SEMO celebrates Homecoming with parachutists, plaza unveiling

As kickoff time drew near Saturday, Houck Stadium seemed to fill slowly with red as viewed from the air.

"Where is it? Where's the target? I don't see it," joked Jesse Stahler, a member of the U.S. Army's Golden Knights parachute team.

Far below, Homecoming events at Southeast Missouri State University were visible in their entirety, anchored by the midfield Redhawks logo.

Stahler gave a final hand signal toward the front of the plane, stepped backward out the door and quickly disappeared. His teammates followed, smiling and waving as they fell toward earth carrying the game ball and wearing Southeast jerseys and helmets.

The paratroopers took a little while during halftime later to sign pictures and mingle with football fans.

Homecoming celebrations were plentiful along Broadway between tailgating, the parade and alumni events. An all-alumni breakfast held Saturday morning at the Wehking Alumni Center drew a larger-than-normal crowd, according to Jeff Davis, president of the alumni association's board of directors. Davis estimated around 250 people attended; the breakfast averages around 150 people. During the breakfast, Distinguished Service Awards were presented to Terry Benassi, Dwayne Hickman, Grace Hoover, Dan Jennings and Jon K. Rust, publisher of the Southeast Missourian.

Later outside the alumni center, the university unveiled the first phase of the new Southeast Heritage Plaza, the result of an alumni campaign to commemorate their time at the university and to create an endowment to help assist the recently reorganized alumni association.

Martha Freeze, left, and Cathy Chandler enjoy tailgating after the SEMO Homecoming parade Saturday. (Fred Lynch)

Davis oversaw the campaign and said the plaza grew from an idea several years ago to create a memory wall for alumni. The association sold bricks for the plaza to alumni, who received special membership titles. The endowment will also allow all alumni to automatically become members of the association. Bricks will be sold every year to expand the plaza, Davis said.

During the unveiling ceremony, attendees honored a former student body president, Derek Hudson, who died last year, and heard a presentation by Lewis Bock, whose family ties to the university go back several generations.

The atmosphere of this year's parade seemed a little subdued, according to Joanna Shaver, the university's coordinator of campus programming who oversaw the parade.

"It's hard to describe how exactly, but it was calmer, definitely," she said.

There may have been less scrambling in the streets this year because the city asked that candy be handed out to spectators rather than thrown to avoid a mess.

Shaver said it seemed that tailgaters and people watching the parade were also respectful not to enter areas along the parade route roped off by police.

In the float contest judged by the university's homecoming committee, Alpha Xi Delta and Sigma Nu took first place for their float depicting guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Floats were modeled on the theme "Your Path to Fame." Others featured musicians Johnny Cash and Lady Gaga. According to Shaver, the parade had around 140 entries. The only floats judged are those which are university-affiliated and request to be judged. Eight marching bands and the Wells Fargo stagecoach also appeared in the parade.

During halftime of the game, which Southeast later won 17-13, Patrick Vining and Katie Herring were crowned 2011 Man and Woman of the Year.

eragan@semissourian.com

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