 |
 |
By Keith J. Allen
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 25, 1996
When it first began, Family Weekend was "Dads' and Mothers' Day" and it was known as a time to honor the parents of UA students.On Oct. 26, 1929, the first parents' day was held with a total of 360 mothers and fathers registering for the event, according to the Oct. 29, 1929 Arizona Wildcat. The Wildcat also reported that over 400 parents attended the University of Arizona-New Mexico State University football game that day.
The UA's total fall enrollment in 1929 was 2,164, said Frank Antinoro, associate director of institutional data in Decision and Planning Support.
The day was planned by Bobcats, senior men's honorary of 1929, and Mortar Board, senior women's honorary of 1929, according to the Wildcat. Both groups are still in existence, but are now co-ed.
Events included free tickets to the football game at the "new" 7,800 seat Arizona Stadium, a tea for mothers at the president's house (now Maricopa Residence Hall), an open invitation to parents from all fraternities and sororities and a parents' reception with then UA President H.L. Shantz.
The Sept. 27, 1929 issue of the Wildcat reported that then football coach James Fred "Pop" McKale allowed the team members' parents to sit on the bench during the game. This, McKale believed, was to "arouse the enthusiasm of the squad and result in a winning game."
It must have worked because the Wildcats crushed the Aggies 28-0 on 1929's Parents' Day.
The Wildcats are 41-19-1 in their 61 Parents' Day/Family Weekend games, according to the 1996 UA football media guide. The event was not held from 1942-44 because of World War II, the media guide stated.
And for the first Parents' Day, parents traveled from a far. Some of the places included El Paso, Texas; Brooklyn, Mich.; Roswell, N.M.; Dayton, Iowa; Juarez, Mexico; San Bernadino, Calif.; Los Angeles; Reserve, La.; Oak Park, Ill.; Anaheim, Calif.; and Berkeley, Calif.
For this year's Family Weekend, about 700 families are expected, said Carey Welty, nursing freshman and Family Weekend guest services director. She said the weekend brings an estimated 2,800 people to campus.
Michelle Outlaw, criminal justice and public management junior and
Family Weekend executive director, said when planning the event, no certain group was targeted.
Outlaw said planning for this year's event started in April, and 1997's weekend planning will begin in February. She said the family registration packets went out to parents in late August.
Family Weekend was renamed from Parents' Day in 1989, according to the football media guide. The guide also states that the weekend had been known as Dads' and Mothers' Day, but was officially named Parents' Day in 1964.
Outlaw said the weekend was renamed in 1989 so that it did not just encompass parents, but also other family members.
Most parents come from California or within Arizona, Outlaw said. She said there is not a breakdown of where this year's visitor's come from.
For this year's Family Weekend football game featuring the UA and Oregon State University, 3,000 reserved end-zone seats were available for families at $8 per seat, Welty said. She said there will also be about 1,000 people at a pre-game barbecue on the Mall.
Darlene Castelan, McKale Center ticket office manager, said 1,500 reserved seats have been sold to family members. She said a total of 38,000 tickets had been sold as of Monday, which includes season ticket holders.
"It all depends on who we play," Castelan said. "The last two years with UCLA and Washington, those were big games. This year there seems to be not much interest."
Family Weekend has also evolved enough to be included as part of the University Activities Board, Outlaw said. She said the event is no longer run by Bobcats or Mortar Board.
The Athletic Department also puts ads in the The Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen to talk about the weekend's athletic events, said Steve Sullivan, director of the athletic department's marketing and promotions.
|
|
|