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The royal treatment
Homecoming through the years
These photos may be in black and white, but for the people who remember these Homecoming moments, the color never fades.
Enjoy looking at seven decades of Homecoming Court tradition. It has evolved through the years – in 1982, the first king was named and in 1997, following a national trend to recognize university service, the
term Gold Ambassador replaced the words queen and king.
Yes, times have changed. But the CMU legacy remains.
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1953:
In their swan float, from left sitting, Homecoming court members Eleanor Kaiser, Martha Moyer, Janet Caldwell, and Janet Dueltgen; and, standing, Queen Jeanne Martin, enjoy the parade. At halftime of the Western Illinois vs. Central Michigan game, the undefeated 1942 football team will be honored.
1963:
President Judson W. Foust crowns Queen Beverly Lisiecki at the halftime of the CMU Homecoming game against Central Northern Illinois. Beverly pays her own way through school by working 25 hours a week as a student assistant in Trout Hall and as a campus secretary. She is carrying an 18-hour class schedule and she serves as a treasurer for Delta Zeta sorority.
1968:
Charlotte Alstead was named the 1968 Homecoming queen. But Ronan Hall residents tried to get Miss Bertha Ronan, namesake for Ronan Hall, onto the write-in blanks of Homecoming election ballots. “We tried to promote the concept of ‘natural beauty’ in Miss Ronan’s platform,” said Ronan Hall residents Jo Dillon and Carolyn McPherson, campaign managers of the “Bertie is a Beauty” operation. Ronan was a faculty member from 1903 to 1918 and dean of women from 1918 to 1940.
1972:
Connie Wilson is crowned Homecoming queen by President Bill Boyd. Connie, CMU’s first African American Homecoming queen, says in a 1972 Central Michigan Life article that she ran because, “I wanted to see if it is possible.”
1976:
Sue Kilber, Denise Tobin, Homecoming Queen Robin Diebel, Karen Miles, and Mary Jo Vitu stand in Perry Shorts Stadium after the 1976 Homecoming football game. At the celebration, Harold Loomis – who wrote CMU’s fight song – was honored as Grand Marshal.
1982:
Queen Jodi Urban and John Nader, CMU’s first Homecoming king, stand with their court. Adding a king to the 1982 court was done in response to a suggestion made in the 1981 Homecoming evaluations. “By having a king we hope to double the student involvement because now the male-oriented organizations will have a chance to have a representative,” Jeff Vredevoogd, 1982 Homecoming publicity chairman said in a Central Michigan Life interview.
1988:
Marc Lasceski and Tammy Kushner are king and queen for the Homecoming themed “’88: A Gold Medal Reunion.” When the committee was coming up with a name, no one knew CMU would have Olympic connections, Student Life Director Glenn Starner said in a 1988 Central Michigan Life article. During the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, Dan Majerle, ’88, played on the U.S. Olympic basketball team and was the top scorer; CMU Assistant Wrestling Coach Tom Minkel served as assistant coach for the U.S. Greco Roman wrestling team; and Dick Enberg, ’57, took part in the NBC coverage of the games.
1998:
Abby LeMieux, Jerome Threlkeld, Nichole Roughton, Josh Cole, Letitia Costilla, James Cone, Shannon Ross, Jeff Falcusan, Kandace Shaw, and Nathan Waldo represent the Homecoming Ambassador court – which replaced the traditional court in 1997 – at halftime of the Homecoming game. Letitia and James, the Gold Ambassadors, were honored with the first Glenn Starner Leadership Award, named after the late student life director who retired in 1991.
2002:
At the Homecoming Pep Rally at Rose Pond, Kari Pardoe and Adam Ebnit are named Gold Ambassadors. The two seniors had the best scores in the intense interviewing process required of Gold Ambassador applicants. A panel of judges asked them questions such as, “If you could be university president for a day, what would you do?” and, “If you had the opportunity to build a new building, what would you build and why?”
Retired professor named grand marshal >
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