Several members of the Murray State University class of 1958 will return to MSU for Alumni Reunion Weekend, May 8-10, for an assortment of activities honoring their 50-year reunion.

The golden anniversary group will kick off the weekend at The Big Apple Café on Thursday evening for a get together from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Classmates Don Sparks and Marilyn Mahan Blum will speak at the Emeritus Club Luncheon, held Friday at noon in the Murray Room of the Regional Special Events Center. Emeritus Club certificates will be presented by Jim Carter, MSU vice president of institutional advancement and executive director of the Alumni Association.

Don and Carolyn Lowe Sparks of Mayfield met as students at Murray State . Retired superintendent of Mayfield City Schools, Don served on the MSU Board of Regents from 2000-2006 and served one year as chairman. As a student at Murray State he was a member of the football team. Carolyn taught elementary school for 30 years. One of Carolyn’s favorite Murray State memories is socializing on the steps of Wells Hall, then a girl’s dorm.

Blum is traveling from LaQuinta, Calif., to join her ’58 classmates. Her career spanned 45 years teaching business education and English. Selected as a Campus Favorite, she was senior class secretary and a member of the Panhellenic Council and Alpha Sigma Alpha. “We were one big happy family,” says Blum. Her favorite Murray State traditions include dancing at The Hut and Campus Lights. Blum adds, “I was fortunate to meet wonderful friends whom I continue to share 50 years of friendships.”

A Commencement Reception hosted by the MSU Alumni Association will be held for the classes of 1958 and 2008 at Pogue Library on Friday evening from 4 to 5:30 p.m. All 1958 and 2008 class members and friends of the university are invited to attend.

A Mornin’ Minglin’ breakfast will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Easley Alumni Center for the ’58 class members. The group will then receive special recognition during MSU’s 2008 Commencement Ceremony, beginning at 10 a.m. at the RSEC.

Other ’58 graduates attending include Tau Sigma Tau (Pi Kappa Alpha) alumnus Jack Grisham of Mango, Fla., who has enjoyed a successful career in agriculture. For 43 years he worked in education as a teacher and school principal and also worked for the U.S. Department of Health and the U.S. Office of Education. Grisham gives credit to Murray State and his former professor A. Carmen for guidance and direction in his career. A favorite Murray State memory for him is “borrowing” an OVC banner after a basketball game with Western Kentucky University.

1958 class treasurer Harriett Anne Smith Reed of New Salisbury, Ind. enjoyed the tradition of “dressing up” for Homecoming and formals. A member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, Reed retired from teaching after 34 years.

Retired geophysicist William Sullivan of Lakeland , Tenn. is also attending the reunion. He worked 28 years with Shell Oil and Shell Offshore Inc. exploring and drilling at different sites including onshore Texas, offshore of the Gulf Coast states and with Shell Canada in the Atlantic Ocean .

Constance Moriarty Galloway will join her classmates from Newburgh , Ind. A retired teacher, she also worked as a school guidance counselor and with mentally challenged adults. As a student at Murray State she and her husband Nick were among the first married couples to reside on campus. “My kitchen and bathroom floors were often scrubbed by the boys pledging PIK,” said Galloway. A member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, her favorite Murray State traditions include the choir singing at Homecoming and sorority brunches.

Harold and Jody Sweeney Gibson of Cincinnati are both retired teachers and members of the 1958 class. While at Murray State, Harold was elected vice president of the student council, a member of Tau Sigma Tau and was twice voted “Man On Campus.” Jody was a music teacher and choir director for 20 years. At Murray State she was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma and Sigma Alpha Iota when they organized the inaugural All Campus Sing.

Sigma Sigma Sigma sister and 1958 graduate Lydia Hall Drutz of Chapel Hill, N.C. remembers hanging out at The Hut, wearing jeans for the first time and going swimming in Kentucky Lake. Drutz is a former art teacher and has lived in Taiwan , Philadelphia , Houston and Research Triangle Park, N.C. At Murray State she was named a Campus Favorite.

Murray State alumni and the public are invited to attend all events. For Alumni Reunion Weekend information or reservations, contact Alumni Affairs at 270-809-5600 or at (800) 758-8510.