Classes of 1974, 1975 reunite at founder’s home for special Homecoming event
Graduates from Liberty University’s earliest graduating classes, 1974 and 1975, reunited during Homecoming for the first annual Golden Alumni Luncheon on Oct. 23 at Tall Oaks, the former home of Liberty’s late founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell.
The luncheon, hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations, gave the alumni a chance to reminisce about their student experiences over 50 years ago and celebrate the way the Lord has used them since their college years.
The bottom floor of the two-story home has been largely preserved to the way it looked when the Falwell family lived there. The alumni were treated to a tour, and Liberty Chancellor Jonathan Falwell joined them to share some history about the house his family moved into in 1979 and to attest to the way the university flourished since the alumni in attendance were students.
“You are the ones who understand, when you drive on campus now, that we’ve been given a gift by God,” Falwell said. “God continues to bless Liberty; God has done some amazing things here every single day. You heard my dad talk about what Liberty would be one day, and now we get to be able to sit back and see that he actually knew what he was talking about. This house is a special place; it’s got a lot of history, and a lot of incredible moments took place here with noteworthy guests at this very table, but the most important thing that took place in this house is that, every day, my dad would bathe our university and our church in prayer.”
Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Dr. Greg Tilley welcomed them, sharing the respect and care his office — and Liberty as a whole — have for these “pioneer” students.
“You were the tip of the spear, going through Liberty right at the beginning, and the sacrifices that most of you made are greatly appreciated,” he told them. “You were here when the buildings weren’t here. My honor is to run our office and to serve alums like you. Today, we want you to rekindle friendships, be together again, and be thankful for what God has done in your life and in the life of Liberty University.”
Amid the luncheon courses, many stories were swapped, including memories with Liberty leaders and classmates, and conversations on what the last 50 years had brought to the university.
Kenneth Jenkins (’75) earned his bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry and said he was sent out into the world in 1976 with a charge from Falwell to spread the Gospel as a Champion for Christ. Jenkins now lives in Appomattox, Va., after spending 35 years on the mission field in Papua New Guinea, Africa, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
“I was meeting people, planting churches, starting schools — everything that Dr. Falwell taught us to do,” he said. “I caught his vision, and great things happened. I belong to Liberty — that’s just the way it is — and Liberty belongs to me. We are so happy to come to this event and look forward to the other (alumni events) this weekend.”
Jenkins said he enjoyed reuniting with former classmates, some he has kept in touch with online and some he has not heard from for decades.
“Fifty years is a long time,” he said. “There are several people here who I still recognize, and most of them can recognize me. I wanted to come to see who was here, as a lot of our classmates have passed on, and I (cherished) the opportunity to come back together again.”
“I love reunions, and it’s so neat to see people who were here at the same time and see what we’ve each done for the Lord,” said Debbie Benoit (’75), who studied youth ministry and served as Liberty’s assistant dean of women and taught family & child development for 17 years before retiring in 2022. “There are some people here who I haven’t seen in probably 50 years. It excites me to come back here and see how the Lord has used all of us. The friendships we formed back then are lifelong. We all experience the same thing, and it’s very important to me to stay in touch with these people.”
She said she used to tell her students to appreciate all the amenities they have now. “We saw Dr. Falwell back then talking about the vision he had, and we bought into it.”
