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JUNE

6.24, Gordonsville, Va.

Madison Cup Golf Tournament  
After a 7 a.m. departure from Harrisonburg (with fueling of the staff at Sheetz, of course), an easy drive over Afton Mountain, a brief weather scare, and one small detour into the Spring Creek "Business Park", we found our way to the Spring Creek "Golf Club!" 

Our four teams battled it out for the title (with remarkably little trash talk) in around four hours, although the eventual winners finished a good 20 minutes before the rest and took full advantage of the buffet lunch and beverages! 

Our winners, Doug Dickey ('76), Ben Dickey ('06), Brian Cosker ('06) and Joey Shapiro, shot a 62 for the championship, and the bragging rights that go with it!

Thanks to all our participants, to the Spring Creek Golf Club's golf and food/beverage staffs for their cooperation, flexibility and kindness during the preparations and the day.

A special shout-out to JMU Alumni Board Member Paul Thompson and his son, Camp (JMU Class of 2012!) who were in town all the way from Texas, and happened to be at Sheetz at the same time we were. Guess everyone needs a Schmuffin to start the day off right!! 

6.19, New York, NY

NY/NJ Chapter Today Show Taping
Thanks to everyone for watching this morning - hope you caught a glance of the purple and gold! Unfortunately, we didn't get any major air time or meet Al Roker, but we did have an amazing turnout from the JMU faithful, and were thrilled to make some new connections and snap some great pictures!! 

Stay tuned for more details and our pictures from the morning!!

Our next stop: 6/23, Gordonsville, Va., Madison Cup Golf Tournament

6.14, Tidewater, Va.

Black Alumni Chapter New Student Breakfast
After an easy drive down to the beach (thanks to our wonderful new van), we started Saturday morning with a trip to the new student breakfast, hosted by the Black Alumni Chapter. It was amazing to see these bright and talented incoming freshmen and their parents, and to welcome them to the JMU family!

The chapter and university presence was impressive, with Art Dean, Monyette Martin, Chiquita King, Vanessa Evans, Sean Bates, Jennifer Johnson, Dawn Smith Barnes and many, many other dedicated JMU representatives in attendance.

Special thanks to the members of the Black Alumni Chapter for their continuous efforts, successful event, and even their attendance at the Tidewater Beach Party later in the afternoon!!  

Tidewater Beach Party 
The weather AND party were HOT on Saturday afternoon, as more than 80 alumni and friends gathered on the top deck of the Ocean View Fishing Pier. Between the "JMU Punch" (made especially for us), the food, the tunes, the silent auction and the company, it was a fun summer afternoon! There was some tough competition during the Dukes Dance-off and Limbo Contest, but both the contestants and audience enjoyed every minute!! 

Special thanks to: 
Kelly Stefanko and Allison Cooper, for their superb planning and execution of this annual event! It was just "beachy"!!

Mike Hart, for his presence AND presents. The extra goodies were a hit!

Avila Wimbish, for entertaining our future Dukes!

The Ocean View Fishing Pier, for its continued partnership (and for trusting our staff with your golf cart....unsupervised....on a pier.....).

The countless JMU grads we passed on the road to and from Tidewater. Next time, if you happen to see the (still-unnamed) JMU Alumni Association van on the road, please honk and wave back. It's our goal to spread the JMU love, and we get extremely excited when we can!  

Dippy the Pirate Bear, for being a continued source of humor and confusion. A hotel mascot? That's a bear AND a pirate? On a beach?  

Our next stop: 6/19, New York, NY

6.12, Harrisonburg, Va.

Harrisonburg Alumni Professional Network (APN) Social
The networking reached a new level as more than 25 local professionals came out to Ham's. Business cards and ideas were exchanged and the conversation flowed, reminding us of the power of the JMU connection! We were particularly happy to see the pride with which the chapter displayed their new banner (less than a week after receiving it at Alumni Volunteer Weekend!), and can't wait to see what this new and extremely active chapter does next!

Next Harrisonburg APN Event: 7/10, Madison: The Next Millenium, featuring President Rose
Our next stop: 6/14, Tidewater, Va.

6.9, Haymarket, Va.  

Madison Masters Golf Tournament 
Despite the thermometer rising past 100 degrees, more than 75 golfers joined us for Metro DC’s Madison Masters Scholarship Golf Tournament. These players really showed their love for golf and JMU (and the beverage cart...), by coming out and playing 18 holes at the beautiful Piedmont Club! The day concluded with an amazing raffle with some of our lucky golfers taking home new golf clubs, poker lessons, and even JMU Homecoming gift packages! A big thanks to all those who donated items! 

Thank you to all those who participated and gave a little GREEN for our Metro DC Scholarship supporting local JMU students! Great job to event co-chairs Shannon McQuary and Anna Tremblay for creating a wonderful Madison memory!

