Last Saturday my Darling Beloved and I traversed the backroads under a canopy of fall foliage from Lilburn to Macon to attend Mercer University’s Homecoming festivities.
Our middle son, Harris, vied for the title of Homecoming King, and we wanted to be there to support him and have our hearts swell with pride when they called his name as he walked onto the field at halftime.
That was the inciting action for our day, but any chance to return to Macon is layered with meaning for us. We called Macon home from 1992 to 2003. We met there. We married there. We had our first child there.
Similarly, Mercer holds significance for us in a number of ways – Carla earned her bachelor’s degree there. I earned my master’s degree there. I worked for three years transitioning from newspaper journalism to higher education communications there. And now our son is a senior there.
Way back in the last millennium, Mercer undertook many community improvement projects under the leadership of then President Kirby Godsey. As a staff member, I frequently heard the refrain, “As goes Macon, so goes Mercer.” Their success was symbiotically linked, and each entity reinforced the other. That holds true for me today.
When Harris chose to attend college at Mercer, it renewed our connection to the university in ways that we could not have imagined. Yes, we had always wanted Mercer to succeed, but while Harris has been there and flourished, we not only feel a deeper sense of gratitude, we have a more literal investment.
To be completely honest, we had not been as consistent in our annual giving in recent years, and with all of the scholarships and enriching experiences Haris has been able to benefit from, we renewed our financial support. When you work in higher education, particularly private higher education, you know the importance of philanthropy.
Until we visited campus with Harris in June of 2022, the summer before his senior year of high school, we had not been to a Mercer event not associated with my employment in more than a decade. Since Harris became a Mercer Bear in the fall of 2023, we have made regular trips to Macon and had the pleasure of seeing what the university has become while indulging our yearning for nostalgia for the formative years of our courtship and marriage.
We introduced Harris and his significant other, Anna, whom we adore, to Bear’s Den, Ingleside Village Pizza, The Rookery, Jim Shaw’s Seafood Grill, Tokyo Alley, El Sombrero, and on this most recent trip, Grey Goose Players Club. And nearly every time we go back, we drive by our first home on Highpoint Drive (Look! They painted the brick!)
So much has changed in the 23 years since we left, both on campus and in the city, that it feels in many ways like a different place. There are many familiar faces, and nearly every time we’re there, we see people we know. Sometimes we speak, and sometimes we’re in too much of a hurry to catch up. My favorite moment is when I catch someone’s eye, and I can see an expression on their face that says, “Hey, don’t I know you?”
Last Saturday was about as good as it gets. A partly cloudy fall day provided the perfect backdrop for the game and returning to Macon again. Carla had to stop at the home furnishings store Poppy’s of Macon and Creter’s Gifts, or course, and we couldn’t resist sneaking in a few of the “there used to be a _____ there…” when driving Harris and Anna out to the Grey Goose.
Once we were back on campus for the Homecoming Tailgate, Harris, in his suit, Mercer tie and “Homecoming Court” sash, was eager for us to meet professors and staff members who have been influential and supportive during his time there. I immediately bumped into former colleagues while Carla saw a former sorority sister. The countdown to kickoff zoomed by.
It was fun to laugh at shared jokes and shudder at our shared traumas with my MarComm friends. I sincerely complimented their work now that I’m paying closer attention. Their weekly newsletter and social feeds do a great job of showcasing what’s special about Mercer and gives me optimism about the institution’s future.
We didn’t make any attempts to bother the administrators we know, including newly invested president, Dr. Penny L. Elkins. (Of course Harris made a speech at the historic investiture on Oct. 29.) Harris asked us on our way out of the stadium if we wanted to stop and talk with the president. She had plenty of well-wishers at hand, and the most important Mercer VIPs to us were Harris and Anna. We decided we could catch up next time.
No, they did not call Harris’ name as Mercer Homecoming King 2026, but he was already royalty to us. The Bears overcame a lackluster first half to defeat The Citadel 28-19, keeping our record perfect when we attend Mercer football games.
By the time we put the Macon-Bibb County line in the rearview up Highway 23/87, our hearts were full. Mercer and Macon gave us a double dose of Homecoming, and we decided Thomas Wolfe wasn’t completely right.
You can go home again, at least for a day.
