Homecoming 2014

October 9, 2014

Stories

Homecoming: A recap

A look back at Homecoming Saturday through tweets and photos (including a few aerial shots taken from a drone), and a roundup of Homecoming 2014 stories.

What a great Homecoming 2014 — and what a remarkable Homecoming Saturday. Consider all that happened on Oct. 18:

Campbell students surprised President Jerry Wallace by presenting him with an official class ring during the 2nd Annual Ring Ceremony.
We dedicated D. Rich Commons and the new bronzed university seal.
We opened a full-service Starbucks on main campus.
And four of our athletic teams won their contests — swimming defeated N.C. A&T 152-112, women’s soccer beat Winthrop 3-2, men’s soccer rallied to down Gardner-Webb 2-1, and the football team got a 28-27 come-from-behind victory over Davidson.

Plus, there were tailgates, reunion luncheons, and a parade.

Here’s a gallery of photos taken on Homecoming Saturday by Bennett Scarborough and Derick Jack. Jack took his photos with the help of a drone, including the one of the football stadium pictured above. He and his wife, Megan, a Campbell alumna, own FlyBoy Aerial Photography.

Flyboy Aerial also provided us with drone video footage to provide this bird’s eye view of campus and of Homecoming.

Campbell Homecoming 2014: A Bird’s Eye View from campbelluniversity on Vimeo.

And here’s a look back at Homecoming Saturday through student and alumni tweets and images.

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Homecoming Friday: A new campus landmark

Campbell will dedicate D. Rich Plaza on Homecoming Saturday. Here’s a look at the namesake.

Yesterday, the campus community marked Campbell University’s first #CampbellTAGDay, or Thank A Giver Day. Today, we look at one of the earliest donors of Campbell whose support is still making a difference today: D. Rich.

If you’ve been on our main campus recently, chances are you’ve seen the new university seal that was installed in front of D. Rich Memorial Hall at the beginning of the semester. You’ve probably also noticed the new brick sitting walls near the building and around the Academic Circle, as well as the new brick steps leading into both D. Rich and neighboring Taylor Hall.

Together, these renovations have given Campbell a new campus landmark: D. Rich Commons. The university will officially dedicate the new plaza on Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 18, at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony will take place in front of D. Rich near the university seal.

In honor of the university’s newest landmark, Campbell.edu takes a look at D. Rich Commons’ namesake.

Who was D. Rich?

D. Rich was “a man of bigness and breadth in mind,” according to a biography of him published in “History of North Carolina” in 1919.

At age 13, in the mid-1870s, he began working in a tobacco factory in his hometown of Mocksville, North Carolina. His first paycheck, for four days of work, was 40 cents. He stayed with the factory until he was 18, when he moved to Winston-Salem to work at tobacco manufacturer Bynum, Cotton, & Jones. Four years later, in 1884, he became the manager of the rolling and casing department at J.R. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Rich had his sights set on moving to the company’s bookkeeping department. So, according to the 1919 biography, Rich “availed himself at every opportunity to acquaint himself with all the intricate details involved in the clerical end of business.”

When the company’s bookkeeper died in 1893, Rich applied for his position; but company founder J.R. Reynolds told him he didn’t have enough bookkeeping experience. Rich asked Reynolds for a trial run at the job. Reynolds gave him the chance, and Rich “gave entire satisfaction.” He became the company’s bookkeeper and eventually rose up to serve as secretary and director of the company.

What was his connection to Campbell University?

While serving as the secretary of Reynolds Tobacco Company, Rich became friends with J.A. Campbell, the founding president of Buies Creek Academy, which is now Campbell University. Fred N. Day — a jeweler, an evangelist, and a BCA supporter — introduced the two in the early 1920s.

Rich liked the way Campbell operated the academy and helped fund the construction of a campus gym. Day later asked Rich if he’d be willing to support the building of a library, too. Rich thought the library would be a good memorial for his first wife, Carrie Watkins Rich, who died in 1916. He asked Day how much it would cost to build the entire library. About $25,000, Day told him.

No way would that would be enough to construct a library as “flawless and beautiful as was the character of the woman in whose memory it was given,” Rich told Day.

Rich ended up giving more than $60,000. The school’s original library, Carrie Rich Memorial Hall, was completed in 1925.

A few years earlier, in September 1923, Rich spent the night at Campbell’s home as he passing through on a business trip. The next morning, when Campbell asked if he slept well, Rich replied, “No, I did not sleep well. Jesus and I talked together most of the night. And Jesus told me, ‘Buies Creek must live.’”

Later that day, Rich spoke to BCA students during chapel and told them of the revelation, adding, “If I live to get home, I shall my change my will.” Rich did just that.

