Hannibal homecoming draws large crowd
Hannibal – Hannibal-LaGrange College (HLG) held “Homecoming 2008: Equipping Generations” during the first full weekend in November.
According to Jo Ann Raney, director of alumni services, “Homecoming weekend was so much fun! We had 20 alumni who braved the temperatures and wind to play golf with the president, and 116 registered for the Turkey Trek Saturday morning – that was fantastic. We set a record for alumni attendance this year. Everyone was so thrilled to be back on the campus, to see all the changes, and hear about the college’s plans for the future. It’s so important to keep alumni connected to their alma mater, and homecoming weekend is a big part of that. I’m already planning for next year.”
Alumni from across the nation attended homecoming, including alumni from Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and all over the state of Missouri.
Emily Wheeler was crowned the 2008-2009 Homecoming Queen during the Homecoming Gala and Coronation Nov. 7.
Wheeler, daughter of Andy and Donna Wheeler, is a communications major with an emphasis in public relations. She is from New Melle.
Other queen candidates were seniors Kristin Cox of Loose Creek, Melissa Logan of Independence, Leah Novak of Richland, Aubrey Tucker of Palmyra and Erica Wolf of St. Louis.
Despite the cold morning, Nov. 8, the annual Trojan Turkey Trek was a success with 16 more participants than last year. Ryan Kappner won overall male with a time of 20:14, and the overall female winner was Jennifer Lucie with a time of 23:36. Overall male HLG alumni winner was Raymond Gaines (20:27), and the overall female HLG alumni winner was Megan Franco (24:18).
Other homecoming events included a pep rally, alumni golf tournament and basketball game, alumni brunch, a president’s reception, alumni art exhibit, concert by Bebo Norman, and a women’s soccer win against the University of Illinois-Springfield in the first round of the AMC Tournament. The weekend ended with men’s basketball against Concordia University. At half-time the Homecoming Queen and candidates were introduced. After the game was a 150th birthday celebration for the college and alumni reception.
Mark your calendars for HLG Homecoming 2009 which is set for Nov. 6-7.