Mountaineers eager to settle score with Southern Conference rival Georgia Southern

Andy Morris - Sports Beat

The defending national champions, the Georgia Southern University Eagles, await the Mountaineers in the next round of the playoffs.

The Eagles beat visiting Florida A&M University 60-35 last Saturday at Paulson Stadium. Kickoff for the game is slated for Saturday at noon in Statesboro, Ga.

The Eagles narrowly escaped Boone this season with a 27-18 win at Kidd Brewer Stadium, despite the Mountaineers holding top rusher Adrian Peterson to 71 yards on 19 carries.

“They say you don’t get too many second chances in a season, but I believe we’re getting one this week,” said senior linebacker Justin Seaverns. “It’s going to be a good ballgame.”

Seaverns said he looks forward to the opportunity to payback the Eagles for handing the Mountaineers their third loss of the season.

“We’ve lost down there a couple of times and every single year we play them, it’s close,” he said. “I’m sick and tired of being close. Last year, we got close to winning a national championship. Close don’t count. I want to go all the way this year.”

But to go all the way, the Mountaineers must face the formidable task of bringing down the Eagles at home, a task that has been nearly impossible for visiting opponents in recent years.

Georgia Southern has a 38-game home winning streak and is 26-0 in the playoffs at Paulson Stadium. In the 17 years since Paulson Stadium opened, the Eagles have only lost 11 times at home.

But such daunting records do not faze Appalachian offensive lineman Tyler Elkins.

“It’s going to be fun to whoop them down there,” he said.

The Mountaineers know a few things about winning games on the road as they won two straight road playoff games last season before falling to the University of Montana on the road in overtime.

However, Appalachian coach Jerry Moore took more of a practical approach to the game.

“We’re looking forward to it, and it will definitely be a challenge,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to play them again, and it should be a great football game.”

From the looks of Saturday’s first-round victory over the College of William & Mary, the Mountaineers appeared to remedy many of the problems encountered against the Eagles.

The Mountaineers’ offensive line was truly dominant and opened gaping holes for back Jimmy Watkins, who racked up 216 yards on the ground.

Penalties on special teams have nearly been eliminated for the Mountaineers. Penalties killed Appalachian against the Eagles as two punt returns for touchdowns by DaVon Fowlkes were called back due to penalties.

But the experience factor may play an even larger role in the game.

“Our receivers are probably going to be a little better and are going to know what is expected of them,” said Moore. “You have to remember that a year ago, they were all playing high school football. They’re not freshmen anymore and have played in twelve college football games.”

Regardless of what is different from the last time around, Moore knows what his team has to do to have a chance against the Eagles.

“We just have to play a solid ball game,” he said.

Kristina Egger - Chancellor Student Development Beat

Bryan Fannon, a driver for the Appalachian State University motor pool, recently delivered 76 Christmas trees to Staten Island Rescue Station Five, said Jane Nicholson, director of University News.

Fannon said the delivery was well received by the New York firefighters.

“It was great, all of the guys were truly delighted,” said Fannon. “When I got there with all of the trees, the firefighters looked very surprised, but perhaps that is because they expected us to deliver one or two firs to the firehouse, not 76.”

As it turned out, the extra 74 trees were just enough to ensure every family from the Staten Island department got one tree for Christmas.

Shortly after Fannon reached Rescue Station Five, the officers on duty received a call.

“I had this huge truck parked out front, and we had begun to unload the trees,” said Fannon. “One of the guys came out putting on his bunker gear, and he told me that he would return in about 30 minutes, so I just kept unloading the truck.”

Fannon’s drive into New York City took him approximately 12 hours.
After unloading the trees, he had an opportunity to talk and eat with the firefighters.

“It really hit home to see the pictures on the wall — these guys lost more than half of their rescue squad in the World Trade Center,” said Fannon. “It’s one thing to read about it in the newspapers and see it on the TV, but walking inside the firehouse was like being in a memorial.”

The Christmas tree delivery was simply one gesture out of many made by the university in an attempt to ease the pain felt in New York.

Jim Bryan, a staff member of Appalachian State University’s landscaping crew, donated the trees on behalf of the Watauga County Growers and Appalachian State University, said Nicholson.

