Another kind of coming home

Hope Neiffer, future member of the class of 2036, tailgates with her sister before the homecoming game at Strong Stadium on Sept. 19. Her father, former Buccaneer football standout Adam Neiffer ’06, was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Honor at Beloiter Days 2025.
Credit: Kayla Wolf

Auditoriums, classrooms, stadiums, and dining halls buzzed with chatter and cheer as visiting alumni marked wins big and small: an exact frisbee toss, a swim relay, a new connection with a current student, a moment with an old friend. The Boys of Summer rumbled through the history of Beloit on a heritage tour, courtesy of Brian Morello ’85. Families danced past parade banners to student-led choreography, and classmates leaned into conversations over a C-Haus counter.

For three days, Beloiters came together around big ideas, award-winning talent, shared culture, new traditions, and old mem-ories. Alums in high heels, tennis shoes, and golf carts revisited campus pathways once taken when they were students finding their place. Careers past and future intersected in classrooms on Thursday and Friday through the Beyond Board in Class initiatives. At the All Campus Welcome Reception students, families, and alumni joined faculty and staff to talk with the directors of the new schools. Others paused in Eaton Chapel for a moment in silent reflection.

At Saturday night’s Homecoming Game, Beloiters filled Strong Stadium to cheer on their Buccaneers who put forth a valiant effort in a hard-fought two-point loss to Knox College. Though remodeled residence halls and lunch at the Powerhouse were reminders that sights and smells change, the stadium lights and the crisp September air evoked memories of Saturday evenings past. Shoulder-to-shoulder, they moved a little closer to each other and the Beloiter Days invitation for next year.

All images by Kayla Wolf.