"Foxy George" brings back old-school spirit
by Laura Jones, Reporter
On February 8-9, George Fox alumni - who graduated in years ending with an eight, starting from 1938 - are invited to the homecoming events. The theme for this year is "In Step with George Fox," which alludes to the "personal journey that each alumnus took as a student, and serves as a call to all alumni to reengage this place that they once called home."
In addition to the reunions, there will be dinners, theater performances, and dance classes for the visiting alumni. There is also a concert by Five O'clock People at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 8. One of the current members of the band is a George Fox University alum. Also, don't miss the men's and women's basketball games against Willamette University on Feb. 8 and Linfield College on Feb. 9.
One the many special events for alumni are the dance classes of Steve Grant who has taught dance at GFU for 26 years. Back then, the dance class was called "Rhythms" because GFU would not allow dancing on campus, but since teaching dance was then a state requirement, the university had to include it in the curriculum.
In the 1980's the class evolved into Western line dances; even this was a compromise due to the strict no-dancing policy. The students were often asking Grant to teach ballroom style dances, but he worried that he would get in trouble. The one time he did teach a few swing dancing moves the university president and four board members arrived.
After the incident, students told the president that Grant was only doing what they asked. Surprisingly, the president said he and his wife loved swing dancing, and with his approval, the current dancing policy was born. Steve Grant now teaches a ballroom dance class, which boasts over 50 students per class and a long wait list.
In other Homecoming news, the results of the Homecoming T-shirt contest are in. Valerie Rogers, Joanna Schmidt, and 10 of their work-study students won $50 for their Homecoming T-shirt design idea. The T-shirts will be available during Homecoming, and students are encouraged to wear them to the basketball games.
While searching for T-shirt ideas through 1960's archives of school mascots, they discovered "Foxy George," a retired school mascot of a fox. They felt Foxy George would be a delightful way to bring a touch of nostalgia to the alumni Homecoming this year.
The t-shirts will feature "Foxy George" circa 1960 and "George Fox University" on the front and the catchphrase "Bringing Foxy Back" on the back of the t-shirt. The idea is not to revive an ex-mascot but simply to honor the history of GFU for the returning alumni.
Homecoming started as a tradition at GFU during the early 1930's with the dual purpose of welcoming back the alumni and promoting school spirit. In the past "students would have a clean-up day for the campus to prepare for the returning alumni," says Director of Alumni Relations Robby Larson.
The first Homecoming court coronation was in 1952 and it consisted of one queen, and three princesses; no male royalties were included until later.
Another decades-old tradition is the Bruin brawl, an on-campus fight for the possession of Bruin Jr. In 1962, Bruin brawls were taking place every week on Friday afternoons. Expect to see a Bruin brawl included during the week of Homecoming celebrations.