There was Dallas Brim, BGSU Class of 1955, swapping stories and enjoying the moment. A former BG Newser, he was a long-time BGSU Bookstore employee whose late wife, Delores, was business manager of The News in the 1970s.
There was the husband-and-wife team of Dan and Cindy (Smercina) Bomeli. Dan was a photographer at The News and Cindy a reporter in the mid-1970s. They now live in suburban Cleveland.
There was Dan Feicht, 1976 BG News photo editor and veteran photographer for Cedar Point and its affiliated amusement parks, catching up on old news with retired photography professor Jim Gordon and his wife, Joan.
Outside, the wind was blowing and it was raining sideways, but the BG News Alumni Society (BGNAS) Tent Party was a popular place at BGSU's Homecoming Oct. 16, 2004. More than 100 former and current Newers, family and friends gathered for the official kickoff event of BGNAS.
The tent party and creation of the Alumni Society follows the successful BG News reunion in 2002 that attracted 200 people to campus, considered one of the university's best first-time reunions.
"The Homecoming event this year was a good start for the group," said Jim Tinker, 1991 BG News editor and the Society's founding president. "It was a fun time and gave us an opportunity to discuss what we're attempting to do with the Alumni Society."
Tinker and a planning committee created a slate of officers, committees and goals for the organization, the most important of which is to provide ongoing support for The BG News and its staff.
The Alumni Society's goals are to create scholarships and internships that benefit BG News staff members, and provide professional networking for BG News alums working both in journalism and other fields.
The BG News Alumni Society, in cooperation with the BGSU Development Office and Major Gifts Officer Michelle Banks, a former BG News staffer and 1992 graduate, have created the Terry Goodman Memorial Scholarship. The goal is to raise $25,000 by next fall's reunion to help endow $500 and $1,000 scholarships.
"The Goodman Scholarship effort is the Alumni Society's first major initiative and will hopefully be the springboard to accomplishing this organization's goal of supporting BG News student journalists," Tinker said.
The BG News Alumni Society also is seeking volunteers to help with committee work. Anyone interested in volunteering or with questions/comments about the Society should contact President Beth Hertz at hertz23@aol.com.
