A century ago, William & Mary’s alumni office led the charge in the campaign “to provide a Home Coming Day for former students in the fall.”
So wrote Alumni Secretary J. Malcolm Bridges 1925 in the March 19, 1926, issue of The Flat Hat. He continued: “Surely such a suggestion should appeal to all concerned and with a little effort could be made the occasion of an annual pilgrimage to Alma Mater.”
Bridges’ appeal met with approval from alumni. The first Home Coming Day — Oct. 23, 1926 — “was a complete success from every angle,” according to The Flat Hat. And thus a grand tradition was born.
In the years since, Home Coming Day has transformed to Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, a multiday extravaganza attracting thousands of alumni. There’s something for everyone — parties, class reunions, departmental open houses, children’s activities — plus the traditional parade and football game.
We Love A Parade
According to the late W. Wilford Kale Jr. ’66, P ’19 in his book “Hark Upon the Gale: An Illustrated History of the College of William & Mary,” the first parade was held in 1929, and it traveled from campus, down Duke of Gloucester Street to the Capitol Building, and then back again.
That first parade included just one float, which depicted the first president of W&M, the Rev. James Blair, receiving the Royal Charter from King William III and Queen Mary II. The entire student body of 1,400 marched behind it in lines of four.
Before long the parade changed to a more traditional format, with floats created by students, local groups and even corporate sponsors, such as Lucky Strike cigarettes.
During World War II, the Homecoming Parade was canceled until 1946. Funds normally used for floats and other decorations went to the purchase of war bonds. While the Colonial Parkway tunnel was under construction in the late 1940s, students used the space to construct parade floats.
The 20-plus-foot “wedding cake” float constructed by Chi Omega sorority in 1960 led to a height restriction because of safety concerns. That height restriction is still in effect and also helps protect the trees lining Richmond Road.
The 1974 parade featured the famous Budweiser Clydesdales, attracting a then-record crowd of 22,000. The record was immediately topped in 1975 when Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters from Kings Dominion attracted a crowd of more than 25,000.
The parade route didn’t include W&M’s campus until 1982, when the route was extended after proceeding down Duke of Gloucester Street to travel Richmond Road toward what was then William & Mary Hall. In another addition, alumni celebrating reunion years joined their classmates to march in the parade.
In 2011, the parade moved from Saturday morning to Friday afternoon, in part to encourage more student participation. The new route was entirely on campus and Richmond Road and featured a new grand finale — a pep rally at Yates Field and a block party that closed Richmond Road and Scotland Street from Wawa to Paul’s Deli, with live music, food and beer.
Today’s parade is one of the highlights of Homecoming, drawing crowds of thousands along the route from Confusion Corner (the intersection of Richmond Road and North Boundary Street) to the Alumni House. Reunion classes and Alumni Association identity and affinity groups hold watch parties along the route to gather and cheer for the parade together. Each year’s parade T-shirt, thrown from floats during the event, is a collector’s item — during the presidency of W. Taylor Reveley III HON ’18, LL.D. ’18, they featured him as a variety of characters, including Yoda and James Bond.
From a group of Wookiees (the furry creatures from “Star Wars”) singing “Our Alma Mater” to Lord Botetourt on roller skates, the Homecoming Parade is all about fun — for adults and kids alike. There’s some spirited rivalry as well, as student and alumni groups vie for cash prizes based on creativity, workmanship/effort and spirit. Groups perform for a panel of alumni, faculty and staff judges in front of the Alumni House, showing off their best dance moves, feats of athletic prowess or even how quickly they can rig up a sail on a boat.
It’s Grand to be Grand Marshal
The tradition of naming parade grand marshals annually to honor outstanding alumni and staff began in 1974. The grand marshal leads the parade, is honored during the football game at halftime and receives a commemorative silver plate. The longest-serving grand marshal was perhaps Dean J. Wilfred Lambert 1927, L.H.D. ’81, G ’97, G ’99, who was grand marshal from 1946 to 1970.
A longstanding figure in the Homecoming Parade until he passed away in 1955 was Henry Billups. Born in 1872, he had worked at W&M since 1888 and was a beloved figure at William & Mary, responsible for ringing the Wren Bell, among other duties. In 1935, during Homecoming, “132 alumni, representing 41 classes” presented Billups with a “watch, chain and bell” that he cherished, per the Alumni Gazette that year. After Billups passed away, Hugh DeSamper ’51, P ’78 published a remembrance in the Alumni Gazette, saying “This fall, when the Homecoming Parade rolls past, many in the crowd will experience a twinge of sadness when they look for — and don’t see — Henry waving his derby from his shiny convertible.”
