This weekend many students’ parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters will walk the grounds of Eastern and enjoy the dinners, activities, football game, concert and brunch planned for them.

Family Weekend at Eastern, however, did not always appear this way.

Though the event is deep in the roots of Eastern’s tradition, the conception of Family Weekend differed greatly from what it has now become.

According to an article in the Oct. 1, 1976 issue of The Daily Eastern News, the idea of Family Weekend dates back to 1952, when the event was called Parents’ Day, exclusive to students’ parents and an event in which Eastern was one of the first schools in the nation to institute.

“The First Parents’ Day (in 1952) however, was a feat in itself,” the article noted.

The planned day for parents withstood the football team’s 41-0 loss to Central Michigan University and a polio epidemic in Coles County that canceled two other Eastern events.

From 1953 through 1958, Parents’ Day events included a football game, a parents’ lunch prior to or after the game and an inspection of the university buildings and dorms, according to the article.

The article noted it was in “1959 or 1960” when Parents’ Day in the fall was dispensed and moved to the spring in accordance with Greek Week.

In 1962, the event moved back to the fall, was renamed Parents’ Weekend and added the activity of a guest lecture.

Some of the lecturers Eastern brought were Mike Wallace, a CBS commentator, and Margaret Mead, a sociologist.

In 1969, Parents’ Weekend concerts were added and included performers such as Frank Fontaine, Henry Mancini, Bill Cosby, Bob Hope and Burl Ives.

“I remember, when I was here as housing director, we had Neil Diamond for the Parents’ Weekend concert,” said University President Lou Hencken. “He was here when his career was first starting, before his concerts cost $250,000 to put on.”

Though the concerts were added, there were not nearly as many activities or dinner choices for students and their parents.

“Parent’s Club was not established when the first Parents’ Weekend was, so there wasn’t as many planned activities for the families to do,” Hencken said. “Before, students could eat at any dining service they wanted as long as it was where they lived.”

Deciding which weekend to hold Parents’ Weekend was not an easy task either.

“The event used to be in September, before homecoming, but was moved to early November because Lantz was not air conditioned. With 4,000-5,000 people inside for the concert, it got pretty hot,” Hencken said. “Then, there was one weekend in November when it snowed and really hurt the attendance, so the event was moved back to late September, early October, where it is scheduled now.”

In the early 1980s, Parents’ Weekend was changed to Family Weekend to make the event more inclusive to students’ siblings, grandparents, great grandparents and any other family member who wished to join in on the activities, Hencken said.

As Family Weekend grew larger and larger, as it has steadily done over the years, finding a place to eat in Charleston was difficult, Hencken said. With this shortage in mind, directors of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union stepped in, took the helm of the event, and hosted dinners at the Union.

In the past 10 years, a Friday night spaghetti dinner, a Saturday night dinner and a Sunday morning brunch in the Union have been added, said Cathy Engelkes, University Union director.

Though the Union coordinates the event, many departments come together to fund it, said Shirley Stewart, vice president of Student Affairs.

“Athletics, Dining Services, Student Life, the Recreation Center and the University Union all come together to make the weekend a success,” she said.

From its beginning stages in 1952 to even the past 10 years, Family Weekend has developed greatly, but Hencken said he always feels there is room for improvement.

“I am never satisfied. I feel you can always improve on the things you do, and that there is always room to continue to expand and develop what you do,” Hencken said.

“I think (Family Weekend) is a very important tradition for the university, and it provides a great opportunity for families to come down and see their sons and daughters at the university where they live.”