“I can only imagine what the families of these firefighters are going through,” said Bryan. “For many of these families it will be their first Christmas without a husband or father, and if we can help to put one smile on a child’s face, it will be worth it.”

Aside from his work with the university, Bryan operates J and D Choose and Cut Christmas Tree Farm on U.S. Highway 194.

Bryan had a wholesale order for 1,100 trees to be shipped out of North Carolina. While looking through his lot, he discovered he had 76 trees that were a little shorter than desired.

“I found that I had 76 trees that were less than six feet tall,” said Bryan. “I thought about it over Thanksgiving, and I could have sold them, but I knew that this was a better cause.”

Robyn Dailey - Business Affairs Beat

Christmas time is here again, accompanied by increased fire and safety hazards, according to Appalachian State University Safety Inspector Beth Clark.

“We’ve had some very close calls in the past,” she said.
Clark said the Safety Office has many regulations about holiday decorations within the residence halls and academic buildings.

Most of the past problems were due to the use of candles as decorations, she said.

The Safety Office implemented an open-flame policy banning use of candles or open flames in the residence halls a couple of years ago, said Clark.

Since the policy has been enacted, holiday fire hazards have decreased, according to Clark.

“The first Christmas that we put [the policy] into use, we still had several people using [candles],” she said.

Individual permits allow candle usage in academic buildings.
“They have to apply for a permit to use them,” said Clark.

She said candles might be used as decorations only when the wick has never been lit.

Artificial and live Christmas trees are permitted within residence halls and academic areas, but both must be flame-retardant, she said.

According to the Safety Office’s holiday decoration regulations, artificial trees, wreaths or garlands must be labeled by the manufacturer as being “flame resistive” or “flame retardant.”

Live trees must be fresh so they will be less likely to ignite, according to the instruction manual.

“They can use live trees, but they have to be sprayed with a flame retardant,” said Clark.

The regulations state live trees must be immediately placed in water and stay watered throughout the entire season.

“If they use the real trees, they need to make sure that they keep them watered, especially because of the dry season this year,” said Clark.

Electrical lights must be in good shape without any damage such as burned out bulbs, frayed or kinked cords, or bent or broken plug ends, according to Safety Office regulations.

Clark said lights cannot be hung on the middle metal trim of windows or be in contact with any other metal objects.

Extension cords may be used for a temporary, 90-day period, but only if they are UL approved and are not multi-plug “cube” adaptors, according to the regulations.

Users must also properly and quickly dispose of gift-wrapping and other combustible materials after opening presents, and must remove all trees and decorations before the residence halls are closed for the holidays.

Clark said Residence Assistants (RAs) and Resident Directors (RDs) are all informed on regulations and can help with decorations.

“Between the Residence Assistants, the Resident Directors and the housing people, [the residence halls] are pretty well inspected,” said Clark.

Josh Brown - The Appalachian

The celebration featured a karamu, or feast, as well as a performance by special guests The Healing Force, an African-American group that combines music and storytelling.

Chris Bohle - Multicultural Beat

The Tenth Annual Kwaanza Celebration and Feast held Thursday in Plemmons Student Union was a huge success, said organizer Anwar Cruter.

“I was very excited about the turnout and was pleased to be able to accommodate everyone,” said Cruter, assistant director for multicultural education in the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

Housing the entire audience proved to be a potential problem at first when nearly 300 people arrived at the Blue Ridge Ballroom, causing the program to be slightly delayed due to the shortage of chairs.
Additional chairs were eventually located and everyone was seated.
“I’d like to thank the [student] union staff because of their help with the extra chairs, as well as their general assistance in helping the program run smoothly,” said Cruter.

The celebration was centered on the holiday Kwaanza, which was introduced to the United States in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga.

Karenga based this holiday on a theory called Kawaida, which operates on the belief that making individuals aware of their cultural heritage can make social, revolutionary change for Black America.

“I hope people not only had fun tonight but also became more educated about Kwaanza and what it means,” said Cruter. “The celebration should help individuals use knowledge of the past to better deal with the future.”

The primary focus during Kwaanza is on ancestors. Application of the seven principles of Kwaanza by the present generation will help ensure future generations will have something worthwhile left for them.

Kwaanza is a seven-day long celebration, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, with one of the seven principles of Kwaanza discussed each day.