Before she passed away in January 2019, Ruth Weimer Tillar ’45 had witnessed almost every Homecoming, attending all but one since her freshman year in 1941. (That’s 77 Homecomings!) She led the parade twice — once as an Alumni Medallion recipient in 2012 and then as grand marshal in 2018.
For the university’s 300th birthday in 1993, the grand marshals were the oldest living alumnus, E. Ralph James Sr. 1916, P ’55, P ’55; the oldest living alumna, Catherine Teackle Dennis 1921; and the alumnus who had attended the most Homecomings, Rolfe E. Kennard 1924, P ’51.
In 2017, the first three Black residential students at W&M — Lynn F. Briley ’71, L.H.D. ’18; Janet Brown Strafer ’71, M.Ed. ’77, L.H.D. ’18; and Karen O. Ely ’71, L.H.D. ’18, G ’30 — served as grand marshals as the university commemorated 50 years since their matriculation.
Iconic actor Glenn Close ’74, D.A. ’89, H.F. ’19 was grand marshal in 2023, following in the footsteps of her mentor and theatre professor Howard Scammon ’34, who had the honor in 1989. During her visit to campus, she also gave a master class to theatre students, helped dedicate the Arts Quarter and the theatre named in her honor in the renovated Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall, and discussed the importance of the arts with President Katherine A. Rowe in a Presidential Conversation. Her dog, Sir Pippin of Beanfield, accompanied her throughout Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, even taking the stage at the dedication ceremony.
View the full list of prior marshals.
Gridiron Glory
Who can imagine Homecoming without football? Countless traditions have grown out of the game — the annual crowning of a Homecoming Queen, pep rallies, tailgates, raucous fraternity brothers painted green and gold.
The first Homecoming Day in 1926 centered around the afternoon football game against George Washington University. W&M won handily, 14-0. In the late 1920s and early ’30s, some Homecoming games were held at night under the lights of Cary Field. After 1936, alumni could view the game from the relative comfort of stadium seats. Football has been an integral part of Homecoming ever since, with the only interruption occurring during World War II. The 1946 game was dubbed “Victory Homecoming,” with a 41-0 score over Virginia Military Institute.
W&M teams have always fought hard, experiencing both triumph and heartache (including a 41-0 loss to Ohio State in 1968). After the victory over Washington & Lee in 1939, W&M freshmen threw their duc caps into the postgame bonfire. As The Flat Hat reported, no disciplinary action was taken: “Campus spirit is running at such a high pitch … that they could have gotten away with practically anything short of burning the Wren Building to the ground.”
One of the greatest moments came in 1985, when the Tribe beat archrival Richmond, 28-17. As the Alumni Gazette reported, “After the game, many of the 18,000 fans poured onto the field and tore down the goalposts, something Cary Stadium has not seen in many years.”
Paying it Forward
Another important Homecoming tradition is celebrating reunions. At the instigation of Jim Kelly ’51, P ’77, P ’80, P ’90, former head of the Alumni Association, class reunions were moved from Commencement to Homecoming in 1960. The 50th, 55th and 60th reunions are part of Traditions Weekend in the spring. Reunions are occasions to reunite with classmates, share fond memories, connect with the William & Mary of today and pay it forward to the next generation.
The largest class gift presented by the 5th–45th classes was in 2025 — almost $66 million in support of W&M. Reunion giving funds scholarships, academic programs, faculty research and many other campus initiatives.
Homecoming & Reunion Weekend was also the stage for the public launch of William & Mary’s record-setting For the Bold campaign in 2015. Hundreds of alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends gathered in the Sunken Garden, holding candles and singing “Our Alma Mater,” to celebrate the ambitious campaign which raised $1.04 billion, strengthened alumni engagement and increased alumni participation in giving.
The launch of For the Bold also marked the introduction of the big white marquee tent in the Sunken Garden, which has been a venue for signature Homecoming events every year since and anchors the celebrations in the heart of campus.
Another key venue for Homecoming & Reunion Weekend is the Alumni House. The expanded Alumni House opened with a dedication ceremony during Homecoming 2021. Its 53,000 square feet incorporate the historic Bright House and include a new ballroom, Hunter Hall, named for lead donor Hunter J. Smith ’51, L.H.D. ’18, who served as grand marshal that year.
