As homecoming rolls around each year, Alumni Relations Director Bridget Giunta. Alumni Events Manager Jacki Lukas and Associate Alumni Relation Director Mary Simmons rally to host Share the Spirit, where sports alumni return to campus for honors and reunions.

This year’s honoree was Kevin Gryboski, a 1995 Wilkes graduate and former Atlanta Braves pitcher.

Along with Gryboski, President Patrick Leahy and Dr. Paul Adams, vice president of student affairs, addressed friends and family in the crowd.

“The event is designed to celebrate the legacy of Wilkes athletics. It brings former student-athletes, current student-athletes, coaches, staff and faculty, friends and alumni together to celebrate the rich tradition of Wilkes.”

Adams is heavily involved with the academics and even more so with athletics at Wilkes. He is known for his reputation among the student-athletes on campus.

He knows most athletes on a personal level; between the president and himself, the athletes are kept involved and in check on campus.

This year’s Share the Spirit event turned out to be very successful. There were plenty of refreshments going around as the marching band put on a show along with the cheerleaders on campus.

Drs. Leahy and Adams also kept the crowd involved by asking questions and recognizing the different teams and alumni that attended the event.

Adams felt the need to reach out to the alumni and thank them wholeheartedly for all that they do for the campus. At a small institution like Wilkes, it is hard to find the funding each sport needs to get by each season. The alumni play a huge part in funding their respective sport after they leave.

“Wilkes alumni support our athletics program in so many ways: with their financial support, their attendance at athletic contests, their service on University committees like the Athletics Hall of Fame selection committee, and coaching search committees,” he said.

The Share the Spirit event is a way to keep the alumni involved and give back to the Wilkes Community for all the alumni do for the school.

“I think the event accomplished its intended purpose — to celebrate Wilkes athletics and to honor a distinguished former student-athlete – Bryan Gryboski. It is a great opportunity to bring together our current student-athletes with our alumni — it creates sharing across the generations,”