Thousands of Wildcats Ready to Party at Homecoming Festivities
Events, tours and presentations, including those hosted by individual colleges, will be held on and off campus during the week.

University Communications
Oct. 24, 2016

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Friday's Homecoming activities will include the Homecoming Barbecue Bash, the Alumni of the Year Awards Ceremony, the Bear Down Friday Night Pep Rally and the Bonfire.
Friday's Homecoming activities will include the Homecoming Barbecue Bash, the Alumni of the Year Awards Ceremony, the Bear Down Friday Night Pep Rally and the Bonfire. (Photo: Jacob Chinn/UA Alumni Association)


More than 50,000 people are expected to attend the University of Arizona's Homecoming events, the biggest party of the fall for alumni, friends and families.

For up-to-date information and event listings for the 102nd Homecoming, download the UA Alumni Association's Alumni Nation mobile app on the App Store and Google Play by searching "Alumni Nation."

Events, tours and presentations, including those hosted by individual colleges, will be held on and off campus during Homecoming week. They include:

  • Wednesday: Tech Parks Arizona will host activities at the UA Tech Park from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Approximately 6,000 Tech Cats, employees from all companies at the major employment center, will celebrate with games, prizes, raffles and barbecue on the east lawn of Building 9040. The 128-piece Cienega High School will entertain. Lunch tickets are $6.50. The UA Tech Park is at 9070 S. Rita Road.
  • Thursday: Curated and organized by the UA Museum of Art's student affinity group, MUSE, the "Red and Blue" exhibition uses UA colors as a starting point to explore individual works of art from the museum's permanent collection, connecting them to important milestones in University history. The exhibition will be open through Feb. 26 at the museum, 1031 N. Olive Road.
  • Thursday: A poetry reading with former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove will be held at 7 p.m. at the Poetry Center, 1508 E. Helen St., which is housed in the UA College of Humanities.
  • Friday: UA College of Science tours at the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab, located at 527 National Championship Drive, will be held at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
  • Friday: The UA College of Education is hosting a World War II exhibit, "Code Making and Perspective Taking," opening with an informal reception to be held from 3 to 5 p.m. in Worlds of Words. The exhibit features multiple displays, including original art by award-winning illustrator Julia Miner published in the picture book "The Unbreakable Code" by Sara Hoagland Hunter. The free, all-ages exhibit is open to the public and runs through Dec. 15. 
  • Saturday: The Library Cats Tech Breakfast will be held at 9 a.m. at the Main Library's Information Commons, 1501 E. University Blvd., with demonstrations of new technologies, such as virtual reality and 3-D scanning and printing. The UA Libraries will honor Rhonda Tubbs McKearney, who started the library's technology lending program 10 years ago during her time as an ASUA senator. A free continental breakfast will be served during this family-friendly event. 

General events, hosted by the UA Alumni Association, include:

Thursday: Class of 1966 Reunion

Members of the Class of 1966 will meet in Old Main's Silver and Sage Room.

During the reception, to be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., class members will be welcomed into the Silver and Sage Society, a community of UA alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago.

Friday: Homecoming Barbecue Bash, Alumni of the Year Awards Ceremony, Bear Down Friday Night Pep Rally and Bonfire

The Homecoming Barbecue Bash will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the UA Mall, on the east side of Old Main. Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat will make an appearance, dressed in Halloween costumes.

Later in the day, at 3 p.m., the Alumni of the Year awards ceremony will be held in Grand Ballroom South of the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd. The ceremony affords colleges the opportunity to honor and highlight their most accomplished alumni. Alumni are recognized for their professional achievement, humanitarian and public service, advocacy for education, distinguished volunteerism, and service to students, the colleges and the UA.

Award recipients and their respective colleges are:

  • Stephen A. Martori, advocate and leader in the fresh produce industry, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
  • Darryl B. Dobras, a long-serving champion of the advancement of the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.
  • Danielle DeConcini Thu, an advocate for education, community engagement and philanthropy, College of Education.
  • Phil Hagenah, owner of FilmHouse, a television commercial production company, and ardent supporter of the Eller College of Management.
  • John W. Somerhalder II, a leader in the energy services industry, College of Engineering.
  • Opal Tometi, a visionary writer, strategist and community organizer and a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
  • Linda Meta Mobula, a physician who has dedicated her career to improving lives in underdeveloped countries, Honors College.
  • Rick A. Ruth, a 40-year professional with the U.S. Department of State, College of Humanities.
  • Francisco V. Aguilar, a prominent Las Vegas attorney and supporter of the James E. Rogers College of Law.
  • Joy C. Bunt, a highly regarded clinician, pediatrician and researcher who served as a medical director at the National Institutes of Health, College of Medicine – Tucson.
  • Susan Saboe Rose, a dedicated leader in research and care for vulnerable populations, including the aging and those with cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, College of Nursing.
  • Robert R. Boye, an accomplished optical engineer serving as manager of the Physics-Based Microsystems Department at Sandia National Laboratories, College of Optical Sciences.
  • Richard M. Wiedhopf, a veteran of five decades at the College of Pharmacy and curator of the UA Pharmacy Museum.
  • Mark S. Smolinski, a global leader in predicting and preventing threats to public health, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.
  • Kevin B. Marvel, a leader in astronomy who currently is the executive officer of the American Astronomical Society, College of Science.

The Bear Down Friday Night Pep Rally will be held Friday evening at 5:30 at Main Gate Square, on University Boulevard just west of North Park Avenue. Every pep rally features Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat, the Pride of Arizona marching band, UA cheerleaders, the pom squad and twirlers. Visitors also enjoy specials at select restaurants on East University Boulevard.

The bonfire and crowning of the 2016 Homecoming king and queen will be held at 7:15 p.m. on the west side of Old Main.

Saturday: Wildcat for Life Tailgate Party, Tents on the UA Mall, Homecoming Parade and Football Game

The Wildcat for Life Tailgate Party and Tents on the UA Mall, a community-wide event that presents a unique opportunity for alumni, students and employees to come together to celebrate the past, present and future of the UA, will both begin at 3 p.m.

The parade, one of the most treasured Homecoming traditions, will begin at 3:45, circling the UA Mall and featuring Homecoming royalty, the Pride of Arizona marching band and Halloween-themed floats.

Kickoff for the Arizona vs. Stanford football game is at 8 p.m. in Arizona Stadium.

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Sarah Beaudry

UA Alumni Association

520-626-7100

sbeaudry@al.arizona.edu