Centralight

25 centralight fall '14 It's official: 31-year-old Andrew Dost, '05, is the youngest person to lead the CMU homecoming parade. Dost – this year's grand marshal – is just a smidge younger than housing director Donald Kilbourn, who supervised the parade back in 1948. "He had just turned 32 when he was doing that," says Bryan Whitledge, Clarke Historical Library reference assistant. And of course, getting answers to one question about CMU homecoming grand m arshals generates answers to a handful of other fun facts. Grand marshal seniority Martha Leonardson, 100, was the oldest living CMU alumna when she was named honorary grand marshal in 1977. She was a 1906 grad. In 1988, Floyd Slentz was 94 when he became the oldest CMU alumni to actively serve as grand marshal. This year's grand marshal Mayoral decision In 1966, Dean Eckersley became the only person actively serving as Mount Pleasant mayor to serve as grand marshal. Welcome back, Mr. President Charles Anspach, grand marshal in 1970, is the only former CMU president to fill this homecoming position. On the job Leonard Plachta is the only CMU president named grand marshal during his presidency. He and his wife, Louise, served in 1992 along with alumni Ted Kjolhede, '48, and Jesse Storr, '75. The four collectively represented CMU's past, present and future during the university's centennial homecoming parade. This also marked the only time ever there were four grand marshals in one homecoming parade. Doubling up In 1974, former registrar and 1931 CMU alumnus George Lauer and his wife, Ernestine, were the first couple named grand marshals. Not happening The university didn't name any grand marshal in 1971 – the only time after the title was introduced in 1965. That year, homecoming included a carnival instead of the traditional parade. With honor Arnold Sowmick served as grand marshal in 1989 and is the only Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe chief to individually fill this homecoming role at CMU. In 2013, Dennis V. Kequom Sr., chief of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, served with the rest of the tribal members as grand marshal when CMU marked the first time ever it granted an entire nation the honorary distinction. • i th younges ever 25 centralight fall '14

• Cover