When he died in October 1924, he left the school one-eighth of his estate. Half of that sum – about $160,000 – was used to construct D. Rich Memorial Hall, completed in 1926.

The Pine Burr student yearbook published a memoriam on D. Rich in 1927, noting:

“With a heart of love he planned and wrought. Ere the Master’s summons came, he made concrete the ideal in his mind. The spirit of Holmes’, ‘Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,’ was ever his spirit; and today there does indeed a stately mansion rear its noble walls heavenward in his honor.”

Editor’s note: Information for this piece was drawn from “History of North Carolina: North Carolina Biography Volume IV” (1919); the 1927 Pine Burr yearbook; and J. Winston Pearce’s “Campbell College: Big Miracle at Little Buies Creek (1887-1974).”

Homecoming Thursday (afternoon): Thank you, donors!

Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff showed their appreciation for donors who support Campbell University Thursday as part of the university’s first #CampbellTAGDay, or Thank A Giver Day. They wrote thank-you notes that will be mailed to donors and took to social media to say thanks.

Here are a few of the reasons why students said they were thankful for donors. . . .

. . . . And a look at the selfies the campus community took with some of the 432 buildings and items around campus that were made possible because of those who give to Campbell.

Homecoming Thursday (morning): Introducing #CampbellTAG Day

Students show appreciation for alumni, faculty, staff, corporations, foundations, and friends who donate to Campbell.

Around main campus and Campbell Law today you’ll notice there are orange gift tags on more than 400 buildings and items, including offices, musical instruments, lab equipment, stadiums, and campus landmarks, such as the camel statue. These gift tags signify what has been made possible because of people who have donated money to support Campbell University. None of these things would be here if not for them.

Today, the Office of Annual Giving is asking for students’ help in saying thank you to all who give to Campbell. That’s why we’re calling today TAG Day, or Thank A Giver Day. Consider it a new Homecoming tradition.

Here’s how students can help:

Take a selfie with at least one of the items tagged around main campus or at the law school that you’ve benefited from or that’s your favorite. Post the selfie on your social media feeds (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr) with a short note of thanks and with the#CampbellTAGDay hashtag. Students who post their selfie to social media will be entered into a drawing for one iPad mini. (Limit one selfie per student.)
When you post a #CampbellTAGDay selfie with a tagged item, tag at least one other student and up to two other students. For each student you tag with your selfie, we’ll add another entry for you into a drawing for one iPad mini. (Limit two other students tagged.)
Then, if you’re on main campus, stop by the tents outside of the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business or on the Academic Circle and write a short thank you note that will be mailed to a Campbell donor. Free T-shirts to the first 500 who write a thank you note and show us your #CampbellTAGDay selfie posted on social media.

For faculty and staff: The Office of Annual Giving has given all faculty and staff who contributed to this year’s Employees Giving Campaign an “I give” lapel. Please wear them today in support of Campbell TAG Day.

6 areas in which gifts benefit students

Now a bit more on the ways gifts impact Campbell and its students. We asked Sarah Swain ’05, director of Campbell’s Office of Annual Giving, and Dawn Stefan Neighbors ’13, assistant vice president of corporate and foundations relations and grants management, to share how gifts are being used to benefit students and enhance the university.

The Campbell culture. Our donors have the same sense of Campbell pride as you. They give because they want to see Campbell continue to grow and for you to enjoy your time here with activities such as football, club activities, and campus worship. Their gifts help foster the community spirit and close-knit environment we’re known for.
The Campbell investment. Each year more than $2.9M in endowed scholarship aid is given to Campbell students. With more than 900 scholarships awarded each year, 88 percent of Campbell students receive some kind of financial aid. Donors invest in students because they believe in the value of a quality education and in your potential.
The Campbell landscape. As you walk around campus take special notice of the number of tags you see and where they are located. They’re on our camel statue, our Robert B. & Anna Gardner Butler Chapel, our Dinah E. Gore Bell Tower, and even the entrance sign to Campbell on Highway 401 — just to name a few. Together, these facilities and landmarks – which wouldn’t be here without donor support — from a picturesque campus that has led Campbell to being named one of the most beautiful Christian universities in the world.
The Campbell experience. See that piano? And that mass spectrometer? And the periodicals room in the library? And that lab and office and classroom? We wouldn’t have these learning spaces, equipment, and instruments if not for gifts. Donors give you the opportunity to receive a hands-on education and to apply book knowledge to real-world situations in state-of-the-art settings. One example: Our Leon Levine Hall of Medical Sciences is home to one of the top simulation centers in the region.
The Campbell mission. In addition to individual donors, corporate and foundation donors support Campbell’s mission to prepare students for meaningful service and purposeful lives. In 2014 alone, 184 corporate and foundation donors have given over $2.7 million in support of projects and programs that foster a service-learning environment, such as research, mission trips, equipment and supplies, and facility construction. In October so far, over $800,000 in grant requests have been submitted on behalf of student programming.
The Campbell momentum. As President Jerry Wallace has said, the past few years at Campbell have been among the most transformational in the university’s 127-year history. We’ve had unprecedented growth with record enrollment and new academic programs, including the opening of the medical school in 2013, the beginning of the nursing program this fall, and the proposed engineering school that a trustees’ committee approved last month. Gifts allow us get these programs off the ground and sustain them.

