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You are here: Home / Arts & Culture / Alumni artistry recognized at Homecoming 2023

Alumni artistry recognized at Homecoming 2023

October 18, 2023 by Andersonian Staff

Micky Young’s release party

by Kaleb Greve

Homecoming weekend was a flutter with different activities for alumni, staff, students and their families to participate in. One such event was a listening party that took place in the Mocha Joe’s Cafe, alumnus Mickey Young ’17. He promoted the release of his new album “Soul Purpose.”

The listening party took place between 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, October 7, and was visited by many current students and a few alumni. The event was animated with crowd participation and a live performance by Young.

Young’s music is on Spotify with the release of “Soul Purpose” in the near future.

Jon Mobley’s illusion show

by Loralee De Young

On Friday at 9 p.m., comedian, illusionist and Anderson University alumnus Jon Mobley ’07 returned after a short Thursday chapel show for a full-length performance. Students Bryson Huckeby and Elijah Mattingly were two of the audience left enthralled. “It was amazing. I was wowed,” said Huckeby. “I give it a 10 out of 10. He did wonderful. The magic is real,” added Mattingly. 

A few highlights from the night of magic were a mysteriously levitating table lifted by nothing but a tablecloth and an ax-throwing game where the participant managed to win with his own raw skill. 

The trick many in the audience agreed to be the most entertaining of the night and that won standing applause was when Issac Tandy, son of Josh Tandy, campus pastor, guessed the exact number of jelly beans in a jar— after eating a few. As his father said later, “Jelly beans are his favorite.”

After the show, Mobley said, “Tonight was really great. I took a lot of risks with some brand new material, but going back to my alma mater, that seems like the place to try it.”

by Samuel Cho

Gospel choir reunion

by Loralee De Young

Spanning decades of school history, members of Anderson University’s past gospel choirs had a chance to catch up with each other in the Center for Intercultural Engagement (CIE) before joining together in song. Although the meet-up is an annual event, this is the first year that the act of singing itself has actually been included. “I hope it becomes a tradition because I think there’s a lot of talented people in the student body who appreciate gospel music,” commented alumna Lorrine Garrison-Boyd. 

Out of the many songs the group sang during the reunion, including “Hallelujah, Salvation, and Glory” by Jeffery LaValley and “Jesus Promised” by Timothy Carpenter, Garrison-Boyd’s favorite was “Lift Him Up” by James Cleveland. “What I love about it is that to me it carries on with the theme of multiculturalism because it says if you lift Jesus up it will draw all men,” she said. 

Celebrating racial and ethnic diversity at Anderson University has been a central purpose of the gospel choir since its beginning in the 1960s. As director of the CIE, Brian “B’’ Martin (pictured right), said in a speech to the group, “We celebrate that diversity when we bring glory to God.”

Many of the alumni at the event spoke about how being a part of the club had a lasting positive impact on their lives in building faith and friendships. 

One was Mamie Thorns, recipient of last year’s alumni award, who came for her 50th reunion this year. She was a member of Inspirational Singers, the very first gospel group at Anderson University. 

“Those songs are very powerful,” she said. “Those songs helped us to get through the day. Whatever issues or things we were struggling with, going to rehearsal and singing those songs lifted us up. So it’s very, very important. You need a song in your heart.”

Athletic Hall of Fame inductees

by Rebekah Lynn Hisle

The Athletic Hall of Fame welcomed four individuals and the 1970 Football team this past homecoming. Among those, was Jan Koeniger ‘79, who participated in basketball, softball and volleyball at Anderson College. She was a student-athlete during the Heritage Era– a time prior to women having a conference to play in.

Koeniger went on to be an educator. In her acceptance speech she said, “ My days at Anderson College were wonderful. I received a great education, which helped me have a very successful career. Athletics was the icing on the cake.”

She describes that her team played in a gym so small that you would risk crashing into the wall when you would shoot a layup. She said, “But it was a fun experience. And we really didn’t care that we played in the small gym because we just wanted to play college basketball.”

Koeniger is the 125 inductee of the Athletic Hall of Fame at Anderson University alongside Andrew Walukonis ‘04, Kriss (Eisenhour) Cesco ‘94, Kevin Vogt ‘84 and the 1970 Football team. 

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