Maryville alumni will always come “Home to Howee”
For current Maryville College students, Homecoming was a weeklong event that included everything from a concert in Isaac’s Cafe on Monday to a “Chalk-a-Palooza” in front of Pearsons Hall on Friday. But, for alumni whose graduation years spanned generations, Oct. 20-22 was an opportunity to return “Home to Howee.”
Friday, Oct. 20, consisted of many class reunions and the Founder’s Day Showcase. The volleyball team also played two homecoming games, losing the first match against Huntingdon (0-3) winning the game vs. Wesleyan (3-0).
Saturday was packed full and included the Homecoming Parade, in which representatives from each current class, various student organizations, alumni and many members of Maryville faculty participated.
While watching the parade, Ariel Kaylor (‘19) said that she attends homecoming because she still feels connected to campus in general, and she wasn’t the only one. Bob (‘63) and Linda (‘64) Mahley currently live in San Francisco but still flew out to attend Homecoming this year. Both participated in this year’s parade.
When asked why he still feels so connected to campus, Bob said, “Maryville College is a very special place to us. For one thing, I met my wife here, and we got married here in Maryville. Besides, this is a fantastic college. There is nothing better than a high-quality liberal arts education.”
Linda added, “We keep coming back because we got such a good education here. [We were] both science majors, [and it was] wonderful. It really [prepared] us well in the medical and scientific community, and we’ve excelled because of Maryville College.”
As the parade concluded, people made their way past Cooper Athletic Center and towards Lloyd L. Thornton Stadium. In addition to the many tailgaters beside Cooper, there was a Scot-Land children’s area, food trucks and information tables representing various scholarship groups and student organizations. One alumna who visited these tables was Courtney Washburn Bean (‘10).
When asked what keeps her coming back to campus each year, she noted “[Homecoming] is like a little holiday. It’s our favorite time of year to come back to campus, to see all of our friends and just be amongst the spirit and the atmosphere. The enthusiasm of homecoming is really fun … there is just something so special about this place, and it’s just so fun to be back on campus with everyone else who feels that same way.”
Stephani Richardson McCarty, (‘10) who was in attendance with Bean, added, “The connections that we made [at Maryville College] are really just unlike any other connections that you make in your life.”
As the events wrapped up, attendees made their way to the football game, which kicked off at 1 p.m. The game ended with a Scot’s win against LaGrange, with a final score of 26-6. The men’s soccer team had their last home game of the season at 4 p.m. The Scots tied against Huntingdon 0-0, a match that was not only a homecoming game, but “senior day” where seven seniors were recognized. The women’s soccer team also had their last home game at 6 p.m. picking up a win against Agnes Scott 9-0, celebrating their senior day as well, where six seniors were recognized.
With all sporting events complete, homecoming weekend wrapped up on Sunday morning with the Service of Remembrance at 10 a.m. in the Center for Campus Ministry.
“With beautiful weather, record attendance, and triumphant Scots athletics, Homecoming 2023 was certainly one for the books!” said Jennifer Phillips Triplett (‘07), MC’s director of Alumni Affairs. “It was an incredible weekend bringing together the entire college community — from Scots celebrating 70th to 5th reunions; current students, faculty, and staff; and even downtown Maryville businesses joining with us. Homecoming honored and celebrated our shared love for this place.”