William & Mary thanks alumni for successful Homecoming

Tribe Pride Tracy Stauffer, a 1998 William and Mary graduate and member of the Richmond alumni chapter, carried her flag high during the Homecoming parade on Oct. 25. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

Walking Wren Alexandra Martin, a graduate student with the anthropology and archeology departments, paraded as the Wren Building. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

In the parade (l-r) Mary Anna Rodabaugh and Gabby Brooks paraded for Phi Mu during the William and Mary Homecoming parade. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

Marshals honored W. Taylor Reveley III, president of the College of William and Mary, presented Sam Sadler ('64, M.Ed. '71) and Mary Liz Smith Sadler ('65) who were the Homecoming parade marshals with an honorary award. Betsy Calvo Anderson ('70) of the Alumni Association's Board of Directors also was part of the presentation. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

Leading the pep Dustin Glasner, director of the William and Mary Pep Band, cheered on his band and the football team during the Homecoming game. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

Interception reaction The William and Mary home crowd reacts to junior safety David Caldwell scoring on a 62-yard interception return for a touchdown to help power the 23rd-ranked College to a 34-24 Homecoming win over the University of Rhode Island on Oct. 25. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

Triumphant Tribe Mike Pigram was congratulated by his teammates on the sidlines after springing safety David Caldwell for an interception. On his pick-six interception, Caldwell said, "I had Mike Pigram underneath me and the ball came right at me. Mike put up a good block, then recovered and had another huge block. Once I got the ball, I had a lot of help getting the ball into the end zone." Photo by Stephen Salpukas

by Staff | November 6, 2008

Homecoming weekend Oct. 23-26 was a success at every measure, said Karen Cottrell, executive vice president for the William and Mary Alumni Association.

Thousands of alumni returned to Williamsburg to visit with old and new friends and attended a full lineup of events. Hundreds braved drizzly weather to watch members of the Tribe, young and old, participate in the annual Homecoming Parade. This year the parade was officiated by recently retired Vice President for Student Affairs Sam Sadler ('64, M.Ed. '71) and his wife, Mary Liz Smith Sadler ('65).

The Tribe football team – currently ranked 14th and 16th, respectively in the national polls -- continued their success on the field and rewarded William & Mary fans with a thrilling 34-24 victory over the University of Rhode Island. Alumni reunion committees reported giving and donations at a record pace and alumni turned out at the Williamsburg Lodge Saturday night to make the second-annual “Saturday Night Bash” a weekend favorite.

Cottrell said the alumni association and reunion committees are already working hard to plan next year’s Homecoming weekend, which is scheduled for Oct. 22-25, 2009. The Alumni Association has posted video on their Web site and Cottrell recently sent the video to alumni as part of an email thanking Tribe faithful for returning to Williamsburg and making the weekend a success.

“Homecoming 2008 was spectacular,” Cottrell wrote to alumni. “Great crowds, a great football game (we won), and lots of laughter and reminiscing. Even the weather cooperated (most of the time).We hope you'll make plans to join us for Homecoming 2009, Oct. 22-25. Your Alumni Association is already at work to make next year even better than the last.”

To view the video, please visit the Alumni Association Web site at http://www.wmalumni.com/?hc_video_thankyou.