Over the years, we have celebrated the good times during homecoming, like when Dr. Bill Geer was inaugurated as Milligan President in 2011 or when he rode a buffalo down the Blowers Boulevard for last year’s sesquicentennial.
We have also recognized the hard times. During homecoming in 1998, Milligan held a service for the church bus crash that had recently occurred in Carroll County, Ky.; it was a drunk driving accident that caused 27 fatalities and and 34 wounded. As of 2016 it was the third-deadliest bus crash in United States history.
Many things have changed as the years have gone by, but many traditions still remain the same. Homecoming has always been one of Milligan’s largest annual events.
Milligan has a long tradition of holding school plays during homecoming weekend. There is written record of it as far back as the 1940s, and the tradition probably originates at an even earlier date.
In 1941 they performed “Kind Lady” by Edward Chodorov. According to the summary, it was a sort of 1930’s version of “Inception.” The play is a psychological-thriller, where a nefarious conman and his crew infiltrate the household of a well-off woman, where they begin to convince her friends and family that she is hopelessly insane in the hopes of gaining the woman’s monetary assets.
This year, the drama department is presenting “The Menaechmi,” the Roman version of “The Parent Trap” (or is “The Parent Trap” the modern version of “The Menaechmi”?). Either way, it’s humorous to find that the younger generation is the one performing classical plays and not the other way around.
Here are some other events that have changed over the years:
Then: Jeff Wallace, class of ‘97, always enjoyed Milligan’s homecoming events, from participating in alumni vs. student flag football and enjoying the concerts and plays to simply sitting back and enjoying the fall foliage with friends.
Now: Milligan junior Heather Van Cleve’s favorite part of the homecoming celebration is marching in the parade, handing out candy to the small children who line the street of Blowers Boulevard each year.
Then: Pat Smith, class of ‘87, never really attended homecoming during her time as a student, but she enjoys meeting up with old friends during their reunions.
Now: Milligan junior and first chair violist, Ellie Mullin’s favorite part of homecoming is the music concert each year, though she could not comment much on the other events because of the time she spends preparing with the orchestra.
Then: The homecoming football and basketball games were alumni vs. alumni or alumni vs. current students.
Now: The homecoming events include the Powderpuff games, or women’s flag football, as of 2008 and the homecoming parade, circa 2001.
Then: In 1993, so many alumni were coming back to visit that the hotels were full, and additional housing had to be requested within the nearby neighborhoods.
Now: So many alumni are coming in for the fiftieth that additional cars needed to be found for the parade on Saturday.
Then: In 1965, Milligan celebrated its one hundredth birthday with “Project Homecoming,” in which each class made a homecoming float.
Now: Milligan held The Buffalo Project fundraiser in 2015 for a real live buffalo. Students could take pictures and the president rode the buffalo down Blowers Blvd.