51ĀŅĀ×

Spring semester at 51ĀŅĀ× may be winding down, but plans for the 2019 Black Alumni Reunion (BAR) are heating up.

An opportunity for the entire 51ĀŅĀ× community to acknowledge and celebrate the legacy of diversity at OHIO and for black alumni to reconnect with one another, with the Athens campus and with Bobcats following in their footsteps, .

ā€œThe BAR planning efforts are in full effect with some of our favorite events making a comeback,ā€ said Jillian Causey, BSH ā€™13, who sits on the reunionā€™s 12-member planning committee. ā€œEbony Bobcats can look forward to returning home to reunite with friends, revisit their old stomping grounds and make new memories. As so many Bobcats have done before us, BAR provides us an opportunity to not only reconnect with our memories but meet and engage current Bobcats and serve as a guiding light once they become alumni, creating unbreakable bonds through our shared experience.ā€

Joining Causey in planning OHIOā€™s largest alumni reunion outside of Homecoming are: Cynthia Calhoun, BSEE ā€™88; Ashley Ferguson, BSJ ā€™06; Lynnette Henderson, BSS ā€™13; Lori Kay Peterson, BSJ ā€™87; Connie Lawson Davis, BSED ā€™67; Greg Moore, BSC ā€™83; Dell Robinson, BSPE ā€™88; Aaron Thomas, BSC ā€™01; Ann Wagner Hill, BSED ā€™68; LaWanna White, BSED ā€™65; and Tynita White, BA ā€™11, MPA ā€™13.

The 2019 Black Alumni Reunion Planning Committee is working closely with the OHIO Alumni Association and partners throughout the University to create events and activities that speak to the spirit of this 51ĀŅĀ× tradition, with opportunities for reminiscing, networking, celebrating and connecting with students on campus today.

ā€œ51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s Black Alumni Reunion is an amazing platform on so many levels, and our alumni can expect to continue the legacy of fellowship, fun and friendship,ā€ said planning committee member and 51ĀŅĀ× Trustee Dell Robinson, BSPE ā€™88. ā€œItā€™s an opportunity for engagement with old friends and to create a pipeline of success for the student body that is presently walking the red bricks. Letā€™s return with the goal to leave something behind ā€“ to educate from our experiences and to learn from the student community the tone and climate of 51ĀŅĀ× today.ā€

As in years past, the 2019 Black Alumni Reunion will include a welcome reception, campus tours, a memorial exhibit and an archival display. A mix of casual and formal events, the weekend will also feature an Alumni and Student Networking Luncheon, a Student Showcase, the always-popular Variety Show, the Through the Decades Cookout, college and school open houses, and the Black Alumni Reunion Gala.

A special part of this yearā€™s festivities is the Alvin Adams Symposium, scheduled for 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, in OHIOā€™s Schoonover Center (Room 145). Born and raised in Southeast Ohio, Adams graduated 60 years ago, was one of the first African Americans to earn a journalism degree from 51ĀŅĀ× and is known for his journalism career and his dedication to the local community. He wrote for The Chicago Defender and Jet magazine, covering the civil rights movement, including the 1963 March on Washington. After returning to the Athens area, Adams co-founded the Multicultural Genealogical Center in Chesterhill, Ohio, and served as the inspiration behind OHIOā€™s African American Research and Service Institute. Adams passed away in 2004, but his legacy lives on in both the scholarship that bears his name and in OHIOā€™s Adams Hall, which opened in 2007, becoming the first residence hall built on the Athens campus in more than 30 years.

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A signature alumni weekend, 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s Black Alumni Reunion is held every three years on the Athens campus and welcomes all members of the Bobcat family, past, present and future.

For more information on the 2019 Black Alumni Reunion, visit the eventā€™s official website and follow #OHIOBAR2019 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

is offering BAR merchandise in honor of this special weekend and will be hosting a pop-up store, offering BAR apparel while supplies last, on the first floor of Baker University Center from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, and 9 a.m. to noon Friday, Sept. 13. Check out the and this . Orders placed by Sunday, Aug. 25, will be available for pick-up during BAR registration. Orders placed after Aug. 25 will be shipped to the buyer.

The Bobcat Store is also selling an and .