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Madison Week

Back in the 'Burg

Hundreds of alumni converge on campus for centennial fete

By Michelle Hite (’88)

Hundreds of alumni leaders and alumni celebrants converged on campus for Madison Week to celebrate a birthday party 100 years in the making.

During Friday's (March 14) Centennial Convocation more than 100 alumni participated in the official processional and represented alumni classes from 1932 to 2007. Elizabeth Zimmerman Chrisman ('32) and Inez Roop ('35) led the alumni procession through the Convocation Center.

President Linwood H. Rose presided and welcomed keynote speaker Governor Tim Kaine, who wished the Madison community a happy birthday and praised the university for its prominence in Virginia and the nation’s higher education systems.

On March 15, alumni leaders met for the semiannual Alumni Leadership Weekend at the Leeolou Alumni Center to discuss JMU Alumni Association business and to participate in volunteer leadership training with JMU Office of Alumni Relations staff members.

JMU Alumni Association President Jon Offley ('89) welcomed alumni and the Madison community to the Centennial Convocation on Friday morning. He reaffirmed Madison alumni's commitment to the next generation of Madison students. "Alumni have taught generations of students, they have won Super Bowls, … they have participated in Nobel Peace Prize-winning research teams. ... We all remain committed to the Be the Change spirit in many endeavors."

Offley stepped into the position of Alumni Association Board of Directors presi­dent last July. He is the senior counsel for the Housing Authority of Baltimore City. He has served on the Alumni Association Board for eight years and is a past co-chair of the Black Alumni Chapter and a former chair of the Black Alumni Chap­ter Scholarship Committee.

Alumni's centennial spirit and leadership was most prevalent at Friday's Madison Campaign Luncheon at the Festival Conference and Student Center Ballroom. Senior Vice President for Advancement Dr. Joanne Carr told a packed room that scholarship donations during the campaign have risen from around 130 individual donors to more than 400. The majority of scholarship donors are funded by alumni and alumni groups or classes.

All generations of Madison alumni shared the Purple Pride spirit during the weeklong Centennial Celebration. Be the Change nominee Emily Lewis Lee ('43), who served her country during World War II, celebrated at the Campaign Luncheon. And, Be the Change nominee Sarita Hartz ('02), who established a foundation to save girl soldiers in Uganda, celebrated at the Be the Change luncheon.

Tidewater Alumni Chapter leader and Alumni Association member Kelly Stefanko ('97), on campus for the Centennial Celebration, said, "Madison is a spirit that remains with you. This is an extremely exciting time to be in the 'Burg and be part of the Madison community. I know the next century will hold just as many surprises, and the Madison Experience will be alive in the next generation."

Ask any Madison graduate and they may tell you stories about the JMU tradition of celebration. And for alumni the celebration won't stop with the centennial. Learn more about the upcoming opportunities to share the Purple Pride at Bluestone Reunion Weekend (April 25-26), Fall Reunion Weekend (Sept. 5-7) and Homecoming (Oct. 31-Nov. 2) at http://www.jmu.edu/alumni/.