Parade Grand Marshals
Homecoming 2010: September 26 - October 2
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Bobby Bell
As a quarterback, Bobby Bell, a legend in Golden Gopher football, wound up becoming a two-time All-American tackle and was awarded the coveted Outland Award, given annually to the nation's top interior lineman. His transition from quarterback to tackle was hailed by sportswriters of the day as one of the modern wonders of college football. In addition, he won the conference MVP and finished third in the Heisman voting. Bell led the Gophers to a 22-6-1 record during his tenure in Minnesota, which included a national championship and Rose Bowl victory. He was such a great athlete that he was recruited to walk on to the Gopher basketball team, where he became the program's first African-American player. After graduating, Bell was drafted in the second round by the Minnesota Vikings. But, he decided to play instead for the Kansas City Chiefs of the rival AFL, where in 1970, he led his squad past those very Vikings to win Super Bowl IV. As a pro in the NFL, Bell made another transition, this time to linebacker. There he played for 13 seasons, earning All-Pro honors for eight consecutive years, and becoming the Chiefs' first inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. He was later elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and was also named to the AFL's all-time team in 1969.
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Norman Borlaug
BORLAUG MEMORIAL
The University of Minnesota will host a memorial service for Nobel laureate and U of M alumnus Norman Borlaug at 10:30am on Thursday, October 8, in McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak ST SE, Minneapolis. It is free and open to the public.
As an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate, Dr. Norman Borlaug, is known as the "Father of the Green Revolution" because his scientific discoveries have been estimated to have saved over 245 million lives worldwide. He developed high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties, and led the introduction of them along with modern agricultural production techniques in India, Pakistan, and Mexico. As a result, wheat yields in these countries increased significantly and food security greatly improved. Dr. Borlaug also helped to increase food production in Asia and Africa. He is one of the few people in history to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal. He also is recipient of more than 50 honorary doctorate degrees.
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Deb Hopp
Deb Hopp serves as vice president of publishing and publisher of Mpls St.Paul Magazine for MSP communications, which she joined in 1994. Prior to her current role, Hopp was publisher of Twin Cities Business Monthly and director of custom publishing at MSP Communications, publisher of Skyway Publications, and first editor, then publisher, of Twin Cities Reader. She has headed major fundraising campaigns throughout the Twin Cities, including chairing the 2007 $87.5 million Twin Cities United Way campaign. Hopp has also served on a number of community boards of directors, including the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund, University of Minnesota Athletic Department, University of Minnesota Foundation, Minneapolis Downtown Council, Walker Art Center, and Minnesota Orchestra. She is a past national president of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.
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Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor is an author, storyteller, humorist, and creator of the weekly radio show A Prairie Home Companion, a live variety show on American Public Radio which is broadcast nationally. The radio program inspired the movie, A Prairie Home Companion, which was co-written by and starred Keillor. He is the author of more than a dozen best-selling books, including Lake Wobegon Days and Homegrown Democrat. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and Time. Called "the funniest American writer still open for business" by Time magazine and a "storytelling genius" by The Washington Post, Keillor was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1994, and honored with the National Humanities Medal in 1999.
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Walter Mondale
A most distinguished statesman and leader on the world stage, Walter Mondale has been dedicated to improving the nation and world through his work in government, politics, and community service. He represented Minnesota in the United States Senate from 1964-76. He served as United States vice president under President Jimmy Carter (1977-81), and in 1984, Mondale ran for the United States presidency, but lost to incumbent Ronald Reagan. In 1987, he returned to Minnesota and practiced law, and during the administration of President Bill Clinton, Mondale served as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan (1993-97).
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Lindsay Whalen
Lindsay Whalen, a professional basketball player with the WNBA's Connecticut Sun, is a standout in Gopher Basketball history. She starred for the Golden Gophers from 2000-04, culminating her Minnesota career at the Final Four in 2004. She was a three-time All-American, an Academic All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2002. She is Minnesota's all-time leading scorer with 2,285 points to her credit. Whalen's number 13 is retired and honored with a banner hanging from the rafters in Williams Arena.In her rookie season, she was selected to play in the historic WNBA vs. USA Basketball game at Radio City Music Hall. Then she led the Sun to the WNBA Finals in her first and second seasons, playing injured in the 2005 Finals. In the 2008 season, Whalen led her young team to second place in the Eastern Conference; she was MVP runner up. She was selected to the First Team ALL-WNBA for the first time in her career.
