The time, efforts and planning of the last three years are finally coming to fruition when Ohio University celebrates its official bicentennial on Founder's Day Wednesday.
This milestone earns a lot of recognition - and a gigantic cake. The festivities kick off in the new lecture hall's rotunda at 11:30 a.m. with a birthday party complete with cake for everyone.
OU President Robert Glidden will cut the cake with presidents emeritus Vernon Alden (1962-69) and Charles Ping (1975-94), the only living university presidents.
During the party, author Betty Hollow will sign copies of the bicentennial book. The Local Girls, Section Eight, cheerleaders and dance team will perform.
Other universities who have celebrated their bicentennials recently operated under slightly different budget circumstances
said Hub Burton, associate vice president of university communications and marketing.
He said officials decided they had to be more economical with the celebration. One way to save money was to use talent available in Athens.
An original musical composition by OU professor Mark Phillips will be performed Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. in the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
The music-filled night will start with fanfare - courtesy of the faculty brass quintet.
Phillip's piece, Turning Two Hundred is the bicentennial signature event of the year said Nancy Crist, president's office director.
It reflects on their past experience with Ohio University and their hopes for OU's future
Crist said.
Art lives! Glidden wrote in an e-mail. The bicentennial celebration will have passed soon
but this piece of music will live on forever.
Glidden, who has three music degrees, approached Phillips more than two years ago to commission him to write the score. The song evolved into a musical extravaganza lasting about 40 minutes with a prologue, six movements and epilogue.
I've listened to it
and I'm thrilled
Glidden said. It's an exciting piece with subtle but appropriate OU references.
Performers include the jazz band, symphony orchestra, drum line and School of Dance with choreography by Lisa Ford Moulton.
It is the composition of the thousands because there are so many people involved
said Raymond Tymas-Jones, College of Fine Arts dean.
A video montage prepared by the office of communications and marketing complements the score and is part of the fabric of the composition
Tymas-Jones said.
At the evening extravaganza, two Founder's Citations - the Board of Trustees' highest honor - will be presented to Wilfred Konneker and G. Kenner Bush.
Konneker, a 1943 alumnus, has served OU for the past 50 years working with the alumni association and the OU Foundation, co-founding the Cutler Scholars program and donating more than $16.5 million.
He is one of the first two national trustees on the board.
My time at the university has been a lot of fun and to be awarded something for having fun seems a little strange
he said. It makes me both honored and humbled.
Bush funds the Bush Research Center in Scripps Hall and several Cutler Scholarships.
He was once the publisher of The Athens Messenger and served as a trustee, following his father and grandfather.
He also worked with the OU Foundation on the last two presidential searches and the Third Century fundraising campaign.