Homecoming Wednesday: Fond memories of “dear ol’ Campbell”

Alumni share their favorite Campbell memories.

Each week the nearly two-dozen students who are part of the Campbell University Advancement Call Team listen as numerous alumni share with them fond memories of Campbell. Because Homecoming is a time of celebrating and reminiscing about the university, we asked Call Team students to collect a few alumni recollections. Some of the Call Team’s favorite memories they’ve heard recently are listed below.

We’d also like to hear from you about your fond memories of “dear ol’ Campbell” (as our school alma mater goes). Use the comments section below to share your fondest memory of Campbell, or post your fondest memory to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Tumblr, and tag #CampbellHC.

Call Team members share a few fond memories alumni have told them.

1) After graduating high school, Joyce Ward ’61 wanted to further her education so she took the family car and went on a road trip. Her first stop was to Meredith College. They were full, but they directed her to Campbell. “Campbell rolled out the red carpet for me,” she said. “They offered me a scholarship and ensured I would do just fine here.” She even roomed with her sister and cousin while a student at Campbell, “which made my time here that much better!” she said. “Being at Campbell changed my life.”

2) Mrs. Stephens’ niece met her husband at Campbell. Because Campbell enriched their lives so much, they named their baby boy Campbell.

3) Dr. William V. Campbell Sr. ’60 met his wife at Campbell. Their son came to Campbell and met his wife here, too.

4) Robert Johnson ’55 attended Campbell Junior College with Jerry Campbell, the grandson of Leslie Campbell, who served as president of the school from 1934 to 1967. Jerry Campbell went into the military service and relocated to the Charlotte area. Robert and Jerry are still close friends, even 60 years after leaving Buies Creek.

5) Virginia Fitt ’52 said fondest memory was when a dear friend won the “May Day” Queen. She added that the friendships she made while a student at Campbell were genuine and she still keeps up with her friends, regularly meeting them for lunch.

6) Mr. Barefoot attended Elizabethtown Baptist Church, in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, when it was pastored by Campbell President Jerry Wallace. President Wallace married him and his wife in 1967.

Homecoming Tuesday: The school we call home

A father and son trade experiences about Campbell 30 years ago and today.

Keith Boyette attended the same elementary and high schools as his father, John ’84, in Garner, North Carolina. He also grew up frequently visiting his father’s alma mater, Campbell University, and often hearing his father tout the school.

John, for example, told his son that he chose to attend Campbell because he knew it would help him develop into who he wanted to be; that Campbell was full of genuine of people, such as business professor Tom Folwell, who ended every class saying “See you next time good buddies, if the Creek don’t rise”; that Campbell provided a great education in a close-knit community; and that Campbell was home.

But when it came time to decide which college he would attend, Keith picked UNC-Charlotte. Just a couple weeks into his freshman year, he realized the school wasn’t the right fit for him. He filled out the application to transfer to Campbell. Today, he is a junior trust and wealth management and pre-law major and one of several hundred legacy students at Campbell who also had parents, grandparents, or other family members attend the school.

“I couldn’t be happier with my decision,” Keith said. “Campbell made me feel like I was at home again, and I can now understand what Dad had always told me.”

Though Campbell has grown over the past 30 years since he was a student, John said the university has “still got that feeling of being at home.”

In the spirit of Homecoming, John shared with Campbell.edu what students were doing at Campbell 30 years ago, while Keith talked about student life today.

John Boyette ’84

When I began at Campbell: 1980

Major: Business Administration

Career: Management financial industry

Student Activities: Adam Smith Club, College Republicans, and Intramural sports.

How I describe Campbell: Place to be; a place to become.

Popular campus activities: We had quite a few social activities on campus; concerts for example were great, especially the ones that were outside.

Best campus concert: Probably Eddie Money. The Eighties music was in its prime while we were at Campbell, and it was great!

Favorite Campbell tradition: We had some pretty good concerts at Campbell while I was there. Homecoming was a nice week too.

Favorite Homecoming event: Soccer game! No football in those days.

Popular eating spot: Lil Dino’s sub shop

Favorite campus meal: No doubt, “Steak Night” at Marshbanks!

