To students who think Biola’s position on dancing is a bit old fashioned, Glenna Amos would remind them that the rules were much stricter when she attended the Bible Institute of Los Angeles in 1964. One “didn’t dare sew a button on Sunday” and girls “weren’t allowed out of the room with the rollers in [their] hair,” she said. Makeup, short hair, and pants were prohibited for girls and movies were taboo.

Amos was one of several hundred alumni who returned to Biola’s Homecoming Weekend, which drew former students from as far as Washington D.C. and Florida back to their alma mater for games, conferences, reunions, and reminiscing. In hopes of creating an interactive atmosphere for both current students and alumni, Alumni Relations decided to host Homecoming Weekend, an expanded version of the Alumni Weekend that usually takes place this time of year. Some of the weekend’s highlights included a Golden Eagles Luncheon for those who graduated in 1959 or earlier, a Sweethearts Banquet for couples who met at Biola, and the Apologetics Conference. This upgraded sequence of events will hopefully become a more permanent tradition, said Heather Cordell, advancement events manager for Alumni Relations.

“We’re really trying to get the student body involved with it so that it’s something they enjoy and they look forward to coming back to after they graduate,” she said.

Amos reminisced back to her days as a Bible major at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, where she lived on the 12th floor of the school’s only building and all classes ended at noon. Amos recalled her season on Biola’s first women’s basketball team and having Clyde Cook for a classmate.

Students were transported between school and work on “that big red Biola bus,” where they would pass the time singing hymns and worship songs, Amos said. Overall, Amos was satisfied with the changes at the school since she attended.

“I think they’ve made some good changes … come into the new world,” she said,

Robert and Shirley Hiebert, Golden Eagle Alumni, drove six hours from their home in Citrus Heights, Calif. to attend the homecoming happenings. The couple met at the 13-story Bible Institute of Los Angeles in downtown L.A. at Sixth and Hope Street, where he was a Bible major and she was a Christian Education major.

Although they didn’t graduate from Biola, the Hieberts finished their time at the the Bible Institute in ’59 and ’57, respectively, and married while still in school. Robert was proud to have attended class with former Biola president Clyde Cook. Shirley recalls Dr. Whiting as her favorite faculty member, and has kept most of her notes from his Old Testament Survey class decades ago.

Shirley said she remembers Ms. Richardson, the dean who inspected girls’ dorm rooms for any trace of dust. Shirley said Richardson wouldn’t tolerate even a trace of dust under girls’ beds.

“You came from dust, and I don’t want any gentlemen around,” Shirley recalls her dean saying.

The “very strict” Ms. Richardson frowned upon dating, Shirley said. When Shirley received flowers from her then-boyfriend, Robert, on Valentine’s Day, Shirley remembers Ms. Richardson chastising her with the words, “Now you have fallen for sure.”

Rich (’72) and Karen (’73) Thune have stayed connected with the community in the past few decades, as one of their daughters graduated from Biola in 2002 and their other daughter is a junior here.

“We kind of feel like we never left,” Karen said.

Rich, a social science major, played for the basketball team, while Karen, a humanities student, sang in chorale and occasionally played piano in chapel. There have been significant changes since the couple attended, however. The Caf food has “dramatically improved” from the single entree meals students lined up for, single-file, Rich said.

“The variety and the quality is amazing. There’s something for every palette, every taste,” he said.

Rich said he and his wife are still benefiting from the “lifelong learning” that began at Biola. Those years were “very formative” in their personal lives.

The oldest returning alumna was Alta Sorrell, 85, who graduated from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles in 1944, said Sue Kimber, officer coordinator at alumni relations. growth, Rich said.