean for the Edwin L. Cox School of Business. Tickets are $12 each, available through the office of Alumni Relations, (214) 768-2586.
• Demystifying the College Admission Process, a special program for high school students and parents to meet with SMU admission counselors, will be from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Promenade A and B rooms of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center, 3140 Dyer.
• Central University Library Walking Tour will begin at 2 p.m. in the Fondren Library Center lobby, 6404 Hilltop Lane.
• Cox School of Business alumni will have a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Dean’s Parlor of the Fincher Building, 6212 Bishop Blvd.
• Former Student Leaders Reception will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center, 3140 Dyer.
• Pigskin Revue Dinner and Entertainment, a musical performance featuring the SMU Mustang Band, will be from 6 to 10 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Umphrey Lee Center, 3300 Dyer St. Tickets are available by calling 214-SMU-BAND. Cost is $25 for adults, $15 for children under 18.

SATURDAY, OCT. 27

• Homecoming Parade begins at 10 a.m. proceeding south along Hillcrest Avenue from Daniel, turning east through the church parking lot and north up Bishop Boulevard, with review stand at Perkins Natatorium, 6024 Bishop Blvd. where the parade ends. (See map below.)
• Tailgating on The Boulevard, pre-game festivities featuring music, food and family fun, immediately follows the parade along Bishop Boulevard.
• Alumni Barbecue, catered by Dickey’s Barbecue, will be from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the north end of Bishop Boulevard near the flagpole. Tickets for the barbecue are $10 adults, $5 for children ages 8 and under.
• Silent Auction will be held during the barbecue near the flagpole sponsored by the Dallas Area Young Alumni Associates.
• School of Engineering alumni and students will gather at 11:30 a.m. in the engineering tent on the northeast corner of Bishop Boulevard
• Dedman School of Law Octoberfest Tailgate gathering will begin at noon on the north end of Bishop Boulevard near the Umphrey Lee Center, 3300 Dyer St.
• Doak Walker Plaza dedication will begin at 1:40 p.m. at the northeast corner of Gerald J. Ford Stadium. The event will include the unveiling of a statue of the late Doak Walker, the famed All-American, Heisman Trophy winner and pro-football Hall of Fame running back who brought national attention to the university in the late 1940s. Alumni and current chapter members of Walker’s fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, funded the statue and plaza.
• SMU vs. UTEP football game begins at 2 p.m. at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. For tickets call SMU-GAME. To purchase tickets, call (214) 768-4263 or SMU-GAME. Reserved reunion class block seating is available.
• Reunions begin at 7:30 p.m. at various locations around the city

SUNDAY, OCT. 28

• Roman Catholic Mass will be at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. in Perkins Chapel.
• The universitywide worship service will begin at 11 a.m. at Perkins Chapel.

More information about SMU Homecoming 2001 Weekend is posted on the web at http://www2.smu.edu/alumni/homecoming2001.asp or by calling call the Office of Alumni Relations at (214) 768-2586. The Office of Alumni Relations and the SMU Student Foundation produce SMU’s Homecoming 2001 Weekend.