MC’s 2022 Homecoming Activities to Celebrate Choctaw Family’s Past, Present, Future

Tailgating is an MC Family tradition during Homecoming.

One of the year’s most anticipated events for faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, and friends at Mississippi College promises a rich blend of exciting new elements and traditional favorites.

“Blue and Gold Forever Rising” is the slogan for MC’s jam-packed Homecoming activities scheduled Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 27-29.

According to Lori Bobo, university events coordinator at MC, all of the events are designed to help MC Family members get the most from their annual pilgrimage to the Clinton campus.

“Homecoming is our chief campus event designed to bring our students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends together to celebrate the Choctaw family’s past, present, and future,” Bobo said. “It is such an amazing privilege to watch the awe, pride, and wonder alit on the faces of our alumni as they bring their families to visit their alma mater, which is nearing its bicentennial.”

Chad Phillips, associate director for alumni and parent engagement at MC, said Homecoming presents an opportunity for former students to reconnect with their alma mater.

“Homecoming is a chance for them to come back to campus and see how things have changed,” Phillips said. “Many of our former students are returning as parents of current students. Some of them haven’t been back to campus since they graduated.

“Homecoming is a time for them to see former teachers and classmates they haven’t seen for a long time and to rekindle some of those friendships.”

Homecoming activities will kick off at 7 p.m. on Thursday with a Music Department Concert featuring MC alumnus Ezekiel Andrew (McCall ’11) in the Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall. Andrew is this year’s recipient of MC’s Young Alumnus of the Year Award.

Andrew currently stars as the Mufasa cover and in the ensemble of Disney’s “The Lion King” on Broadway. During his solo concert, he will be joined by several Lyric Stage @ MC students for a couple of selections. MC faculty members Tyler Kemp and Ben Williams will provide musical accompaniment.

“We are very excited to have Ezekiel back on campus,” Phillips said. “He will also be conducting a Master Class for MC music students, and it’s a great opportunity for them to interact with him. Ezekiel is a shining example of what our students can accomplish.”

General admission tickets for the concert cost $30 each or $15 per student. They are available for purchase online here.

Friday’s activities will begin at 11 a.m. when alums, students, and guest linksters gather at Patrick Farms Golf Club at 300 Clubhouse Drive in Jackson to register for the annual Homecoming Golf Tournament.

The four-person scramble with a shotgun start will tee off at noon, and the top three teams will receive prizes. The registration fee of $75 will cover green fees, cart rental, range balls, and lunch. RSVP is required. For more information or to register, email Phillips at cphillip@mc.edu.

At 3:30 p.m., join MC’s family and friends to dedicate the new Rankin Mission Center, a prominent feature of the newly renovated Baptist Student Union House at 203 Monroe Street. The center features hundreds of mission resources and archives generously donated by Dr. Jerry A. Rankin ‘64, MC’s 2021 Alumnus of the Year.

“More than a presidential library, the Rankin Mission Center will also be home to more than 500 volumes of related books, interactive pieces from around the world, and several hundred messages and reports Dr. Rankin gave during his time as president of the International Mission Board,” said Mandy Phillips, director of the BSU. “We are honored to house these resources and look forward to the way God uses them to inspire students to live beyond themselves and bring hope to the nations.”

In conjunction with Homecoming, the MC Class of 1972 will celebrate its Golden Anniversary by hosting a class gathering from 6:30-10:30 p.m. in Alumni Gym. Attendees can become reacquainted with their classmates, families, and guests during this informal social event.

Concurrent with the Class of 1972’s celebration, members of the MC Classes of 1970 through 1979 are invited to relive the best memories of their time at MC during the Decade of the ‘70s Reception at 6:30 p.m. in Alumni Gym. For more information or to register, call David Holloway, ’72, at 601.940.7900.

To cap Friday’s Homecoming slate, Follies promises to bring down the house again as members of MC’s social clubs and tribes display their creativity in hilarious 10-minute shows about Mississippi College and its traditions.

“Follies is one of our oldest traditions,” Phillips said. “It’s a great opportunity for parents and alumni to enjoy a night of fun and to see all the hard work the clubs and tribes put into their skits.”

Tickets to the annual event, scheduled for 7 p.m. in Swor Auditorium in Nelson Hall, cost $20 each and are available online here.

On Saturday, early risers, fitness buffs, and road runners will meet at Cockroft Hall for the 15th annual Coach “Hap” Hudson Homecoming 5K Run. The MC Department of Kinesiology hosts the fun-filled race, which winds through the historic district in downtown Clinton and surrounding neighborhoods before concluding on Parkman Track at Robinson-Hale Stadium.

Registration costs $25 per person or $15 per student. Register online here, or for more information, call Suzanne McDonough, race director, at 601.940.8186.

At 10 a.m., alums and guests are invited to attend the Department of Art’s Prayer Dedication of the new Gore Arts Complex on College Street and celebrate the opportunities it will provide for all in the Clinton community. The event will take place in the lobby of the new complex, and will include a “sneak peek” of the facility.

A reception will follow in the Samuel Marshall Gore Art Galleries. Among the featured pieces will be Dr. Sam Gore’s 1965 thesis painting, “Flight into the Storm,” donated by John Reimers ’72. Reimers studied under Gore and remained close friends with the internationally celebrated artist until his death in 2020.

MC’s 2022 distinguished alumni will be honored during the annual Homecoming Brunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Anderson Hall on the second floor of the B.C. Rogers Student Center.

Plaques are to be presented to John and Mary Brock, recipients of the Award of Excellence; Dr. J. Mark Reed, ’85, and Dr. Harry Phillips, ’85, recipients of the Award of Service; Chief Cyrus Ben, ’01, and Joy Dowdle, ’02, recipients of the Order of the Golden Arrow; Ezekiel Andrew (McCall ’11), recipient of the Young Alumnus of the Year Award; and Jane Hederman, ’67, recipient of the Alumna of the Year Award, during the ceremony hosted by the National Alumni Association.

An RSVP is required. Tickets cost $25 each and can be purchased online here.

Homecoming guests can pick up their nametags, reunion ribbons, lunch tickets, and even a free gift at the Homecoming Welcome Table, the essential stop for all things MC, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Welcome Center in Alumni Hall.

“This is where people can register and purchase tickets to certain Homecoming events,” Bobo said. “We are excited about connecting with everyone who joins us for Homecoming.”

The nationally acclaimed Mississippi College Singers will perform a Homecoming concert under the direction of Dr. Beth Everett, director of choral activities, at 1:30 p.m. in Provine Chapel.

Homecoming action shifts to the Quad at 2 p.m. for stories and tailgating before the big game. Quinquennial tents will be set up on Reunion Row to celebrate the Classes of 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017.

To celebrate the Choctaws spirit, MC students, faculty, staff, alums, and friends are invited to participate in a Homecoming Parade down College Street at 3:30 p.m.

The Homecoming cookout will begin at 4 p.m. in the Quad and Patio area. An RSVP is required. Tickets to the cookout cost $10 each and can be purchased online here.

Mississippi College athletes of the past and the present will swap stories about their glory days during a reception scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in the Moody Adams Field House.

Homecoming activities will culminate with the 6 p.m. kickoff of the Mississippi College-Delta State football game in Robinson-Hale Stadium. During halftime, the Homecoming Court, selected by the student body, will be presented, including one representative from each class, a maid of honor, and the Homecoming queen.

For more information about MC’s 2022 Homecoming, visit mc.edu/homecoming.