Who invented homecoming? Learn more in time for NIU’s events Sept. 24 at Glidden Homestead

DeKALB – In time for Northern Illinois University’s 116th Homecoming, learn the history behind one of the nation’s longest-running alumni gatherings in the country.

Mike Korcek, NIU’s sports information director emeritus, will touch on the legacy of the Huskies’ homecoming and celebrations nationwide during a presentation at noon Sept. 24 at the Glidden Homestead, 921 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, according to a news release. Admission to the program is $5, and free for Homestead members. Admission includes a tour of the Glidden Homestead and blacksmithing demonstrations. Proceeds from the program support the Homestead.

Joseph F. Glidden notably donated 64 acres of his own land in the 1890s for the building of the Northern Illinois State Normal School, now known as NIU.

Korcek started investigating the history of homecoming when he learned that the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign claimed to have invented homecoming on a national basis in 1910, even though NIU’s version began seven years earlier, according to the release. His homecoming topic was a two-decade crusade.

During the address, Korcek will share the stories, research, background and personal irony behind “Who Really Did Invent Homecoming?” He also will cite the seven schools in America with the oldest homecomings.

Korcek, 75, has covered sports for more than 50 years with stops at the Mount Prospect News (1965-67), The Northern Star (1966 to 1969), European Stars & Stripes (1971 to 1973) and as a columnist at the DeKalb Daily Chronicle (2008 to 2021). A 1970 NIU journalism grad and a U.S. Army vet, Korcek spent nearly four decades in the NIU office of sports information (1969 to 1970 and 1973 to 2009), with 22 as director.

The Mount Prospect native was inducted into the media wing of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1999) and NIU Athletics Hall of Fame (2003), according to the release. In 1998, Korcek was honored as the Donald R. Grubb NIU Journalism Alumnus of the Year.

The Glidden Homestead is open every Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. for tours of the historic homestead where Joseph F. Glidden created “The Winner” barbed wire, one of the most widely-used types of barbed wire that helped change the history of the American West, and the world. The Phineas Vaughan Blacksmith Shop will provide demonstrations of the blacksmithing craft to visitors.

The J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center in DeKalb is a not-for-profit organization working to preserve the home and barn, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places, while providing educational opportunities to the public. For more information, call 815-756-7904, visit www.gliddenhomestead.org or visit J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center on Facebook.