the meaning of homecoming
What a great weekend it was for Homecoming!
After three days of rain, the skies cleared just in time for the October 2-3 festivities, the humidity dissipated noticeably, and the temperature topped out at a very comfortable 75 degrees.
The annual Oyster Roast Friday night was a winner once again, the family cookout and class reunion get-togethers Saturday were well attended, and the football team knocked off Episcopal 39-0.
What’s Homecoming really about, though?
What’s the attraction, I wondered, that would inspire out-of-town graduates to interrupt their busy lives and travel, sometimes long distances, to spend a couple of days at their alma mater?
How better to find out than simply to ask?
What follows are thoughts, musings, and reflections from several of our alumni.
Collegiate is an experience like no other. The people at Collegiate are the ones who made us who we are. For many of us, we spent 13 of our first 18 years together. They’ll always be an integral part of my life.
Lee Moreau ‘85, Plantation, FL
It’s getting to see people I had great relationships with when I was here. Not so much my classmates. I keep up with them. It’s seeing teachers and coaches who made a difference in my life. It’s great to come back and see how the school’s progressed, see the facilities and opportunities available to students. It’s great. I’m envious.
Lee Roberts ‘00, Chapel Hill, NC
I come back to see friends. That’s the magical thing about Collegiate. You make friends you never lose. We all have a few more wrinkles and gray hairs, but I feel like I saw all these people yesterday.
Kevin Martingayle ‘85, Virginia Beach
(The class of 1980) is the greatest group of people that I could ever have spent time with. They’re the people who’ve helped me the most in my life. It means everything in the world to me. You don’t get this opportunity very often, to have a group of great guys like this put in one place, together for 13 years. Every opportunity I get, I want to spend time with them.
Tim Tiller ‘80, West Palm Beach, FL
I’d missed all the other reunions because I was on the other side of the world (as a photojournalist in Chile, London, and Tokyo), and I felt like I owed it to my classmates (to return for the 25th reunion). My classmates are a big part of what I’ve done in life, and I really felt like I wanted to connect with people who inspired me and influenced my life choices.
Janet Jarman ’85, Mexico City
I came to our 10th reunion (in 1995), but this is my first time back at Collegiate since then. I got back in touch with a lot of people through Facebook. Someone posted pictures of our 20th reunion. It looked like a lot of fun, and I had this overwhelming sense of nostalgia.
You almost have to do some mental archaeology to remember what was here and subtract the new stuff to remember what it was like. The changes are overwhelming.
Doug Reed ’85, Stoughton, WI
I went to VMI and have great friends that are Brother Rats. I’ve been in the Army for 26 years and in combat, and I have great friends I love to see, but there’s nothing more special than getting together with the Class of 1980. It was a great environment here at Collegiate, and we learned and grew together. To a man, they’re the best guys on earth and a compelling draw. Any opportunity to see them always brings me back.
Lee Wimbish ’80, Alexandria
No one can deny that you always have a connection to your school. People come back and relive the memories.
The whole spirit surrounding homecoming brings that to fruition. You’re surrounded by people doing the exact same thing you are, and that makes it all that much more enjoyable.
Very few people I’ve met (outside Collegiate) can say they knew everyone in their school: faculty, staff, everybody. Even if you didn’t have someone as a teacher, you probably had a relationship with them.
Once a Cougar, always a Cougar.
Andrew Thalhimer ’05, Chicago
