Monmouth College to celebrate Homecoming weekend, Oct. 9-10
Monmouth, Ill. (10/06/2026) — Alumni returning home - and in the case of one group, to a brand-new home - will be among the many highlights of Monmouth College's Homecoming weekend.
The college will host its annual event that celebrates alumni Oct. 9-10, featuring several award ceremonies, as well as a spirit shout, a parade, a football game and pre- and post-football game gatherings. Reunions will be held throughout the weekend for the classes of 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021.
Oct. 9 events
At 4 p.m., a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the new home of Sigma Phi Epsilon at 815 E. Broadway.
"The state-of-the-art facility offers a permanent home for our undergraduates to live, host events, recruit, display awards and memorabilia, and study," said Brad Nahrstadt '89, a member of Monmouth's Board of Trustees and the former national president of the fraternity.
The induction of Paul White '61 into the Hall of Achievement - the highest honor Monmouth College bestows upon its graduates - will be part of the Alumni Impact Awards ceremony, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. in Mellinger Commons in the Center for Science and Business.
As president of Nova Scientific, Inc., White has championed breakthrough technologies in neutron detection and imaging, advancing research, security and industry while exemplifying curiosity, leadership and excellence.
Others to be honored at the ceremony are Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient Andrew Kerr '73, a successful fundraiser throughout his career who's also been a key contributor to his alma mater in a variety of ways; emeritus professor of economics Ken McMillan, Distinguished Service; "40 Under 40" emerging nurse leader Joi Henry '14, Young Alumnus; and the Dave and Jodi Blender Purlee family, Family of the Year. Art professor Janis Mars Wunderlich will be presented with the Hatch Academic Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Monmouth's volleyball team will play host to Illinois College at 7 p.m. in Glennie Gymnasium, and the 2026-27 theatre season will open at 7:30 p.m. at Wells Theater as the college stages the first of three performances of Shakespeare's Macbeth.
The Homecoming spirit shout will begin at 8:30 p.m. at April Zorn Memorial Stadium. The traditional celebration, which will feature competition by student organizations and the introduction of Homecoming royalty, will conclude with a fireworks display.
Oct. 10 events
The Saturday, Oct. 10, events will begin at 8:30 a.m. when four former Fighting Scot athletes will be inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame. The ceremony for tennis champion David Johnson '14; five-time All-American hurdler Shannon Turczyn Reschke '09; volleyball standout Chelsey Widdop Blodgett '13; and two-time national long jump champion James Wilson '16 will be held in the Huff Athletic Center fieldhouse.
The ceremony will also include the induction of three teams into the college's Fighting Scots Champions Club - the conference champion volleyball teams of 1981 and 1982 and the 1996 men's cross country team, which won Monmouth's first Midwest Conference title in 65 years.
At 9 a.m., the women's tennis team will play host to Grinnell, and the Scots will also square off against Cornell College at 3 p.m. In between, the volleyball team will be back in action at noon, hosting Knox in Glennie Gym.
At 10 a.m., the 10th annual Fraternity and Sorority Life Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Mellinger Commons. Slated to receive acceptance into the Hall of Fame are John Carlson '74 of Theta Chi and Anthony St. Clair '11 of Phi Delta Theta.
The Homecoming parade will start at 11:30 a.m. Sponsored by the Association for Student Activity Programming, it will include the Monmouth College Pipe Band and Fighting Scots Marching Band, among other entries. A new parade route this year will take participants west along Broadway from Ninth Street to Sixth Street and then north to Clinton Avenue, concluding near the alumni tailgate area in the parking lot north of Pattee Hall.
A $15 cookout for faculty and alumni will be held from noon-2 p.m. on the east hilltop overlooking Zorn Stadium, and the Homecoming football game against Luther College will follow with a special kick-off time of 2 p.m.
The men of Sigma Phi Epsilon will host a post-game gathering at 4:30 p.m. at their new house, and a Scots Social featuring the music of Craig & Co. will be held at 5 p.m. on the hilltop.
Macbeth will be staged again at 7:30 p.m. in Wells Theater, with the final performance set for 2 p.m. Oct. 11.
For the schedule of events: Homecoming Alumni Monmouth College
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ON BROADWAY: The street will stay the same, but at this year's Homecoming at Monmouth College, parade participants will march the opposite direction from a year ago before turning north to head to the alumni tailgate area behind Pattee Hall.
Monmouth College
Barry McNamara 309-457-2117, mcnamara@monmouthcollege.eduShare this Story
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