While the Southern tradition of tailgate parties and football will be missed on campus, the spirit of Homecoming was anything but gone Monday morning as event chair Dawn Blackwell officially welcomed alumni, students, faculty and staff with a warm, down-home greeting:
“I love you all! I love you! Let me hear Homecoming!”
And as the band and cheerleaders paraded across campus, a crowd of about 500 gathered around the outdoor amphitheater for speeches from campus dignitaries with basketball, not football on their minds.
“We need you at the dome,” said Murray Bartow, head basketball coach. “We’ve got the most exciting player, pound-for-pound, in the country in Tim Smith.”
Alumni Association President Dan Mahoney also addressed the students, encouraging them to introduce themselves to alumni wandering around campus throughout the week.
“Let them know where the new things are,” he said.
Seniors Whitney Kelly of Alpha Delta Pi and J.R. Husmillo of Lambda Chi Alpha were crowned Queen and King.
In addition to crowns and plaques, Kelly and Husmillo were presented with gift certificates for a Balfour class ring.
“[Kelly] is a very genuine, caring person,” said Stephanie Vandenberg, a friend and sorority sister of Kelly’s. “Everyone loves her.”
The Christian Student Fellowship won the banner competition, with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry coming in second and Volunteer ETSU third.
The award ceremonies were followed by a carnival where 25-cent tickets were sold for food, games and activities to benefit the local chapter of United Way.
“[The carnival] was a chance to do something fun and creative and raise money for a good cause all at the same time,” said Joy Fulkerson, a coordinator in the Student Organization Resource Center.

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