WT Homecoming Week Set for Oct. 6 to 14

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University alumni will be dancing in the streets as the University celebrates Homecoming 2023.

Themed “The Buff Playlist,” Homecoming events run Oct. 6 to 13, culminating Oct. 14 with the annual parade and WT Football’s game against Western New Mexico University.

“Homecoming Week is a special time of year for WT alumni, students, faculty, staff and the Buff community,” said Ronnie Hall, executive director of the WT Alumni Association. “We are excited for people to return to campus to celebrate their Buff pride and create fond memories with friends.”

Highlights will include:

• The Phoenix: This celebration of WT’s Distinguished Alumni Class of 2023 will include a dinner and program, followed by jazz and desserts. It will run from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 12 in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center, with the after-party scheduled to be held around Buffalo Fountain on the Charles K. and Barbara Kerr Vaughan Pedestrian Mall. Tickets are $75; tables are $600 to $1,500. Honorees are Gary Barnes, a transformative former WT administrator; and the late William E. “Bill” Semmelbeck, a beloved business professor emeritus.
• Celebration of Color: Four WT alumni of color and three Amarillo community leaders will be honored at this dinner event at 6 p.m. Oct. 13 in Legacy Hall. Honorees will include civic leader Elisha Demerson; former star WT athlete Victor McGee; educator and comedian Milton Smith; nurse and educator Dolores Neal Thompson; civic volunteer Lilia Escajeda; and philanthropists David and Sherry Schaeffer. Tickets are $35; visit wtamu.edu/engagedcitizenship or call 806-651-8482.
• Run with the Herd: WT Military and Veteran Services will host a 5K fun run around the WT campus at 8 a.m. Oct. 14. Register here.
• Homecoming Parade: The Buff Playlist-themed parade will begin at 1 p.m. Oct. 14 and will follow a route from the First United Bank Center to the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex along Russell Long Boulevard. For entry information, call 806-651-2651.
• Countdown to Kickoff Block Party: Tailgating activities will begin immediately after the parade along 26th Street across from Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium on campus. The Alumni Association will host an open house, as well.
• WT Football: The Buffs will take on Western New Mexico at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 in Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium. For tickets, visit gobuffsgo.com.

Student activities will include Paint the Town Maroon on Oct. 6, with students decorating windows and vehicles around the community; a “Tunes at Noon” karaoke party Oct. 10 and 11 in the JBK Commons; Homecoming King and Queen elections; a dodgeball tournament Oct. 11 in the Virgil Henson Activities Center; and Pigskin Revue, the annual spirit rally at 8 p.m. Oct. 13in The Box.

For a complete list of activities, visit wtamu.edu/homecoming.

Maintaining strong community ties is a component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $150 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—