CLARKSVILLE, Ark. --- Reunions for athletics and communications as well as a murder mystery dinner theater production are some of the new events that highlight University of the Ozarks' Alumni Weekend 2001, scheduled for April 20-22 on the Ozarks campus.
This year’s theme is "Tradition of Excellence: A Celebration of Past, Present and Future." The annual weekend-long event will begin on the morning of Friday, April 20, with the traditional golf tournament and conclude on Sunday, April 22, with the farewell breakfast. In between will be a number of reunions, receptions, banquets, programs and other events to keep alumni and their families busy and entertained. ?? ?"We have many of the same events that have become traditional with Alumni Weekend, but we have also added several new things that we hope will bring back some alumni who haven’t been on campus in a while," said Lori McBee, U of O’s director of alumni relations. "We feel like we have something for everyone this year. Alumni Weekend had one of its biggest turnouts ever last year with more than 550 people and we hope to even top that this year." ??? The Communications Reunion will be coordinated by George Pittenger ’91 and Susan (Edens) Dorney ’92 and will be held on the evening of Friday, April 20. The reunion is open to anyone who majored in communications or who worked on The Mountain Eagle newspaper, the Aerie yearbook, or the campus radio and television stations. ??? "It’s going to be an interesting reunion because we will have all these people from different years who worked on the newspaper or with the television station and they’ll be able to reminisce and share stories," McBee said. "I’d like to encourage any alumni who participated in communications or worked on the yearbook or The Mountain Eagle at Ozarks to attend the reunion." ??? The Athletics Reunion will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday and will be coordinated by Ozarks Athletics Director Jack Jones and the U of O Athletics Booster Club. It is open to anyone who participated in athletics at Ozarks. ??? The murder mystery dinner theatre, which will be produced by Paradigm Entertainment, will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday evening in the Seay Student Center. ??? "The murder mystery is an audience participation program and should be a lot of fun," McBee said. "It’s a fun show the whole family can enjoy." ??? Another new event for Alumni Weekend 2001 is a Farewell to Science/Hurie Hall program scheduled for Saturday afternoon. There will be a tribute as well as partial tours of the building, which is slated to be replaced by Walker Hall. Construction on Walker Hall ? a $7 million communications and education facility ? will begin in May. ??? Several traditional events return for Alumni Weekend 2001, including the 50-Year Club Reception and Luncheon, at which the Class of 1951 will be honored; the alumni picnic on the campus mall; the 5K Run/Walk; and the Memorial Service, which honors alumni who have died within the past year. ??? The four-person, scramble golf tournament will be held at Chamberlyne Golf Course near Danville. Shuttle services will be available for golfers starting at 7:30 a.m. Friday. The 18-hole tournament will begin at 9 a.m. The annual 5K Run/Walk through downtown Clarksville will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, with registration will be held from 7 to 8 a.m. ??? The Alumni Awards Banquet will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Honorees this year include, Alumni Achievement Award recipient Kenneth McFerran ’63; Alumni Merit Award recipient Penn Thomas ’83; and Sports Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Spoonhour ’61. There will be a hospitality suite on both Friday and Saturday evenings at the Clarksville Country Club. ??? Anyone who plans to attend any of the events is encouraged to register as early as possible. For more information on any of these activities or to register, please contact the Alumni Office at (501) 979-1234.
Topics: Alumni