Story by Joycelyne Fadojutimi/www.infinitieplusmag.com
East Texas Baptist University recently celebrated Homecoming 2025 by welcoming alumni and friends to on-campus festivities. Throughout the week, the University held a variety of events that engaged students in faith and friendship, including pumpkin painting, Conversations with the President, trivia Tuesday, Powder Puff games, and Western dancing.
ETBU students and alumni gathered for the annual Homecoming Chapel service to honor the 2025 Golden Blazers, Alumni Awards recipients, Golden Lightkeeper Award recipient, and the class of 1975. Since the program’s inception in 2010, 109 members have been presented with ETBU’s traditional Golden Blazer as a symbol of leadership, spiritual authority, and God’s blessing.
These ambassadors have provided generous financial support and countless volunteer hours to ETBU. The 2025 Golden Blazers are Jean (Atkinson) Davis (’97), Ruth (Atkinson) Hoffman (’77), and Billy Hoffman (’77). This year’s Alumni Awards honored Steve Akin (’73) with the Unsung Hero Award and Joshua Zamora (’10) with the Young Alumnus Award; Laura (Hopkins) Sammons (’98) accepted the J. Wesley Smith Achievement Award, Dr. Randall O’Brien (’85) was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award, and Claudia and Mac Abney were honored with the W.T. Tardy Service Award.
Alumna Jeanne (Gibbs) Gray (’70) was honored with the Golden Lightkeeper Award, a distinction reserved for alumni who graduated over 50 years ago and have made lasting impacts in their vocations, church, and communities. Mrs. Jeanne (Gibbs) Gray (’70) is a dedicated educator with 41 years of experience, specializing in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, with a deep passion for teaching 2nd grade. She holds a master’s degree in library science and has spent her career enriching young minds. Her husband, Dee Gray, was a math teacher for 49 years. Mrs. Gray has two daughters and three grandchildren. Family, church, and education have always been central to Mrs. Gray’s home life.
During the two-day celebration, the Tiger Family enjoyed a variety of activities, including a Jazz Band concert, ETBU theatre production, Tiger Pep Rally, Late Night Breakfast, Decade Reunions, the Tiger Family Carnival and Tailgate, and ETBU Tiger Football, Volleyball, and Soccer.
The 2025 Homecoming Court was revealed during halftime of the football game against Hardin-Simmons University. The court featured Freshman Duke and Duchess Noah Zarate and Katelynn Scott; Sophomore Duke and Duchess Mason Stancliff and Kirbee Webb; Junior Duke and Duchess Clayton Darby and Annsleigh Stewart; and Senior Duke and Duchess Carlos Jaral and Darcie Palmer. ETBU seniors Max Karseno and Christina Walbridge were crowned the 2025 Homecoming King and Queen.
The King and Queen were nominated for embodying the qualities of a Christian leader, scholar, and servant. Max Karseno is a Carrollton, Texas native, majoring in Sport Management. He is a member of Mobberly Baptist Church in Marshall. A dedicated student-athlete, Karseno is a member of the 2025 ASC Championship ETBU Men’s Tennis team and was named tournament MVP. During his time as a Tiger, he has earned All-ASC Second Team (2024) and All-ASC Academic honors in both 2023 and Beyond athletics, Max is on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) leadership team, is part of the campus Intramural staff, contributes to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, is involved in the MARSH PITT, serves as a Tiger Camp leader, and mentors fellow students as a Thrive Peer Mentor. Christina Walbridge is a senior
nursing major from Plano, Texas. She is an active member of Mobberly Baptist Church in Marshall, where she serves as a children’s ministry apprentice. On campus, Christina is a Resident Assistant in Carlile Hall and has welcomed incoming students to campus over the past three years as a Tiger Camp leader. She is a member of the Texas Nursing Students Association (TNSA) and is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society.
Courtesy photos by East Texas Baptist University
