Bridgewater College - Events and Tradition

Events and Tradition

Annual events at Bridgewater College celebrate tradition, community, alumni, and culture. Founder's Day observance at Bridgewater commemorates the April 3, 1854, birth of Daniel Christian Flory, who began Bridgewater College in 1880, at the young age of 26.

In 2008, civil rights activist Andrew Jackson Young, Jr. was honored during the celebration of the 128th anniversary of the college. President Philip C. Stone awarded Young an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, honoris causa, in recognition for his devoted service to mankind and his country.

Homecoming weekend in October welcomes alumni back to the college with class reunions, outdoor festivities, a home football game, and the annual Athletic Hall of Fame banquet.

Senior Week is the week before graduation at the college, which seniors celebrate with several organized events. Oracles at the Oak was a tradition originally carried out by the senior class during the early-to-mid 1900s underneath an oak tree on campus. Students met to pledge their dedication not only to the school, but to each other in an honor of community and friendship. After the damaged oak tree was removed from campus grounds, the tradition subsided. However, the class of 2008 rekindled this tradition with the help of the Bridgewater College Alumni Association. The end of senior week is marked with the Bridgewater Ball, a formal dinner and dance usually held in Harrisonburg, VA.

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