Hundreds of graduates return home for OHIO’s 2019 BAR
It was a weekend of reminiscing, reconnecting and giving to their Bobcat family – by mentoring current students, recruiting future students, and supporting philanthropic endeavors – for the hundreds of Ohio University graduates who returned to the Athens Campus Sept. 12-15 for the 2019 Black Alumni Reunion (BAR).
One of the Ohio University Alumni Association’s signature alumni events, the triennial BAR is a special occasion that welcomes all members of the Ohio University community to join together for a weekend dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the legacy of diversity rooted in the spirit of this singular place.
This year’s festivities, unofficially themed “Raising the BAR,” were particularly special as turnout for the weekend was so high that all of the Alumni Association-sponsored events were sold out.
Here’s a look back at some memorable moments from the 2019 BAR:
Armana Milbry, BBA ’02, shows off the official 2019 Black Alumni Reunion T-shirt she picked up at the BAR registration table. The 2019 BAR limited-edition T-shirt and hat are still available for purchase through The Bobcat Store. Photo by Max Catalano, BSVC ’20
LaWanna McKinley White, BSED ’65, president of the Ebony Bobcat Network’s National Board, chats with some current Ohio University students during the weekend’s Student and Alumni Networking event. For alumni attending BAR, one of the highlights of the weekend are opportunities to connect with the Bobcats following in their footsteps. Photo by Max Catalano, BSVC ’20
Students in OHIO’s chapter of Omega Psi Phi wow the crowd with their performance during the BAR Variety Show. Held the evening of Sept. 13, the Variety Show brings past and present Bobcats together for one of the weekend’s most popular and entertaining events. More than 850 people packed OHIO’s beloved Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium where they were treated to 17 acts, including musical and dance performances, as well as strolls from all of the University’s black Greek letter organizations. The evening was emceed by OHIO alumna Allison Hunter, BSJ ’89, MS ’14, and student Blake Manuel and deejayed by alumnus Aaron Thomas, BSC ’01. To see more photos from BAR’s 2019 Variety Show, click here. Photos by Max Catalano, BSVC ’20
Carmen West-Jefferson, BSC ’77, answers a student’s question during the Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN) Annual Breakfast Meeting as Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis and President Emeritus Roderick J. McDavis, BSED ’70, look on. The breakfast included a reverse panel discussion in which the four panelists, all Ohio University students, asked OHIO alumni questions that included how to engage first-year students in their organizations and the Bobcat community. One the highlights of the event was a keynote address from President Emeritus McDavis who, among other things, reminded the University’s black alumni and students whose shoulders they stand on: John Newton Templeton, OHIO’s first black alumnus who graduated 190 years ago this year. To see more photos from the EBN Annual Breakfast Meeting, click here. Photos by Max Catalano, BSVC ’20
The 1980’s were well represented at this year’s Black Alumni Reunion, as seen in this group photo taken of OHIO alumni who graduated in the ’80s during BAR’s always-popular Through the Decades Cookout. To see additional group photos from the cookout, click here. For other photos from the event, click here. Photo by Haiyun Jiang
President M. Duane Nellis and President Emeritus Roderick J. McDavis join members of OHIO’s Ebony Bobcat Network during this year’s Black Alumni Reunion Gala in celebrating the more than $324,000 the EBN raised in partnership with The OHIO Match to endow its first Urban Scholarship Fund. An evening of elegance and reverence, the BAR Gala paid tribute to Ohio University’s black heritage while honoring some of its trailblazers. For coverage of the 2019 Black Alumni Reunion Gala, click here. To see more photos from this historic evening, click here. Photos by Max Catalano, BSVC ’20