Give it up FORE: 
Colleen Newman, Bri Walsh, Melanie Kahrs and Mike Jones, our amazing volunteers who endured the heat and made it through the day without wrecking any golf carts (although our office camera wasn't so lucky.....)! 

JMU Men’s Soccer Coach Tim Martin, who PUTTED around this year’s tournament as our celebrity player and demonstrated JMU athleticism and sportsmanship at its best!

Brent Higgs, Piedmont Golf Course representative and JMU alumnus, whose involvement was vital to our success (and the well-being of our golfers!). 

Josh Pringle, our golf tournament guru and loyal supporter of the MetroDukes. 

All of our sponsors, especially Mike Jones (Mike Jones CPA), Denny Petrella (Cheer Sports) and Buddy Christensen (Golfdom). 

Next chapter event: 6/27, Preppy on the Potomac II
Our next stop: 6/12, Harrisonburg, Va.

6.6-6.8, Harrisonburg, Va.

Alumni Volunteer Weekend/Board of Directors Meeting  

Friday, June 6 
Day one of Alumni Volunteer Weekend (AVW) and the annual JMU Alumni Association Board of Directors open meeting is complete, and what a success it was! We can't even tell you how amazing it is to see 70 JMU alumni back on campus (from all over the country, including Colorado, Texas and Florida!) generously giving their time, energy and insight. So far these dedicated volunteers have taken campus tours, gotten a sneak peek of the new library, enjoyed a delicious meal at everyone's favorite, DHall, and participated in group activities and educational sessions. And that's just the first eight hours!

Tomorrow is guaranteed to be another day of excitement, learning, and JMU pride!! Stay tuned for more updates!! 

Saturday, June 7
WHAT A DAY!! We started at 8:30 a.m. and finished up around 11 p.m., but couldn't have had a more a fun-filled, information-packed 14 1/2 hours! 

The combined Board and AVW participants were treated to breakfast, a presentation from the Duke Club, and updates on 2008 Homecoming and Reunions. But the most energizing part of the morning came when each chapter presented their 2007-2008 reports to the Board. It is so unbelievably impressive to see what each of these groups has accomplished this year and has in store for next year!! Lunch was followed by more educational sessions and some intense idea sharing - it's amazing how much energy and insight can come from a group of dedicated volunteers! 

The evening was all about recognizing the achievements and efforts of our volunteers, at the Alumni Volunteer Reception and Program.  Dr. Rose was even on-hand to help us celebrate the occasion!

Among the award winners: 

Alumni Group of the Year: Richmond Alumni Chapter
Alumni Chapter Leader of the Year: Vanessa Evans, Black Alumni Chapter
Alumni Volunteer of the Year: Mike Jones, DC MetroDukes
Most Improved Alumni Group: Boston Alumni Chapter
Most Innovative Program: Charlottesville Alumni Chapter, "Be the Change"
Centennial Challenge Winner: Tidewater Alumni Chapter

And since no one can come back to the 'Burg without reliving those college years, everyone continued the celebration downtown. We'll leave the rest to your imagination...

Truly, it was an amazing day for our staff and volunteers.  

Sunday, June 8
You didn't think we'd let everyone leave without a proper send-off, now did you?

Sunday's breakfast and final remarks were the perfect closing for the weekend. We also got to see the fruits of Sara's (our fabulous graduate assistant) paparazzi labors, with a fantastic slideshow of pictures from throughout the weekend!! The morning definitely had a bittersweet feeling as we all said our goodbyes, but we all also left with new friends, new ideas and a new enthusiasm for the JMU alumni experience!!

"Trooper of the Weekend" kudos to: Stephanie Lesko, who, despite multiple setbacks (broken-down vehicle, rental car, lost credit cards), still rocked it out! 

"Don't mess with Texas" kudos to: Josh Espinoza (Austin), and John Powers (Houston) and Paul Thompson (Dallas) for "bringing the heat." 

"Beware of the Triple Threat" kudos to: Jeff Smith, former Board President, current Roanoke Alumni Chapter President and current Duke Club Board member. You motivate us all!! 

"Hail to the Chief" kudos to: President Rose, for providing the perfect end to our weekend with your presentation and inspiration!! 

Our next stop: 6/9, Haymarket, Va. 

6.4, Harrisonburg, Va. 

Just a quick update from the office! As we're all getting ready for our crazy upcoming week (Alumni Volunteer Weekend, Alumni Association Board Meeting, Madison Masters Golf Tournament, Tidewater Beach Party, whew!), we received a VERY exciting delivery. Without further ado, please welcome the newest member of the JMU Alumni Relations team........

 

We're still working on an appropriate name, but we are all thrilled beyond belief to have a new office vehicle, especially one that can hold all of us AND our event gear! Be on the lookout for the Alumni Relations van, and if you see us on the road, don't forget to give us a "Go Dukes" honk and a wave!!  

 



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