Liberty’s earliest students gather at founder’s home for special Homecoming luncheon

Gathering around tables in the home of Liberty University’s late founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell, on Friday, 23 graduates from the university’s earliest graduating classes (1974 and 1975) reunited at the first annual Golden Alumni Luncheon, kicking off Homecoming weekend.

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.

Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Dr. Greg Tilley welcomed the guests, sharing the respect and care his office — and Liberty as a whole — have for these “pioneer” students.

“Our job is to honor you, our golden alums, and we appreciate you,” he said. “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. 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 what the last 50 years had brought both the alumni and 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 and be 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.”

The luncheon predictably served as a reunion for some, and Jenkins said he enjoyed seeing fellow alumni, some he has followed up 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.”

Debbie Benoit (’75) studied youth ministry before serving as Liberty’s assistant dean of women and teaching family & child development for 17 years before retiring in 2022. She explained that the event allowed the alumni to hear how God has used them since they were sent out at graduation.

“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,” she said. “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.”

“I used to tell my students that I have every right to tell them that they are spoiled at Liberty (nowadays) because they don’t understand what they have here,” she added. “We saw Dr. Falwell back then talking about the vision he had, and we bought into it.”

The bottom floor of Falwell’s two-story Lynchburg home, now called the Tall Oaks estate, has been largely preserved to the way it looked when his family lived there. The alumni were treated to an open walkthrough of the rooms. Liberty Chancellor Jonathan Falwell joined the gathering 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 actually 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.”

The Alumni Relations Office is also hosting an Alumni Breakfast and Alumni Tailgate on Saturday. Learn more about Liberty’s 2025 Homecoming events. Registration and check-in on Saturday is open until 12:30 p.m.