Welcome to the October edition of the OrangeLine ONLINE! This monthly newsletter is to keep you abreast of activities at and about West Virginia Wesleyan College, your "Home Among the Hills.” In each edition, you will find articles about students, faculty, and staff as well as student organizations, activities and athletic team successes. You will also find a link to Class Notes to help you keep up with classmates, as well as information on alumni events in your area.

Homecoming… just the sound of this word brings back a multitude of wonderful memories. From the times when I was a student looking forward to the weekend's sporting events, the parade, and the fun outings with my classmates, to the times that I look forward to now as an alumna…the sporting events, getting together with friends at reunion gatherings, and the Alumni Awards Banquet, just to name a few. It is this time of year, when alumni cannot wait to return to "My Home Among the Hills."

During this special weekend on campus, certain Wesleyan alumni are singled-out and recognized by being honored with awards at the Alumni Awards Banquet. These awards began in the late-1940s, and continue to this day to recognize individuals for their outstanding professional achievement, community service, and support of our alma mater. I am extremely happy to state that seven individuals will be honored at this month's banquet, on Saturday, October 22.

The entire process of the alumni awards is overseen by the Awards/Recognitions Committee of the Alumni Council. Each spring, this Committee meets to review nominations that were submitted to the Alumni Office throughout the course of the school year. Anyone may nominate a Wesleyan graduate for an achievement award [recognition of status and position in their profession or demonstration of exceptional leadership in altruistic, philanthropic, or service endeavors to their community, state, or nation] or a service award [recognition of outstanding service to Wesleyan through recruiting students, working on special projects by serving as a consultant, arranging internships, working with alumni chapters, representing Wesleyan at special events, assisting with fund raising, and other significant contributions to the welfare and development of the College]. In addition to these two types of awards, a third award came into existence back in the mid-1980s titled, "Friend of Wesleyan Extra Mile Award." This award recognizes any person, faculty, staff, or friend of the College (basically a non-alumnus), who has been responsible for furthering the cause of Wesleyan through publicity, fund raising, student recruitment, or performing other services to assist the College in its mission over an extended period.

We receive many qualified candidates each year, thus making selections very difficult. From the inception of this program, we have compiled an impressive list of award recipients. In order to continue this tradition, we would like you to become involved by nominating an individual(s) that would qualify for these awards. Nomination forms can be found on Wesleyan's webpage at www.wvwc.edu under Alumni, or by contacting the Alumni Office at 59 College Avenue, Buckhannon, WV 26201, phone: 1-800-768-8264.

I hope to see some of you back on campus for this year's Homecoming, and hopefully at the Alumni Awards Banquet. May you have safe travels back to Sunny Buck!

Sincerely-

Jennifer L. Pearce, '89 Chair
Awards/Recognitions Committee - Alumni Council