Homecoming Was Golden

Homecoming 2012, with the theme, “Going for the Gold,” started with a bang when upwards of 7,000 people crowded downtown Melbourne to see the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The homecoming committee arranged for the band to kick off the annual event.

Six administrative offices got into the swing by participating in the office decorating contest. Online Learning took first place; Psychology Department earned second; and in third place was the College of Engineering dean’s office. The other three good sports joining in were the Holzer Health Center, The Scott Center for Autism Treatment and Heather Melbourne, who with the help of the Caribbean Students Association, decorated her office in the spirit of the homecoming theme.

Homecoming’s big day, Saturday, Nov. 3, offered back-to-back activities—a 5K run, parade, intra-squad football scrimmage, tailgate party and the Alumni Gala in the Clemente Center.

At the gala, CarMax President and CEO Tom Folliard Jr. ‘89 was awarded the Jerome P. Keuper Distinguished Alumni Award and Chris Fernando ’02, College of Aeronautics, accepted the Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award.

Outstanding alumni, selected from each of the university’s five colleges, were: Travis Proctor ’98, College of Engineering; Joe Caruso ‘73, Nathan M. Bisk College of Business; Max Mutchler ’90 M.S., College of Science; Candace Bowering ’99 M.S., College of Psychology and Liberal Arts; and David Byers ’78, ’04 Ph.D., College of Aeronautics Skurla Award.