“On the Appalachian campus, we traditionally celebrate Kwaanza on the Thursday prior to the start of exams, hence the celebration being held [last Thursday],” said Cruter.

The celebration featured a karamu, or feast, as well as performances by the Appalachian Gospel Choir and special guests The Healing Force, an African-American group that combines music and storytelling.

“The Healing Force did a wonderful job,” said Cruter. “We brought them back because of feedback from last year, and they definitely lived up to their reputation.”

The Healing Force’s approximately 45-minute set included several songs as well as an old African story, “The Singing Man,” which described the struggles of a young boy who pursues his dream.

Its last song was a “jam session” in which the group members took out all of their instruments and invited members of the audience to participate with them.

Cruter hopes the celebration was successful in raising awareness of the holiday and what it stands for.

“I hope that [the celebration] was entertaining and that people continue to come out and support programs like these,” said Cruter.

Josh Brown - The Appalachian

Marsha Moore (second from left) listens to members of the North Carolina Association of Student Governments Saturday afternoon.

ASG conducts monthly meeting

Sarah Newell - SGA Beat

The North Carolina Association of Student Governments (ASG) held its monthly meeting on the Appalachian State University campus Saturday.

Fifteen of the 16 North Carolina universities met to discuss issues facing student governments on their respective campuses.

The ASG has three phases for this year. The first is to let members know about ASG. ASG is a compilation of four representatives from each of the universities in the North Carolina system. The president of student government is required to be on the Board of Directors for ASG.

ASG also plans to better inform their constituents about what they do. Lastly, beginning in January, through the ASG-AP [Associated Press], ASG hopes to print articles in the universities’ newspapers about ASG’s activities.

ASG is hoping to implement a $1 fee from students that will go toward ASG. Currently their budget is $4,000. With approximately 169,000 students in the North Carolina University system, this will greatly augment their budget and allow ASG to do more work for the students.

If at any time a student is unhappy with what ASG is doing and feels that he or she is not being well represented, the student can get his or her $1 back.

Another ASG goals for the 2001-2002 year is to ensure there will be no more retroactive tuition policies, as there have been this year and in years past.

ASG also hopes to accomplish a redistribution of the financial aid packages in North Carolina so not as much of the money is going for private institutions.

Currently, 64 percent of the money given out as financial aid in North Carolina goes to students that attend private universities. ASG hopes to redistribute that number so that more students are able to attend college at the public universities.

The two most important issues discussed at the meeting, in which every university except the North Carolina School of the Arts was present, was how to gain a voice on the Board of Governors by having the president of ASG, Andrew Payne, be a voting member of the board, and also ways in which to orchestrate a freeze on students’ tuition.

No consensus was reached at this meeting about how to solve these two problems. The representatives for ASG will go back to their respective campuses and will discuss the problems with their constituents.

The issues will be discussed again at next month’s meeting, at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Kristin Davis - Academic Affairs Beat

A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrests of persons involved in vandalizing numerous vehicles, according to a campus crime alert.

Sometime late Friday, Nov. 16 or early Saturday, Nov. 17, unknown culprits cut tires of vehicles located in Horn in the West Parking Lot, State Farm Parking Lot, Legends parking lot, the Presbyterian church parking lot and University Drive.

Thirteen cars were vandalized on campus, said Sgt. Stacey Sears of the Appalachian State University Police Department.

“An additional 10-13 cars were vandalized in the town of Boone,” said Sgt. Phil Minton, who is investigating the Appalachian State tire cuttings.

So far, there are no suspects, said Minton. He estimates several hundred dollars in damage, with each tire costing between $50-$100.
“Hopefully people who had damage done to their tires have insurance to cover it,” said Minton.

Anyone with information should contact the Appalachian Police Department at 262-2150 or Watauga County Crimestopppers at 264-4555. Callers need not reveal their identities.

Paul Shrar - Chief Photographer

Running back Jimmy Watkins breaks through the Tribe defense to score one of his four rushing touchdowns during ASU’s 40-27 win. ASU faces Georgia Southern Saturday at noon.

Chris Boyce - Sports Beat

The Appalachian State University offensive line placed the nail into the College of William and Mary’s coffin Saturday afternoon. Senior tailback Jimmy Watkins nailed it shut.

