KWU Football Coach Matt Drinkall shows off the new locker room to KSAL’s Mike Hammett and Hannah Holt.[/caption]   PARKING LOT CLOSED: The parking lot between Peters Science Hall and Pioneer Hall will be closed Saturday, Oct. 3, held for those who have reserved a tailgating space in advance. All others are invited to park in the west Pioneer lot, in the lots of University United Methodist lot and the medical center at Claflin Ave. and Fourth St., and in the Sacred Heart school lot, as well as in the spaces surrounding the campus. PRE-GAME: At 5:15 p.m., the KWU Marching Band will lead the crowd from the campus quad to the Graves Family Sports Complex, followed by the 5:40 p.m. Dedication and Grand Opening of the new Gene Bissell Field and 6 p.m. kickoff of the Kansas Wesleyan Homecoming Football game against the McPherson College Bulldogs. The 4-0 Coyotes moved up in the NAIA national poll this week to #21 after shutting out Southwestern College on Saturday, 42-0—KWU’s first shut-out since Sept. 25, 2010, when the Coyotes defeated Bethel 45-0. HALFTIME: The Homecoming halftime festivities will include the coronation of Kansas Wesleyan’s Homecoming King and Queen, the introduction of the 2015 inductees into the KWU Athletics Hall of Fame, plus performances by the KWU Marching Band and the KWU Spirit Squad. MARINE TOY BOX 2015 SILENT AUCTION AND RAFFLE FUNDRAISER Kansas Wesleyan University has partnered with the Marine Corps League and Marine Toy Box to help underserved area children to have a merry Christmas by providing new toys. The first fund-raiser this year will be a Silent Auction & Raffle at the Homecoming Family Fan Fest and Football game. During the Family Fan Fest in the Alumni tent, $1 raffle tickets will be sold for three gift basket prizes, valued from $90 to $200+, and silent auction bids will be taken for two very special items: an official KWU Coyote football helmet, and an official KWU Coyote football — each signed by the legendary KWU coach Gene Bissell. Details about these items are available at: www.kwu.edu/marinetoybox2015. Silent bids will continue and roaming students will sell raffle tickets in the stands during the first half of the football game and halftime. Winners will be announced during the second half of the game. All proceeds go to Marine Toy Box. In addition, Bogey’s Restaurant, 1417 S 9th St, Salina, KS, will also join in the KWU fundraiser by donating a percentage of its Homecoming Weekend sales to Marine Toy Box.   [caption id="attachment_16751" align="alignnone" width="400"] The KWU men’s soccer team practices at the new stadium Wednesday afternoon.[/caption]   MORE HOMECOMING WEEK ACTIVITIES The fall KWU Theatre production is the comedy “Leaving Iowa,” presented in Fitzpatrick Auditorium, in Sams Hall of Fine Arts, at 7:30 p.m. nightly on Wednesday–Friday, Sept. 30–Oct. 2, and Sun. Oct. 4. $8 adults, $3 youth. Pay at the door or reserve tickets at [email protected]. Free for KWU students, faculty, staff and Alumni Association members. Tom Dorsey, photojournalist for the Salina Journal for the past 35 years, will be present for a Salina First Thursday Art Walk reception, from 5–7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, in The Gallery at KWU, Sams Hall of Fine Arts. His exhibit is called “The Last Few Years: Found Images by Tom Dorsey for the Salina Journal” and features some of his favorite photos. Light refreshments will be served. Admission is free, and the public is invited. Mr. Dorsey will be present for a Homecoming reception for KWU alumni in The Gallery from 9–10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. The Golden W Luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in Muir Gym, where the Class of 1965 will be inducted into the Golden W, marking 50 years since their graduation from KWU. The Alumni Awards Ceremony will be held from 5:30 –6:30 p.m. in Sams Chapel, in the Hall of the Pioneers. Admission is free. The public is welcome. The Alumni Award recipients include: • Alumni Achievement Award: Courtney (Thaden) Heigele ’03, primary special educator at Bonner Springs Elementary in Bonner Springs, KS • Alumni Service Award: Harold ’49 and Evelyn (Eisenhauer) ’50 Nelson, charter members of the KWU Heritage Roll of Honor and longtime supporters. Harold served on the KWU Board of Trustees from 1972–1981. Evelyn is a member of the KWU Women’s Auxiliary. • Division of Fine Arts Outstanding Alumnus of the Year: Nick Petron ’69, professor and chair of Theatre, Adelphi University in Garden City, NY • B.S.N. Nursing Education Outstanding Alumni Award: Natasha (Miller) Sears, M.S.N., R.N. ’09, registered nurse at Salina Surgical Hospital in Salina, KS • Nursing Education Outstanding AAS Alumni Award: Denise (Knipp) Weiss ’95, D.O. – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and anesthesiologist with Anesthesia Associates in Kansas City, MO   [caption id="attachment_4053" align="alignnone" width="300"] Glenn L. Martin Stadium had been the home field for Kansas Wesleyan University since its official name dedication in 1940.[/caption]   M.B.A. Program Professor Carol A. Ahlvers Distinguished Alumni Award * Jennifer Johnson ’04, Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer/Chief Information Officer at Equity Bank in Wichita, Kansas * LuAnn Puvogel ’98, Chief Executive Officer for the Salina Surgical Hospital in Salina, KS * Willibrordus “Wil” Punt ’02, project manager at Philips Lighting in The Netherlands * Todd Strawn ’12, senior application programmer for National Cooperative Refinery Association (NCRA) in McPherson, KS M.B.A. Program Professor Carol A. Ahlvers Distinguished International Alumni Award * Jen Ching (Ray) Yang ’07, information and network engineer in Taipei, Taiwan * Chiu-Yen (Elsa) Hung ’08, General Manager of Taiwan Home Service Labor Cooperatives inTaipei, Taiwan The W Club Breakfast/Athletic Hall of Fame Inductions will be held in Muir Gym at 8 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 3. The 2015 Hall of Fame inductees include the 1995–1998 Softball teams, Denis Adams (Football, ’56), Jeff Kumpula (Football ’01), Darin Boyer (Football, ’87), Rich Troiano (Baseball, ’73), and Jessi (Burnham) Stang (Volleyball, Basketball, Track, ’81). The Homecoming Showcase Concert will begin at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, in Sams Chapel, in the Hall of the Pioneers. All of the KWU music ensembles will perform, including Wesleyan Chorale, Philharmonic Choir, String Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. Admission is free. The public is invited. On Sunday, Oct. 4, at 9:30 a.m., University United Methodist Church, adjacent to campus at Santa Fe Ave. and Claflin Ave., will host the KWU Church Service featuring the KWU Philharmonic Choir.]]>