“Just as the bricks are the foundation of this historic building, you, our alumni, are the foundation of all we do. This building is a testament to the important role our alumni play in the life of our university and how much we can achieve together,” Marilyn Ward Midyette ’75, then chief executive officer of the WMAA, said at the ceremony. “We hope it will be your first stop on campus every time you return.”
Party On, Tribe!
The first organized Homecoming dances were held in 1926 for both alumni and students. Venues have changed over the years — the old Blow Gymnasium, the Williamsburg Lodge, Kingsmill, the Sunken Garden. So has the music, from the big band melodies of Buddy Morrow in the 1950s to the reggae rhythms of The Wailers in 2006.
Homecoming get-togethers have included a wide variety of other events, including luncheons, dinners and tailgates. The “royal court” of Homecoming is crowned during the festivities, with students elected to the honor.
Formal attire may no longer be the fashion, but William & Mary still knows how to throw a party. Festivities include not only alumni in reunion years but all alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents of students and members of the broader W&M community. Class reunion receptions are now fully catered and take place in individual class tents in the Sunken Garden and other iconic locations, such as the Great Hall of the Wren Building. Friday night reunions are followed by the Friday Night Foodie Fest, a tasting experience featuring some of the region’s favorite restaurants, bakeries, wineries, breweries and cafés. Saturday night reunions continue the fun at the Saturday Night Bash, a dance party for all alumni and friends with a live band in the iconic big white tent in the Sunken Garden.
Building Community
More alumni than ever are attending Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, with over 3,000 registered attendees most years — not counting the 12,000 who fill Zable Stadium for the football game and thousands of others who attend events hosted by various groups across campus. There are more opportunities than ever before to get together with alumni who share similar affiliations and interests. In 2018, the Association of 1775 began hosting its annual breakfast honoring military and veteran alumni, students and families. The Olde Guarde (alumni whose undergraduate class graduated 50 years ago or more) hosts an annual brunch, and the Order of the White Jacket (alumni who worked in food service) holds its annual meeting and reception. Other affinity and identity groups gather throughout the weekend as well.
In 2020, Homecoming went entirely virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic, with events over two weeks, including reunion gatherings, a career coaching session and the Sunset Ceremony. Homecoming 2021 included the in-person Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2020 so they could experience this time-honored tradition.
Saying Farewell
Few traditions better symbolize the closeness of the Tribe family than the Sunset Ceremony. Taking time out from the hectic pace of Homecoming, guests gather in the Wren Courtyard to honor those alumni, faculty, staff and students who have passed away in the previous year.
According to university records, the tradition of honoring deceased alumni dates back as far as 1900. From 1930 to 1959, the Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa sponsored a memorial service on Alumni Day during Commencement Weekend, held on campus at the gravesite of Benjamin Ewell, W&M’s president from 1854–1888.
Beginning in 1962, Homecoming featured a Sunset Parade in the Sunken Garden that combined a memorial service with a review of the Queens’ Guard. The Sunset Ceremony as we know it today was introduced in 1976. The Queens’ Guard continues to participate, and the W&M Choir performs as well. The Wren Bell peals and candles are lit in honor of each member of the William & Mary who has passed. The ceremony is recorded and posted online so friends and family can view it from afar.
A W&M Family Shares Homecoming Memories
Homecoming not only nurtures friendships, it nurtures families.
Patricia “Pat” King Sell ’58, P ’83, P ’87, P ’91, G ’14, G ’16 is the matriarch of a three-generation Tribe family. Sell shared her reflections of Homecoming with the W&M Alumni Magazine in 2013:
“The fanfare of Homecoming refreshes my mind as the fun, freedom and fact-finding of college days are recalled; where friendships are forged, ideas are hatched, explored and challenged, knowledge and wisdom accrued. The aroma of the greenery, the sight of the fall foliage, the sounds of students enjoying life on campus excite my memory. The cheers from the stands when the football team scores, the band plays and cheerleaders shout, all bring a smile to my face. Watching the funny, fancy floats as the Homecoming Parade passes by, listening to the foot-tapping music of the bands as they march up Richmond Road has brought tears of joy to my eyes.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that my motivation to visit campus has escalated through the years. It’s great to have three wonderful kids and two wonderful granddaughters to visit over the years. I am thrilled that they want to carry on the traditions that make William & Mary strong.”
An earlier version of this story was published Sept. 17, 2019.