The Appalachian State Mountaineers pounded the College of William and Mary (W&M) for 353 rushing yards, most of which coming from Watkins, who ran for 216 yards on 35 carries for four touchdowns, an ASU playoff record.

The dominant performance gave the Mountaineers a 40-27 victory in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, setting up the rematch against the Georgia Southern University Eagles next Saturday in Statesboro, Ga.

The Mountaineers dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides, especially in the first half, as the offensive line created gaping holes in the Tribe’s defense.

The Appalachian State ground game made up for a poor performance from quarterback Joe Burchette, who completed only five of 18 passes for 39 yards and three interceptions.

Defensively, Appalachian State disrupted the W&M quarterback Dave Corley Jr. and forced four turnovers in the first half.

The Tribe’s Billy Parker intercepted Burchette’s first pass of the day and returned it 24 yards for the touchdown, putting W&M up 7-0.

The Mountaineers responded with 27 unanswered points scored mostly from Tribe turnovers and Watkins’ talent.

Watkins scored on the Mountaineers second possession, a drive that featured the Georgia Military transfer five times for 36 yards, including the 5-yard touchdown run.

After a 26-yard field goal by Appalachian State’s Mark Wright, set up by a Corley fumble on the Tribe’s first offensive possession, Watkins struck again on a 38-yard scamper with 9:23 left in the half, giving the Mountaineers a 17-7 advantage.

On the Mountaineers’ next possession, which again was set up by a Corley fumble, the same formula prevailed and the ball was given to Watkins six out of seven plays. The tailback punched the ball in from 1-yard out with less than three minutes to go putting Appalachian State up 24-7.

The Mountaineers added another Mark Wright field goal with seven seconds remaining to go up 27-7 at the half.

The Tribe responded in the second half. Its vaunted passing attack woke up, scoring 14 straight points in the third quarter.

Corley’s 75-yard bomb to wideout Rich Musinski on a third-and-seven from its own 25-yard line, followed by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Corley to Marcus Howard on the Tribe’s next possession put W&M in striking distance, down 34-21 to start the fourth quarter.

But Burchette’s bruising 6-yard touchdown run in which the junior leveled Tribe defensive back Ronnie Thomas with 8:47 remaining in the game, putting W&M away for good.

The real nail in the coffin, however, was the play of Watkins and his offensive line.

“They’ve [the offensive line] gotten better each week and that’s the way it ought to be,” said Appalachian State head football coach Jerry Moore. “To my knowledge, I don’t think they had a penalty, so they’re playing pretty solid.”

Mountaineer center Tyler Elkins was confident his team would be able to run the ball against the Tribe prior to the game.

“We watched on tape and saw their line was vulnerable to the run and that their back end didn’t tackle very well, so we knew we were gonna come out and run the ball. It was no surprise to us when coach told us that we were gonna pound the ball,” said Elkins.

The Appalachian State offensive line’s performance signified a major turnaround to the penalties that had plagued the team early in the season.

“Early in the season, it wasn’t a matter of being out of position or being lazy. At times we just want to do so well, it just gets us in trouble,” said Elkins. “We talk about it throughout practice about wanting to cut those out, and I think we’ve done a good job on special
teams and up front of reducing the penalties.”

Nate Grubbs - The Appalachian

Freshman Erez Cohen, originally from Israel, prepares food for a local needy family Sunday evening.

April Klaassen - Features Beat

Tucked in a cluster of run-down trailers, a small house stands surrounded by scrap metal and various animals waddling and prowling their way through a variety of objects littering the gravel road.

The family of six who resides in the small house was faced with a potentially grim Christmas season just a month ago. However, the house filled with children’s laughter and flowed with Christmas spirit as 23 Appalachian State University students turned one family’s Christmas from an unlikely hope into a joyous occasion.

Almost every year for the past 10 years Cindy Wallace has taught Freshman Seminar, she has required her students to participate in a service project. Giving her students discretion over the decision, this year’s class chose to adopt a family in need for Christmas.

The desire to personally reach out to members of the local community came after the students watched together the World Trade Towers collapse during their 9:30 a.m. class on Sept. 11, said Wallace.

“So much has been done nationally, and we have a local community hurting,” she said. “We have a poor group of folks in Watauga, Avery and Ashe [counties]. We wanted to help one family, who was down on their luck right now, have a good Christmas.”

