Purdue News

April 14, 2000 Reunions, alumni activities set for Gala Week WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Alumni Association has planned reunions, entertainment and activities for alumni who return for the university's Gala Week, April 28-30. Registration and activities information will be available at Gala Week headquarters in Room 118, Purdue Memorial Union. The office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 28 and 29, according to Sharon Martin, director of communications for the association. For registration and ticket information, call the headquarters at (800) 414-1541 or (765) 494-5175. Events are listed online at the Alumni Gala Week site. The annual class parade to John Purdue's grave will step off at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, April 29, from the area between the Purdue Memorial Union and Stewart Center. The parade is traditionally led by the oldest attending alumnus. Other parade participants will include the "All-American" Marching Band, Purdue Pete and the Boilermaker Special. The alumni association will sponsor the annual Gala Week Lecture Series on April 29. Three sessions are scheduled in Room 318, Stewart Center: West Lafayette Mayor Sonya Margerum at 2 p.m.; Alan Beck, professor of veterinary pathobiology, at 2:45 p.m.; and John Dennis, Lafayette deputy police chief, at 3:30 p.m. The featured events on Saturday are the Founders Day Reception and Banquet. The hour-long reception will start at 4:45 p.m. in the main lounges of the Purdue Memorial Union. The 6 p.m. banquet in the North and South Ballrooms of the Union will feature comments by Purdue President Steven C. Beering, entertainment by the Purdue Varsity Glee Club, and special alumni awards. Tickets are $18 and may be purchased in advance and on April 28 and 29 in Room 118 of the Union. A big-band song and dance program will follow the banquet. Many schools have scheduled activities for alumni between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. April 29. Also, various class reunions and coffee hours have been scheduled for Sunday, April 30. Other Gala Week activities Friday, April 28 • Men's and Women's Boilermaker Open track meet. 3 p.m. Rankin Track Complex. Tickets are $3 for students, $4 for the public. • Purdue Bands Twilight Concert Series – Jazz on the Hill. 5 p.m. Slayter Center of Performing Arts. Featuring Purdue Jazz Bands and a choral jazz component from Purdue Musical Organizations. Free. • Purdue Forever Banquet. 6 p.m. Lafayette Country Club, 1500 S. Ninth St. Guest speaker is Varro Tyler, Lilly Distinguished Professor of Pharmacognosy. Tickets are $30. Transportation from the Purdue Memorial Union to the Lafayette Country Club will be provided. Saturday, April 29 • Continuing Education Administration Lifetime Learning Expo. 9-11 a.m. LaPosada, Purdue Memorial Union. Exhibits on summer alumni program, custom-tailored training, distance learning master's degrees in engineering and business, educational travel, and using Purdue for educational programs. • 43rd annual Purdue Grand Prix go-kart race. Track opens at 10 a.m. First qualifying sprint starts at 11:30 a.m. Fifty-mile feature race starts about 3 p.m. Kart track north of Ross-Ade Stadium. Tickets are $6 at the gate. • Tri-Service ROTC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Reception. 10 a.m. Purdue Armory. Induction of selected Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC alumni. • Black and Gold football scrimmage. 11:30 a.m. Ross-Ade Stadium. Free. • PAA Business Luncheon. 12:15 p.m. South Ballroom, Purdue Memorial Union. Tickets are $16. Sunday, April 30 • Loyalty Brunch. 10:30 a.m. North Ballroom, Purdue Memorial Union. Presentation of Loyalty Certificates by President Beering and Golden Anniversary Certificates awarded to members of the Class of 1950. Tickets: $16. Reservations required. Tickets may be purchased at the Gala Week Headquarters, Room 118, Purdue Memorial Union. Source: Sharon Martin, (765) 494-5182; slmartin@purdue.edu Writer: J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371; mwillis@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page