Heart & Soul

The 63rd annual homecoming at Winston-Salem State University was one that was to be enjoyed by all. Whether it was a jazz concert or a celebration of african kings and queens, this 2004 homecoming celebration had tastes to satisfy anyone.The week began on Sunday, Sept. 26, with the heavenly sounds of the Gospel concert in K.R. Williams Auditorium. Although rain prohibited celebrations of the official kickoff on Monday, Arnez J, Pat Brown, and WSSU’s own, ‘B-Dot’ picked students’ spirits up at the comedy show that night in K. R. Williams.Wednesday night marked a historic evening made for a nubian queen and king at coronation. Kelechi Anyanwu officially began her reign as the queen of our university, as Miss WSSU. Mr. Ram, William Dobbs, was also crowned.Thursday, the legendary C. E. “Big House” Gaines was on campus to autograph his autobiography, They Call Me Big House.Friday began with the annual wreath laying ceremony and Founder’s Day convocation, which presented a powerful speech by keynote speaker, Mr. Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. The day also featured a mini-parade and pep rally that proved to get students excited for the upcoming homecoming activities. That night, the Gaines Center was full of students and ram family who were ready to hear the beats and sounds at the step show, which featured six of the fraternity and sororities on campus. Comedian Joe Torry hosted the show.Finally, Saturday came and was kicked off with an exhilarating parade that ended just in time for fans to start arriving at Bowman Gray Stadium to see our Rams take on the Broncos of Fayetteville State University. The Rams fought hard, but in the end the Broncos took the win with a score of 21 to 14. The loss didn’t seem to ruin the day for most, as students and friends still had the concert and alumni old school basement party to look forward to. The concert, held in the Gaines Center, featured local group Tony Dove and the One Love band, a WSSU group, Forward Progress, and national recording artist, Loon. The crowd danced to the electric slide while listening to the electric guitar, drums and singing of a band which featured two WSSU alumni. Homecoming ended with a worship service at First Calvary Baptist Church on Sunday at 11AM.