The idea emerged after workers from the Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) office spoke to Wallace’s class about possible service projects in which the class could participate.

Two members of the class, Heather Arnder and Erin Harding, took the initiative to visit the Hunger Coalition and retrieve a list of families in the Boone community who were in need for Christmas.

After discussing each family’s needs, the class voted to adopt the Coffey family. “We picked this family because they have four [young] children,” said Harding.

The class then made a list of items it planned to give the Coffeys after Arnder contacted mother Edith about specific needs. “We started late in November right before Thanksgiving,” she said.

“We sent a list home [with students before the break] so people could get stuff — clothes, canned food, toys — to bring it back. We signed a list of who would get what so each kid would benefit,” said Arnder.

The class gathered at Wallace’s home Sunday afternoon to prepare gifts and food for the family. As Christmas music and the aroma of cookies filled the air, 23 freshmen caught a glimpse of reality.

“This project has made me appreciate [what I already have] more,” said Harding. “You get caught up in what you want and what you’re getting for other people. It made me realize how lucky I am to have family and friends.”

Jermane Little agreed. “It taught me how to be thankful for what I have because other people don’t have what I have.”

Some students felt the project not only benefited the family, but also their personal lives. “You feel good about yourself because you’re helping someone else out,” said Justen Holtdorf. “You take stuff for granted sometimes.

“I have stuff sitting in my closet that these kids would go crazy with. It’s amazing the stuff you have sitting in your closet that other people would like.”

One benefit the students received from the project was awareness.
“The project hasn’t taught me anything, but it’s made me think about things I chose not to think about or make the first priority to think about,” said Jen Rudy.

“I think it’s fun and a good opportunity,” said Jamie Davis. “I don’t think people realize how unfortunate people are, so the project opens our eyes.”

The project not only benefited individuals but also the class as a unit.
“I think it’s brought the class closer because we get to socialize a lot more outside of class instead of just being in the classroom,” said Esther Green.

“We talk more when we are doing stuff like this,” added Brooke Pennell.

Students also felt the project strengthened the class. “We’re a close class, but this definitely brought us closer because it was teamwork, and we have to work closer together,” said Theresa Alston.

From students’ positive reactions, it appears as though the project served Wallace’s purpose in implementing a service project into her Freshman Seminar curriculum. Wallace said she wanted to implement an attitude of “simple living and giving” into her curriculum as well as build community among students.

“The purpose is for students to get to know the community and get there heads in that place,” said Wallace.

Students anticipated personal interaction with the family. “My first reaction [upon hearing a service project was required] was, I really wanted to do something to help people,” said Nichole Cangelosi. “I know every service project helps people, but I wanted it to be
meaningful.”

Although the project was required, students were enthusiastic. “I was excited about it because it’s a fun service project,” said Leah Pritchard. “You’re not picking trash or anything. It’s personal.”

“We want to make someone’s Christmas bright because I don’t think
they were going to have any type of Christmas at all,” said junior Jimmy Blue, the Peer Leader for Wallace’s class.

Blue said witnessing results made this project unique from the project his class did when he was a freshman.

“This is a lot cooler because when I did Habitat for Humanity, we didn’t get to finish the house,” said Blue.

“We only came for a part. This project is very worthwhile because we actually get to see the fruits of our labor, and we get to see their reactions.”

The smiles on the children’s faces and the appreciative spirit of their mother showed the students their effort was worthwhile. “I talked to the mom, and she is willing to take anything. She is not picky and very grateful,” said Arnder.

After the family recently lost a job, Edith Coffey is thankful for the 23 students and their willingness to give. “I’m glad there’s people who will help,” said Coffey. “I really appreciate everything they’ve done.
It’s really sweet how they all got together and helped.”

She hopes this experience will be a good example to her four young children. “I hope it shows them there’s people out there that help and that maybe when they grow up they can help someone when they need it,” said Coffey.

Jane Nicholson - ASU News Bureau

Thomas W. Reese, chairman and CEO of Hickory Printing Group, has established two news endowments benefiting students, faculty and staff in Appalachian State University’s graphic arts and imaging technology program. The Thomas W. Reese Professional Endowment for Faculty, Staff and Students will support internships with printing companies, and conference, workshop and tradeshow participation.

