There’s No Place Like Home One of the highlights of Homecoming was the dedication of Barker House, the College’s new president’s residence. More than 200 alumni, friends, and members of the Rollins community gathered at the beautiful new lakefront home for the formal ribbon-cutting ceremony and to honor Frank ’52 and Daryl Stamm ’53 Barker for their generous lead gift that made the house possible. Located just east of the Rollins campus on the shores of Lake Virginia, Barker House is the first on-campus residence for College presidents and their families. Frank Barker, who serves as chairman of Rollins’ Board of Trustees, and his wife, Daryl, have been ardent supporters of their alma mater for many years. In addition to Barker House, they have contributed funds for Daryl’s Fitness Center in the Harold & Ted Alfond Sports Center, the Barker Family Stadium at Cahall-Sandspur Field, the Barker Lobby in the Bush Executive Center at the Crummer Graduate School of Business, the Barker Frank ’52 and Daryl Stamm ’53 Barker (far right) lead a ribbon-cutting Flagpole, dormitory furnishings for the X-Club, and numerous academic ceremony to formally dedicate the new Barker House. and athletic initiatives. During the Barker House dedication ceremony, Student Government Association president Caitlin “Cat” McConnell ’07 described the house as “a symbol of the community atmosphere that we all live and learn in here at Rollins.” The first floor of the house, and the pool and patio area it overlooks, will provide a wonderful setting for hosting students and guests. President Lewis Duncan, who has the good fortune of being the first Rollins president to occupy the home, thanked everyone who helped make the house a reality. “My family and I love walking around Rollins and to campus events,” he said. “This home gives us the opportunity to do that.”
Reliving the Past Reuniting with old friends is what Homecoming is all about, and one of the best venues for that was the 11th Annual Grove Party, sponsored by Bill Bieberbach ’70 ’71MBA and Tom duPont ’70. The weather put a squeeze on the event this year, forcing its relocation from its usual lakeside setting to the Wolf Lobby in the Harold & Ted Alfond Sports Center, but the camaraderie was as strong as ever. From there, alumni moved into the McKean Gymnasium for good food and fun across the generations at the All-Campus Reception.
(l-r) Mary Tarr Crouch ’55, Jon Simmons, Kit Johnson Rutledge ’52, Burt Rutledge, Mary Ann "Winkie" Colado Page ’57, and Reid Page