Homecoming Field Day activities on Saturday, September 28, proved transformative for some.
Celebrations at this year's Homecoming had a special Mines twist, with a unique Field Day event replacing the traditional parade. Students, alumni and the broader campus community applied their engineering skills and athleticism in competitions like the shaving cream cheese puff toss and egg-football balance. Later, Bluegrass band Woodshed Red provided entertainment during the pre-game spirit festival, and alumni gathered on the lawn of Coolbaugh House for a mixer after an Oredigger 30-10 victory over New Mexico Highlands at Campbell Field.
On Friday evening of Homecoming, alumni and friends celebrated at the Evening of Excellence, a special event kicking off the Transforming Lives campaign (see p. 16). The program included an outline of campaign objectives, speeches by the president and campaign organizers, and presentation of four philanthropy awards to Steve '64 and Dollie Chesebro, Forest '03, MS '05 and Olivia '03, MS '05 Bommarito, William Fleckenstein '86, MS '88, PhD '00 and student Alex Truby. Read more about awardees at giving.mines.edu/awards2013.
Twelve players and two coaches of the 1983 football team returned for a 30-year reunion in September, recollecting good times over a round of golf and taking time to reshoot the cover photo from Mines'�October 1983 issue. 2013 photo, back row, left to right: Chip Lane '84, Jeff Osborn '86, Scott Dorsey '84, Brad Bacon '83, Mark Oberle '83. Middle row: Coach Robert McCandless, Lawane Luckett '84, Greg Gordon '85, Cory Wesson '83, Gary Sanchez '83, Coach Marv Kay '63. Front row: Mike Scherrer '83, Curt Lightle '85, Troy Tack '85, MS '91.
On September 7, the following individuals and teams were welcomed into the Oredigger Hall of Fame Class of 2013:�Stephen Bahl�'08 (2001-2005, men's basketball), Greg Marshall�'93 (1989-1992, football), the 2005 women's cross country team, and William 'Bill' Henry '62 (1958-1962, men's swimming). The latter was an unusual posthumous award in the Special Recognition category. Although he'd lost his right leg from the hip down at the age of eight, Henry was a remarkable swimmer, and held the school's 200-yard backstroke record. He is particularly remembered for his performance at a meet in 1958 at the University of Denver, where he competed in two grueling races, back-to-back. After winning the 400-meter backstroke, he hopped straight to the starting block for the 1,500-meter freestyle race, in which he swam backstroke and came in second.