The Thomas W. Reese Legacy Endowment for Equipment and Technology will be used to purchase and maintain equipment. An existing endowment that provides scholarships for students majoring in graphic arts and imaging technology was renamed for Reese’s father, the late William Marvin Reese. “I can’t emphasize enough the need for good education for those who want to enter this profession, Reese said in announcing the endowments. “A good college education is absolutely essential.” The GAIT program was named for Reese in 1994.

With Reese’s vision and guidance, the GAIT program has grown to nearly 150 majors. Reese’s gifts were called a legacy because it will benefit future generations of students and the state’s printing industry, said Appalachian’s Provost Harvey Durham.

David Forbes - Clubs / Organizations Beat

In addition to approving new organizations and managing relations between existing ones, Club Council allocates project funds to campus organizations for educational events or traveling, as well as for larger service projects, in order to facilitate clubs’ growth.

Organizations may request up to $200 for travel or educational purposes and up to $75 for service allocations.

To gain this money, an organization has to present Club Council with a properly completed form, a copy of the organization’s most recent bank statement, as well as publicity materials for whatever event the group is putting on or attending.

“When handing out allocations, Club Council mainly looks for programs that are developing opportunities or providing information to help the members of the organization grow,” said Julie Somppi, an assistant director of the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL) and advisor to Club Council.

Before going to the council at large to be voted on, the request has to pass through the allocations committee, which checks to make sure the organization’s event has met all the necessary requirements.

“The money comes out of the university budget and is mostly used for small events,” said Reed Davis, vice president of Club Council and head of the allocations committee.

After the allocations committee has made sure the request fulfills all the basic requirements, it goes to the Club Council at large for
discussion and voting. “Most of the votes are fairly unanimous; we get most of our concerns out before voting,” said Davis.

A single organization cannot receive more than $400 in allocations from Club Council in a given year. “I also emphasize that they need to keep receipts for everything,” said Davis. “We can’t give them the money unless they have receipts.”

Some of the more notable allocations granted for travel this semester included one for Epsilon Pi Tau (the technology honors society) to attend a computer convention in Las Vegas, and another for the American Music Therapy Student Association to attend the National Music Therapy Conference in Pasadena, Calif.

The main educational program Club Council has granted money for this semester is a tree lighting by the Appalachian State University Solar Energy Society. “This is a good example of an educational program. I think it will bring a lot of members of the community out,” said Davis.

David Forbes - Clubs / Organizations Beat

The Wesley Foundation was declared Homecoming Club Champion for the fourth year in a row.

The group also won first-place banner, first-place float and third-place walking group in the Homecoming 2001 Parade.

Organizations competing for the Homecoming Club Champion award were given points for participating in the parade and banner contests, with higher points awarded to those organizations that placed in each activity.

Points were also awarded for participation in the “Into the Streets” program, which required each group to do a service project. The winner was awarded a plaque and cash prize, with $100 going to the first-place winner.

“The Club Champion contest was initiated four years ago because the chancellor wanted to make Homecoming special for students as well as alumni,” said Brad Vest, associate director of Student Programs and co-chair of the Homecoming Committee.

“The award is made solely on the basis of points,” he said.
“We really had to pull together as a team to win this. We’ve won the past three years, so we felt we had a tradition to keep up,” said Marinda McConnell, president of the Wesley Foundation.

The Wesley Foundation tried to bring the goals of its mission statement (“Offering a Christ-centered family that encourages spiritual growth and the building of lifelong friendships across a diverse community”) to their activities.

For its “Into the Streets” service project, members of the group collected cans for the Humane Society. “I feel it was a challenge [to us] to do some good in the community,” said McConnell.

“The theme of our banner was ‘Faith: The Final Frontier’ and we worked on it at our Fall Retreat,” she said.

“The group really pulled together. We worked for two full weeks, often until midnight, on the float,” said Kristen Williams, vice president of Wesley Foundation, who also coordinated the building of the float this year.

“One of our trademarks is a good float,” said Tod Knaperek, who has designed and helped build the last three floats. “We went for more a Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ theme, with rowing oars and a ship on our float, though we had rocket boosters to put the space theme on it as well,” he said.

“This is a good way to get the word out about our organization; a lot of Wesley Foundation alumni come down for Homecoming. Everyone in this group, whether through thoughts and prayers or physical help, all were supportive in this victory,” said Williams.