Hundreds of Gordon Family and Friends Gather at Homecoming

For the first time in five years, warm weather and sunny skies shone down on Homecoming and Family Weekend as students, staff, faculty, alumni and families gathered to celebrate.

The festivities kicked off last Wednesday night with the opening performance of Freud’s Last Session, an off-Broadway play about a fictional dialogue between C. S. Lewis and Dr. Sigmund Freud, starring Paul Turbiak ’05 and Vice President of Advancement Paul Edwards.

Following a summer of renovation, the College dedicated several of the new campus amenities, most notably the Lane Café, Brigham track and turf, and the Career and Connection Institute (CCI).

On Friday evening, Brigham Athletic Complex flooded with glowing bracelets, noisemakers and streamers for the Scottie Bowl, Gordon’s second annual all-star flag football game. Sports announcers and emcees Kwame Nkrumah-Ababio ’20 and Amber Jogie ’20 narrated the play-by-play while facilitating spontaneous dance battles and sing-offs between the fans.

Bob Goff at the Homecoming Awards: A Celebration of Faithful Leadership

Later that same night, guests heard from keynote speaker Bob Goff (bestselling author of Love Does and Everybody, Always) and finance leader Wai-Kwong Seck at the 2018 Homecoming Awards: A Celebration of Faithful Leadership. Several alumni and professors were honored for their significant contributions to the Gordon community and their respective fields.

Festivities picked up speed early Saturday morning with the annual Scot Trot 5k and Kids Fun Run. Fans lined the quad walkways to cheer first place runner Tout Wang (physics) and others to the finish line.

While some chose to begin their morning with an endorphin rush, others opted for caffeine. Nestled inside Bistro 255 for “Coffee with Hilary,” guests heard from alumna and author Hilary Yancey ’12 about the process of writing her book Forgiving God: A Story of Faith and how she is learning to trust God in the midst of processing and dealing with her son’s diagnosis with craniofacial microsomia.

Mei Wu ’15 at the Homecoming Marketplace representing her floral design company: Bloom Native.

Outside on the quad, beaded jewelry, wool blankets, flower arrangements and stunning photographs lined the tables in the first-ever Homecoming Marketplace. Local artisans, like Stockingfoot Knits, showed customers how to spin socks on an antique spinning machine; professional artist Katie Joy Nellis ’13 displayed original paintings, and Jordan Schan ’19 and Alana Brubaker ’20 of Elysian Aesthetics exhibited minimalist-inspired lettered goods and custom, wood-burned coasters.

Just beyond the local artisans were local food trucks featuring unique New England flavors. As they sipped Little Wolf Coffee and nibbled on Ipswich Clambake chowder and Captain Dusty’s, alumni also got to feed their intellectual appetites. Three Gordon faculty— Matthew Doll (Gordon in Orvieto), Sharon Ketcham (theology and Christian ministries) Sean Clark, (kinesiology)—gave TED-style Scot Talks on topics ranging from the liberal arts to saccadic eye movements.

Men’s Soccer team after their 4-0 win over Wentworth

All across campus, alumni and students celebrated class reunions and program anniversaries. In addition to the class reunion lunches in Tupper Hall, the Economics and Business Department celebrated its 50^thanniversary with a faculty panel, and Gordon in Orvieto celebrated its 20^thanniversary with a professional art exhibit in Barrington Gallery, which displayed artwork by program alumni.

On the newly-renovated track and field, Gordon Athletics faced off with several recreational games against alumni, as well as conference games against rival schools: Women’s Field Hockey beat Western New England 1-0; Women’s Tennis won over Roger-Williams; Women’s Volleyball lost to Rivier 1-3, but beat Maine-Presque Isle 3-0; and Men and Women’s Soccer both topped Wentworth, winning 4-0 and 3-0 respectively.

View more photos from Homecoming and Family Weekend 2018

By Sydney Cooney ’19, English language and literature