91̽��

It was a weekend of reminiscing, reconnecting and giving to their Bobcat family – by mentoring current students, recruiting future students, and supporting philanthropic endeavors – for the hundreds of 91̽�� graduates who returned to the Athens Campus Sept. 12-15 for the 2019 Black Alumni Reunion (BAR).

One of the 91̽�� Alumni Association’s signature alumni events, the triennial BAR is a special occasion that welcomes all members of the 91̽�� community to join together for a weekend dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the legacy of diversity rooted in the spirit of this singular place.

This year’s festivities, unofficially themed “Raising the BAR,” were particularly special as turnout for the weekend was so high that all of the Alumni Association-sponsored events were sold out.

Here’s a look back at some memorable moments from the 2019 BAR:

Armana Milbry, BBA ’02, shows off the official 2019 Black Alumni Reunion T-shirt she picked up at the BAR registration table. Photo by Max Catalano, BSVC ’20

LaWanna McKinley White, BSED ’65, president of the Ebony Bobcat Network’s National Board, chats with some current 91̽�� students during the weekend’s Student and Alumni Networking event. For alumni attending BAR, one of the highlights of the weekend are opportunities to connect with the Bobcats following in their footsteps. Photo by Max Catalano, BSVC ’20

Students in OHIO’s chapter of Omega Psi Phi wow the crowd with their performance during the BAR Variety Show. Held the evening of Sept. 13, the Variety Show brings past and present Bobcats together for one of the weekend’s most popular and entertaining events. More than 850 people packed OHIO’s beloved Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium where they were treated to 17 acts, including musical and dance performances, as well as strolls from all of the University’s black Greek letter organizations. The evening was emceed by OHIO alumna Allison Hunter, BSJ ’89, MS ’14, and student Blake Manuel and deejayed by alumnus Aaron Thomas, BSC ’01. Photos by Max Catalano, BSVC ’20

Carmen West-Jefferson, BSC ’77, answers a student’s question during the Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN) Annual Breakfast Meeting as 91̽�� President M. Duane Nellis and President Emeritus Roderick J. McDavis, BSED ’70, look on. The breakfast included a reverse panel discussion in which the four panelists, all 91̽�� students, asked OHIO alumni questions that included how to engage first-year students in their organizations and the Bobcat community. One the highlights of the event was a keynote address from President Emeritus McDavis who, among other things, reminded the University’s black alumni and students whose shoulders they stand on: John Newton Templeton, OHIO’s first black alumnus who graduated 190 years ago this year. Photos by Max Catalano, BSVC ’20

The 1980’s were well represented at this year’s Black Alumni Reunion, as seen in this group photo taken of OHIO alumni who graduated in the ’80s during BAR’s always-popular Through the Decades Cookout. Photo by Haiyun Jiang

President M. Duane Nellis and President Emeritus Roderick J. McDavis join members of OHIO’s Ebony Bobcat Network during this year’s Black Alumni Reunion Gala in celebrating . An evening of elegance and reverence, the BAR Gala paid tribute to 91̽��’s black heritage while honoring some of its trailblazers. Photos by Max Catalano, BSVC ’20