It wasn’t an earthquake that shook things up during Professor David Brumbaugh‘s class this morning, but a visit from the Chain Gang announcing his selection as this year’s Homecoming Dedicatee.
Brumbaugh had just begun his physical geology lecture when the orange-clad student group charged with keeping NAU’s traditions interrupted the class to “tap” him. Professor Joseph Anderson, last year’s dedicatee who teaches in the W.A. Franke College of Business, joined the club to make the announcement.
Anderson and the Chain Gang members wore a button bearing the professor’s photo. Brumbaugh wasn’t rattled by the shift in his lesson plans as his class erupted in applause.
“I thought we had a rush of new enrollees,” he said.
Paul Umhoefer, geology professor and director of the School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, helped keep the club’s secret and joined in the announcement. He has worked with Brumbaugh in the geology department since 1993.
“Dave has been a dedicated instructor and researcher for over 40 years at NAU,” he said. “It is clear that he very much enjoys teaching both majors and other students in the classroom and in the field.”
Brumbaugh also has served as the director of the Arizona Earthquake Information Center at NAU for many years. The center provides critical information on the earthquake hazards in the northern Arizona region on a real-time and long-term basis.
The Homecoming Dedicatee tradition dates back to 1936 through which students select an NAU faculty or staff member whom students feel has demonstrated exceptional service to the university and interest in its students.
Anderson said he was very deeply honored to be selected last year and to be chosen by his students. Several NAU alumni attended the banquet and spoke about the influence he had on their lives.
“All through the process, up to and including the parade, I felt like I really was a member of the NAU community, and that was wonderful,” Anderson said. “It’s certainly a memory I cherish, even with 23 years of memories at NAU.”
The annual Homecoming Dedicatee Banquet begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the High Country Conference Center. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for non-students and are available through the Central Ticket Office. Cash, check, dining dollars and JDE accepted.
Brumbaugh also will be honored during the Homecoming parade on campus, which begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.
Homecoming Dedicatee pins may be purchased by contacting chaingang.nau@gmail.com and in-person between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in the University Union, room 102.