Eva will be one of the guest presentors as Bluffton’s social work program is highlighted on May Day weekend.
I was elementary-age and was feeling a little out of my league, but very important.
I'd walked down the road a half of a mile from my house to the corner of Tom Fett and Bixel roads. It was a bit of a dreary day, but there was excitement in the air. It was May Day. And I had the very important job of making sure the runners in the May Day race didn't take the wrong turn.
I stood at my post, pointing the way... there went Bill Suter... Lawrence Matthews... Louise Matthews.... They all waved at me as they ran around the corner and I waved back.
That is my earliest memory of May Day.
As the daughter, sister, cousin, granddaughter, niece, great niece, and great granddaughter of Bluffton University attendees, I have a lifetime of knowledge about Bluffton University. It was sometime in junior high that I was at a university function with my parents and the name tags were supposed to specify what year the wearer had graduated. So I carefully counted out on my fingers how many years it would be until I graduated and then proudly wrote on my name tag, "Eva Voth '07."
Several May Days and one college application later, I stepped on campus in a different capacity than ever before. Instead of just hearing stories and attending functions with my parents, I was now a student. I was a Bluffton University student. Finally, I got to experience first hand the Bluffton tradition and heritage, and over the next four years, they become my own.
The last May Day I attended was for my own graduation, but this year I will be returning to my home town, to my home university, to my roots, my heritage, to participate once again in the May Day festivities. This year, I’ve been invited to speak at a short program in Musselman Library, the very place where I spent hours and hours pouring over books in pursuit of greater knowledge (i.e. because I had to, to pass Professor Brubaker's classes).
In the past few years, a particular program of study has been highlighted as part of May Day festivities. This year the featured program is social work - my field of study - and I am looking forward to speaking about my path into the growing social work academic program at Bluffton and what I've been doing in social work since graduation.
Consider this a personal invitation to come to the great Musselman Library at 3:30 p.m. May 7, 2011, to hear Elaine Ragsdale, David Voth (my dad) and myself share about our experiences as Bluffton graduates in social work. See you then!
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