Events

November 28, 2011

Anniversary convocation honors Makers of History and Emory's history

A campus-wide celebration on Dec. 7 will cap Emory's 175th anniversary year
The campus-wide celebration on Dec. 7 will feature lighting of candles using the flame from the cauldron at the Wonderful Wednesday anniversary lunch.

By Kim Urquhart

A convocation celebration on Wednesday, Dec. 7 will cap Emory's 175th anniversary year. The gathering begins at 11 a.m. in Glenn Memorial Auditorium.

The convocation is designed "to pay tribute to 175 Emory Makers of History, reflect on the legacy we bear as a community in the present, and look to the next 25 years as we seek to strengthen that legacy," says Vice President and Deputy to the President Gary Hauk.

The roughly 175 Makers of History are luminaries reflective of the University's diversity who have made history at Emory and beyond, selected earlier this year from 1,000 potential nominees.

"We wanted Emory's history to be seen as not just about the past, but about the future," says Martha Fagan, chair of the Makers of History Committee.

About 100 or so Makers of History or their descendants will take part in the Dec. 7 celebration, says Fagan. Descendants of those who have campus buildings and landmarks bearing their names, like the Candlers and the Hopkinses and the Carloses, are expected to be in attendance. Some, like theologian Thomas J.J. Altizer known for the "Is God Dead?" controversy of the mid-1960s, will make additional campus appearances (see flier).

"We wanted Emory's history to be seen as not just about the past, but about the future," says Martha Fagan, chair of the Makers of History Committee.

The Makers of History and their descendants will be honored at a breakfast ceremony at the Emory Conference Center Hotel, where each will receive a medal that they will wear to the convocation. In addition to recognition during the program, a keepsake booklet featuring each of their stories will be distributed at the event.

The campus-wide celebration will be ushered in at 10:30 a.m. with gathering music by the Vega String Quartet, University Organist Timothy Albrecht and members of the Atlanta Pipe Band.  Leading the way at 11 a.m. is a procession of faculty and alumni representatives carrying the banners of each school — including the 175th anniversary gonfalon.

The hour-long program will feature an anniversary address by President Jim Wagner and brief remarks from representatives of the Emory Alumni Board, Employee Council, Faculty Council and Student Government Association.

The mayor of Oxford, Ga. will bring greetings from Emory's first hometown, and the Bishop of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church will bring greetings from Emory's founding body.

There will be a lighting of candles, using the flame from the cauldron at the Wonderful Wednesday anniversary lunch that originated in a mid-October ceremony of readings and reflections at Oxford College.

"Symbolically, it's the flame from the mother campus," says Hauk.

The unveiling of a new Emory flag is also part of the program. The updated design is reflective of Emory's graphic identity, with a more visible Emory shield, and gives the torch and trumpet more prominence with a balance of blue and gold. The new flag will be flown in front of the Administration Building and elsewhere on Emory's campuses.

Music for the program will be festive and celebratory, says Hauk. And the celebration would not be complete, of course, without the singing of the alma mater.

The entire community is invited, notes Hauk. "Please join in turning a page on the calendar of Emory's long and distinguished history."

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