Popular nickname or slogans related to Campbell: UCLA — the University of Campbell between Lillington and Angier!

Biggest campus development: Probably the construction of the Taylor Bott Rogers Fine Arts Complex — a really nice addition for Campbell.

Favorite Campbell moment: Graduation. It was sad to know that I would be leaving a place that I cared about so much and leaving friends that had become such an important part of my life along with the memories I made, but there’s no feeling like finally receiving your degree and the realization that all of the hard work was worth it.

Why I’m Campbell Proud: Great education and the willingness of Campbell’s leadership to grow Campbell to become even greater. Proud of the growth Campbell has made over the years.

Keith Boyette ’16

When I began at Campbell: 2012

Major: Trust & Wealth Management, Pre-Law

Career plans: As of right now, I plan to attend law school and practice some form of corporate or commercial real estate law. A possibility of estate planning on the law side.

Student Activities: Student Government Association, Kappa Sigma Fraternity, College Republicans, Trust Club, Presidential Scholars Club, Intramural Sports, Call Team Member with Alumni Relations Office.

How I describe Campbell: Life changing.

Popular campus activities: : There are many events on campus that students like to attend, such as concerts, the Street Fair, and sporting events.

Best campus concert: So far, Phillip Phillips.

Favorite Campbell tradition: Annual Christmas tree lighting

Favorite Homecoming event: The football game.

Popular eating spot: Sunni Sky’s Ice Cream.

Favorite campus meal: Chicken Tender Tuesday

Popular nickname or slogans related to Campbell: Roll Humps

Biggest campus development: The retiring of President Jerry Wallace and the search for a new president.

Favorite Campbell moment: Being on ESPN when our basketball team was nationally televised.

Why I’m Campbell Proud: I come from a unique major that is only offered at Campbell. Nowhere else in America has trust and wealth management as a major, and the networking that comes with this major is very different from most majors. As a pre-law major, the success and rankings of our law school, making it one of the top law schools in the state, is something to be very proud of.

Homecoming Monday: What Homecoming means to me

It’s Homecoming Week! The next several days will bring a dance, a powder puff football game, a bonfire, the debut of TAG Day, and the premiere of the fall musical (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) – all leading up to Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 18.

And what a big Saturday Campbell has planned. There’ll be tailgates, camel rides, reunions, games, and more.

What’s the purpose of all these activities — and of Homecoming? We asked Megan Avery, a junior at Campbell University and a member of the Student Government Association’s executive cabinet, to share what Homecoming means to her.

Megan Avery: “Celebrating the thing I love more and more each day”

Homecoming at Campbell University is one of my favorite traditions. There is something about the atmosphere surrounding Homecoming Week that that isn’t necessarily present any other time of the year.

Unlike in high school where Homecoming is about who wins the queen and king titles or who has the best spirit day costume, Campbell’s Homecoming is about something more. It’s the one time of year when literally everyone — from current students and their families to alumni, young and old — can come together to celebrate the one thing we all have in common: the love for our beautiful school.

From the parade festivities to the football game, homecoming is not just a one-event deal. It takes a lot of planning and work to organize the tours, luncheons, events, and games. To see people of different majors, clubs, and sports, as well as the administration, come together to make everything work on this special day speaks for itself.

Homecoming is also important because it gives alumni the opportunity to come home. Not only are they able to reconnect with former classmates and professors, but it also gives them the opportunity to see just how much Campbell has changed and improved since their last visit.

I know that in the two years that I’ve been here, things have dramatically improved both physically and academically. It makes me Campbell Proud to know that I have been here during those changes and have had some part in it.

Homecoming also gives alumni the opportunity to make new connections with both undergraduate and graduate students who are eager to learn and grow, and who can benefit from interaction with current and retired professionals in their desired fields.

This year, I am also looking forward to Campbell’s first TAG Day. Thank A Giver Day will provide students, like me, the opportunity to see the impact donors have on our campus. On that day, Thursday, you’ll notice orange gift tags on nearly 400 items and buildings across main campus that were made possible by gifts. Since so many of our alumni give back to Campbell, I think they will appreciate seeing the tags while they’re here for the game Saturday.

I’m excited to wake up early Saturday morning (believe it or not) and attend all the festivities that have been planned throughout the day. Over the past two years, I have been honored to represent the Class of 2016 on The Harvest Court and (hopefully) will be fortunate enough to represent it again this year.

Regardless, my favorite part will still be getting to spend the entire day with my family. They drive four hours just to be with me on this special day celebrating the thing I love more and more each day — Campbell University.

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Photo of Barker-Lane Stadium above taken by FlyBoy Aerial Photography. Photo of the Chemistry Club float at the Homecoming parade below taken by Jordyn Gum.