William & Mary celebrated Homecoming & Reunion Weekend Oct. 6-9 with a variety of events that were designed for alumni and the W&M community to celebrate the many ways they make the university their own. Here’s a sampling.
While activities began on Thursday, the Friday Night Fest on Oct. 7 kicked off the weekend with food, music, dancing and the opportunity to catch up with old friends.
Chip Esten ’87, star of “Nashville” and “Outer Banks,” and his all-alumni band N’est Pas performed at the event.
The festivities continued the next day with multiple events, including a Presidential Conversation exploring the role of the media in democracy in the U.S. and around the globe. Alumni journalists David Culver ’09, correspondent for CNN; Brendan Hoffman ’02, freelance photojournalist based in Ukraine; Valerie Hopkins ’10, international correspondent for the New York Times; and Weijia Jiang ’05, senior White House correspondent for CBS News, participated via Zoom. The conversation was moderated by Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Leadership Drew Stelljes. Watch the conversation here.
On Saturday afternoon, the university hosted a new tradition: the Green & Gold Walk. It was led by Homecoming Grand Marshals Bill Armbruster ’57 and Betty-Wright Armbruster ’58.
Multiple students groups participated in the walk or performed during the many tailgates on Saturday afternoon.
The parade culminated in a pep rally led by Athletics Director Brian Mann in front of the Alumni House prior to the football game.
The W&M football team took on Delaware Saturday afternoon during the university’s Homecoming game.
Though it was a close game, W&M ultimately prevailed, beating the Blue Hens 27-21. Read more in this W&M Athletics story.
The weekend provided several causes for celebration, along with opportunities to connect or reconnect.
Alumni with class years ending in two or seven celebrated class reunions.
In addition to alumni, many future W&M students also had the chance to participate in events throughout the weekend.
See more of Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2022 in this video recap.
Staff, University News & Media