Special Collections presents our archival project Archives Gold: 50 Objects for UMBC's 50th, a special series showcasing 50 different objects that tell the story of UMBC. Every Thursday we will present a new object from the University Archives - be it a photograph, pin, yearbook, playbill, etc.- leading up to the 50th Anniversary of UMBC's opening in September of next year. This week our object is a pin from UMBC's very first Homecoming in 1976.
Pin from Homecoming, 1976. University Archives, Special Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD)
In 1975, a group of UMBC students came together to form the first Homecoming Committee hoping to bring tradition and celebration to the UMBC campus. Their proposed motto "It Feels So Good" was chosen for the campus' first Homecoming in February of 1976 believing that it expressed "the feelings of alumni as they greet old friends" and "the wishes of the whole UMBC community to enjoy the pride and the sense of tradition that other schools possess" (1976 Homecoming Committee booklet). Students, faculty, staff, administrators, and UMBC alumni were invited to take part in the celebration with various activities and events, including a pep rally, a mixer featuring band "Climb-A-Donkey," and a homecoming basketball game against the Towson Tigers.
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